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\nDUBAI: As his fingers swept over the 11 strings of his oud, the late Syrian-Egyptian composer and singer Farid Al-Atrash healed broken hearts and inspired beautiful love stories.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nAl-Atrash, dubbed the \u201cKing of Oud,\u201d is one of the Arab worlds\u2019 most significant cultural figures. He was a composer, singer, instrumentalist, actor and film producer who released more than 220 original songs and acted in 31 musical films.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nHe earned his nickname for his extraordinary prowess on the Middle Eastern stringed instrument. His work includes numerous Arab music classics, including \u201cNora Ya Nora,\u201d \u201cAwel Hamsa\u201d and \u201cAlby w Mofatho.\u201d<\/p>\n \nAl-Atrash was born on Oct. 19, 1910, to a Syrian father and Lebanese mother in Suwayda, Syria. He emigrated to Egypt with his mother and siblings \u2014\u00a0the legendary singer Asmahan (Amal Al-Atrash) and film producer Fouad Al-Atrash \u2014 to escape French occupation, as their family played a major role in the Syrian resistance movement. They later received Egyptian citizenship.<\/p>\n \nAl-Atrash\u2019s inspiration was his mother, Aliya Bent Al-Monthir, a singer and a musician, whose talent helped to provide for her family in Egypt. She pushed him to pursue an education in music at Egypt\u2019s\u00a0music conservatory. Al-Atrash always said his instructor Riad El-Sunbati was his true musical mentor. While studying at the conservatory, Al-Atrash sold textiles to help his family.\u00a0<\/p>\n \nHis professional career began when he met composer Farid Ghosn and Egyptian singer and actor Ibrahim Hamouda. He joined Hamouda\u2019s band as an oudist.\u00a0By the time Al-Atrash was in his early 30s, he was already regularly performing on Egyptian radio.<\/p>\n \n