Mohamed El Qasabgi

Mohamed el-Qasabgi (Arabic: محمد القصبجي; pronounced in local Egyptian dialect as Mohamed el-Asabgi; 15 April 1892 in Cairo – 25 March 1966) was an Egyptian musician and composer, and is regarded as one of the leading Egyptian composers in the 20th century. Most of his credits went to Umm Kulthum, Asmahan, and Layla Murad who sang most of his great works and scores. Until today, most critics classify Mohamed El Qasabgi as the master of the oud due to his great abilities and skills which he had during his time.

In most of his tunes, there is a real sensation of the pure Oriental spirit, mixed with European musical techniques and taste. This was mostly seen in songs like Ya Toyour, Raa' El Habeeb, Ana Albi Daleeli.

In the above-mentioned songs and many others, he was widely recognized by most musicians and critics at that time as the leader of development of Oriental music, and mixing it with newest musical techniques and influences brought in from Western classical traditions of his time.