Farjallāh Baiḍā

Biography

Before becoming a professional singer, Farjallāh worked in construction with his brother Jubrān (Īliyyā's father).

During that time, he used to sing at events, which he took a liking to and consequently decided to open a record company with his brother. With the cooperation of their educated cousins Jubrān and Buṭrus, they established the Baidaphon record company in partnership with the cousins’ brother Michel, a physics teacher based in Berlin, who in turn made arrangements with a studio in this capital. In 1906, Farjallāh played on his ‘ūd the first Baidaphon record in Berlin. Baidaphon later opened an office in Beirut, and in 1910, the Baiḍā sons opened a branch in Cairo and started recording the great singers as well as the songs of Farjallāh who continued giving concerts in Cairo and in Lebanon. Baidaphon records achieved a big commercial success that resulted in them buying a studio and a record-printing factory in Germany.

As printed on the labels Faragallah Effendi Baïdaفرج الله افندى بيضافرج الله افندي بيضا