Umm Kulthum a discography of all her recordings with hyperlinks from a firstline indexes to her songs, listing songs known to have been recorded or performed by her with reference to date of first performance, composer, poet, mode (maqaam) and genre, linked to audiogrammes available on the market.
(This index, with small additions and crossreferrences, follows Virgina Danielsson's appendix A to her thesis Umm Kalthum's Repertory Listed in Approximate Chronological Order.To understand more of the problem of dating and the specific use here, please see Virginia Danielssons note to the index./LF)
As of yet mostly listing CD's and LP's, but to be merged with information on the 78 rpm recordings and radio broadcasts, film and video, and if not released or available on any other media also including cassettes (K7). During this phase of construction the following lists that stand alone and can be consulted individually (all with their own set of links comparing various reissues) are in the process of being compared and linked to the firstline index.
There is also a collection of the arabic text to some of her songs (that I borrowed from Börre Ludvigsen, thanks Börre!)
These is a is list of the arabic texts named texts.html in arabic
There is also many mails asking for instructions on how to listen to the soundfiles.But the sad fact is that there really arent any soundfiles here, just dry silent discographical details to enable people to obtain material to listen to elsewhere! I personally can think of many more pleasant places to listen to UK's songs than from my humming computer. As a consolation for those of you with RealAudio and a craving to listen to her while sitting in front of your computer I may upload one or two soundfiles that you will later find here, and if that does not satisfy you there is much more to listen to at the site of CDA (Club du Disque Arabe), where most of their 8 volumes of reissues of 78 rpm songs have at least a 30 sec appetizer. If you'd like to listen to the 90 minute version of Baed Annak it will probably never be available here. Many people also inquire to how to buy the various listed records and again I am sorry, not here! I will make a list of possible sources but I myself I only try to get more material myself from whatever source I can find it!
(Hope you find some of the new material here useful, and do please, send me comments and corrections if you find flaws and errors. LF 980407)
Sono Cairo (Egypt) = Sono Cairo-Audio & Video Co, Egypt (50 CD's possibly produced by Digital Press Hellas up to 1996 when the licence for production and distribution may have been taken over by SIDI) [Prefix used SONOE]
Sonodisc CD's produced and distributed by Sonodisc France under license from Sono Cairo (Egypt) [61 CD's issued by 1991 no further releases since then] Sono
Saudi Information Development Industries SIDI (72+7? CD's)
Club du Disque Arabe Archive Artiste Arabe [8 CD's] AAA
EMI-Arabia (Dubai) 1-5 (6-8 not yet published)EMI
DIGITAL PRESS HELLAS (EMI-Greece)
SonoCairo =Sono Cairo [prefix used SONODPH]
Cairophone = (Beirut distribution) (9 CD's) CXGCD
Chahine & fils = Voix de l'Orient (1 CD) VDLCD
La Voix du Maghreb (2 CD's) LVdMSono Cairo LP's produced and distributed under licence by Sonodisc France [ ?? titles issued before 1995.12.16] SC
Catalogues from the Gramophone Company (HMV)
Various brands of Tunisian and Egyptian & Greek, etc. Cassettes = K7
Sono Cairo (Egypt) = Sono Cairo-Audio & Video Co, Egypt (?? K7's in catalogue) [Prefix used SONOEK7]
These are my checklists of the CD's and LP's that I have found on the market since mid-1970. It is mainly the combined information from media in my own collection combined with information found in various catalogues.In the beginning I made some lists and concordances to avoid buying duplicates but that can of course not replace a real discography of Umm Kulthums works, which I feel is still very much needed. I am now trying to compile one, and would like to get in contact with other collectors of Umm Kalthoum recordings. I am aware of some earlier, quite serious efforts at creating lists of her songs but they are, regardless of being extensive, still incomplete.
The information here draws heavily on the works of Virginia Danielsson. I have also had some help from the songlist in Braune's Ph. D and with some caution I also got some clues from the preliminary discography by Dr. Youssef Shawki, included in Ysabel Saïah's work.But absolutely any source has been scrutinized and weighed. None of the printed sources list any matrix- or catalogue numbers except for the information in Hachleff. I also like to thank a few people that has been extra helpful and starting with the overwhelmingly kind Frederic Lagrange and Paul Vernon I have also enjoyed valuable help from Keith Chandler, Nikolay Bektereff and Michele Barontini. Many useful suggestions from other persons, to numerous to mention here, has come via the net and I eagerly look forward to their continued mailings. I have also had help from various unprinted sources aswell as the pleasure of help from collectors and other knowledgeable persons both on and off the web.
I think the web where we can "go to the printers" virtually every day, should be a perfect place to update new findings on a more regular basis, and If anyone can supply more information about where to obtain other discographical information it would be a great relief to me. In the meantime I will continue updating this patchwork consisting of information culled from the above mentioned sources and any LP-records, any cassettes or CD's leaflet that come in my way.
Lars Fredriksson, latest update 971206.
* I know that there is much much more that should go into a bibliography on Umm Kulthum but rest assured that it will get added to as soon as I get more time
*If you rather see a list of Umm Kulthums recordings comparing LP's with CD's there is a list I recently made public to meet some peoples request to starting out in the vinyl
* see the other discographies on Arabic Music
Any comments are welcome e-mail: mrfung@nada.kth.se
SC = Sonocairo LP's distributed by Sonodisc
France [ ?? titles issued before 1995.12.16]
AAA = Archive Artiste Arabe [vols I-VIII]
SonoCairo Egypt = SonoCairo-Audio & Video Co, Egypt
Sono = Sonodisc CD's distributed by Sonodisc France [61 CD's issued by 1995.12.16]
SonoCairo-E =SonoCairo DIGITAL PRESS HELLAS
SIDI = Saudi Information Development Industries
(72+5-6 CD's)
EMI = EMI Dubai 1-5 (6-8 not yet published)
EMI Music Arabia FZE, P.O. Box 61003 Jebel Ali, Dubai, U.A.E.
CXGCD = Cairophone DIGITAL PRESS HELLAS (Beirut
distribution EMI Greece) (9 CD's)
Chahine & fils = DIGITAL PRESS
HELLAS (1 CD)
LVdM = La Voix du Maghreb (2 CD's)
K7
Sono Cairo Egypt = SonoCairo-Audio & Video
Co, Egypt
SOCA (Soca)
Societé la cassette
Km 9 Autoroute de la Marsa
tel. 760 760, 760 752
fax. 760 358
télex: 14074 T.N. Tunisia
Phonie, Tunisia
TK7, Tunisia
CXG = Cairophone DIGITAL PRESS HELLAS (Beirut
distribution EMI Greece)
AAA (Club du Disque Arabe)