El Hadj M'hamed El Anka in Arabic (الحاج محمد العنقة), real name Mohamed Idir Aït Ouarab, born in the Casbah of Algiers on May 20, 1907 in a family from Freha in the wilaya of Tizi Ouzou , is a precursor and master of Algerian chaâbi song, died on November 23, 1978. He is the father of Mustapha El Anka and Abdel Hadi Halo.

BIOGRAPHY

Mohamed Idir Aït Ouarab known as Hadj M'Hamed El Anka (The Phoenix) or nicknamed the cardinal of the chaabi song, born rue Marengo in Bab el Jdid in the upper casbah, grew up in a house at 4 rue de Timbouctou, within a modest family, originally from Béni Djennad (Freha commune, Aarch Aït Djennad, wilaya of Tizi-Ouzou). His father Mohamed Ben HadJ Saïd, suffering on the day of his birth, had to be replaced by a maternal relative for the declaration to the civil status. This is how a misunderstanding arose regarding the patronymic name of El Anka. His maternal uncle introduces himself as such; he said in Arabic "Ana Khalo" (I am his uncle) and this is how the attendant wrote "Halo". He then becomes Halo Mohamed Idir.

His mother Fatma Bent Boudjemaâ, a native of Algiers, surrounded him with all the affection that a mother could give. She was attentive to her education and instruction. Three schools welcomed him successively from 1912 to 1918: Koranic at Chikh si Mohand Arezki in Bir Djebbah (1912-1914), Brahim Fatah (Casbah) from 1914 to 1917 and at the normal school of Bouzaréah until 1919. When he left school permanently to devote himself to work, he had not yet celebrated his 11th birthday.

Learning

It was on the recommendation of Si Saïd Larbi, a renowned musician, playing in Mustapha Nador's orchestra in Algiers, that young M'hamed obtained the privilege of attending the parties hosted by this master whom he revered. . This is how, during the month of Ramadan in 1917, the sheikh noticed the young M'hamed and his sense of rhythm and allowed him to play the tar (drum) within his orchestra. From there, it was Kéhioudji (Ayad Mohamed), a half-brother of Hadj M'rizek, who received him as a full-time musician in the orchestra which hosted the henna ceremonies generally reserved for beginner artists. .

After the death of Sheikh El Nadhor (real name Saidji), in 1925 in Cherchell, his wife's hometown where he had just settled, he took part in singing lessons given by Sheikh Reghai Abderrahmane (Abderrahmane Saidi), teaching which he followed assiduously from 1927 to 1932.

The birth of Chaâbi

When Sheikh El Nadhor died, El Anka, then 18 years old, took over the running of family celebrations. The orchestra was made up of Si Said Larbi, Omar BéBéo (Slimane Allane) and Mustapha Oulid El Meddah among others. M'hamed El Meddah, his stage name, dares new touches and a new way of playing the "istikhbarates" or preludes of the "qasidates" which will earn him praise from the masters of Arab-Andalusian faithful to the tradition with all his rigor and who took a dim view of the transgression of this art by this young man, the nickname of Sheikh El Harras (the breaker).

1928 was a pivotal year in his career because he met the general public. He recorded 27 78 rpm records with Columbia Records, his first publisher, and also took part in the inauguration of Radio PTT Algiers. These two events will propel him to the forefront throughout the national territory and even beyond.

At the beginning of the 1930s, El Anka was known since the former Meddah did not record any records apart from the 4 secular texts recorded on records in 1924 by Saïd El Meddah, whose real name was Malek Saïd. Its popularity, favored by the modern means of the phonograph and the radio, was growing more and more. It was at this time that he introduced several instruments into the Medh orchestras: the banjo, the Derbouka, the piano... and above all he asked the luthier Jean Bellido to redesign his half-mandolin by lengthening the handle while enlarging the soundboard the result leads to the typically Algerian mandola that we know today. Reworked in this way, the Mandole allows for ease in bass playing and coordination between high and low notes, the variation of the tunes and the richness of improvisation begin to amaze and please4. Upon his return from Mecca in 1937, he resumed his tours in Algeria and France and renewed his training by integrating Hadj Brahmane Guechoud, Kaddour Cherchali (Abdelkader Bouhraoua who died in 1968 in Algiers), Chaabane Chaouch and Rachid Rebah in the tar to replace Sheikh Hadj Menouar. Following the Second World War, and after a period considered difficult by some close to the sheikh, El Hadj M'Hamed El Anka will be invited to direct the first major popular music group of Radio Alger, which was barely emerging and succeeding Radio Pilulaire which would become from 1946, "chaabi" thanks to the great notoriety of its promoter, El Anka.

The master

In 1955, he joined the Municipal Conservatory of Algiers as a professor responsible for teaching chaabi. His first students will all become sheikhs in their turn, thus ensuring succession: Amar Chachacha, Ahcène Said, Rachid Souki, etc. The great innovation brought by El-Hadj El-Anka is the note of freshness introduced into a music deemed monovocal which no longer responded to current tastes. His instrumental playing becomes more sparkling, lightened by his nonchalance. His way of putting melody at the service of the verb was simply unique. As an indication, El Hadj El Lanka has performed nearly 360 poems (qassaid) and produced around 130 records. After Columbarium, he produced around ten 78 t with Algérien in 1932 and another ten with Polygone.

After more than fifty years of career, El Anka will host the last two evenings of his career until dawn, in 1976, in Cherchell, for the wedding of the grandson of his master Sheikh Mustapha Nador and, in 1977, in El-Biar, with families who were very attached to him.

He died on November 23, 1978, in Algiers, and is buried in the El-Kettar cemetery in Algiers.


DISCOGRAPHY

http://www.discogs.com/fr/artist/1807989-El-Hadj-MHamed-El-Anka