Historical Record Collection
Rare 78 rpm & early recordings
Carefully selected for collectors of historical recordings and analog sound
ʿAla ruhi ana al-gani
على روحي أنا الجاني
♫ Arabian Celebrity Odeon Record — c.1908 ♫
An early recording of Egyptian vocal art by Soliman Abou Daoud, presenting a dawr by Muhammad ʿUthman across two sides. This 27 cm shellac record bears red and gold Arabian Celebrity Odeon Record labels and the impressed inscription “MADE FOR FONOTIPIA COMPANIES,” adding discographic interest to its preservation of the pre-war Egyptian repertoire.
Artist: Soliman Abou Daoud
Title: على روحي أنا الجاني — ʿAla ruhi ana al-gani
Composer: Muhammad ʿUthman
Label: ARABIAN CELEBRITY ODEON RECORD
Catalogue references: 45509/1 & 45509/2
Matrix inscriptions: 45509/1 & 45509/2
Format: 27 cm shellac record, commonly described as 11-inch, 78 rpm, double-sided
Recorded: c.1908, according to the specialist reference cited below
Location printed on the labels: CAIRO
Genre: Egyptian vocal music / Arabic classical tradition
Style: Dawr — maqam Jaharkah
This dawr belongs to the Egyptian art-song repertoire associated with Muhammad ʿUthman. Its title conveys the idea of being responsible for one's own misfortune. The performance is divided across both sides of the record.
Soliman Abou Daoud, also transliterated Sulayman Abu Dawud, was a singer of the Egyptian repertoire whose surviving recordings preserve adwar, qasidas and mawwals from before the First World War. Details of his life and musical training remain poorly documented; the AMAR Foundation notes that he does not appear to have made further recordings after 1914.
AMAR compares the colour of his voice with that of Sayyid al-Safti, while relating his approach to the dawr to Yusuf al-Manyalawi's lively manner and fluency in improvisation. These comparisons help place his singing within the vocal traditions preserved by the earliest Egyptian recordings.
His records offer an opportunity to hear a less extensively documented singer interpreting the established repertoire of his time. This Odeon release preserves his performance of a nineteenth-century composition during the early years of commercial recording.
Biographical reference: AMAR Foundation for Arab Music Archiving & Research, artist profile of Sulayman Abu Dawud. Accompanying musicians are not named on the labels.
Speed: 78 rpm
Record size: 27 cm — commonly described as 11-inch
Material: Shellac
Configuration: Double-sided
Catalogue references: 45509/1 & 45509/2
Side A matrix inscription: 45509/1
Side B matrix inscription: 45509/2
Additional impressed inscription: MADE FOR FONOTIPIA COMPANIES
Company printed on the labels: INTERNATIONAL TALKING MACHINE Co. m.b.H.
Label design: Red and gold Arabian Celebrity Odeon Record labels with the Odeon building trademark
Country of manufacture: Probably Germany; not confirmed by an explicit country marking on this copy.
Dating reference: Frédéric Lagrange, “L’adīb et l’almée,” Annales islamologiques 43 (2009), pp. 345–346, note 40, identifies Sulayman Abu Dawud's Odeon 45509 recording as dating from approximately 1908. The manufacture date of this particular pressing has not been established.
Record condition: EX — Very clean. Visually graded.
Labels: Lettering remains clearly legible. Some wear is visible around the centre holes; please refer to the photographs.
The condition grade describes the visual appearance of the record. No playback grade is provided.
Historical Record Collection
We carefully select collectible records for music lovers, historical recording specialists, 78 rpm collectors, analog collectors and audiophiles. Particular attention is given to originality, condition and the historical significance of rare recordings.
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Soliman Abou Daoud, Sulayman Abu Dawud, سليمان أبو داود, على روحي أنا الجاني, Ala ruhi ana al gani, Muhammad Uthman, Mohammed Osman, Odeon, Arabian Celebrity Odeon Record, International Talking Machine Co. m.b.H., MADE FOR FONOTIPIA COMPANIES, 45509, 45509/1, 45509/2, c.1908, Cairo, Egyptian vocal music, Arabic classical music, dawr, adwar, Jaharkah, shellac, 78 rpm, 11 inch, 27 cm, historical recording, collectible shellac, analog collector, audiophile