Manṣūr ‘Awaḍ

Biography

Mansur Awad was an instrumentalist and composer born in Qusurat al-Shawam, Shubra, in 1880.

His father, Hanin Mansur Awad, traded in textiles. His schooling included the Frères school in al-Kharnfash, where he learned Arabic, French and violin, as well as Tawfiqiyya and the Coptic school. He took up oud and studied pieces performed by Armenian ensembles that arrived in Egypt from Istanbul in 1898.

With Sami al-Shawwa, he opened a music school in al-Dhahir, teaching notation, modes and rhythms; Rizq dates its founding to 1907. It closed in 1925 after his appointment to the Royal Music Institute’s school branch. He resigned from the institute in late December 1931 because of his Gramophone work. Qustandi Rizq’s 1936 account records him as the company’s technical and administrative adviser and describes his musical writings and national marches.

As printed on the labels Ibrahim Eff. Sahloun & Abdel Hamid Eff. Kaddabiابراهيم افندي سهلون وعبد الحميد افندي القضابيSami Eff. Chawa