Saleh and Daoud Al-Kuwaity - Success in Iraq

Success in Iraq

The Iraqi capital, one of the biggest musical centers in the Arab world at the time, welcomed the brothers. Saleh used to play violin, and to compose the works and Daud performed them on oud and vocals. Saleh also started attending music school in Baghdad. There he studied both Arab and western music, and soon began receiving requests from artists who wanted him to write music for them. And so he did including, amongst others, most of the hits of the singer Salima Mourad. He accompanied also the singer Hudeiri Abu Aziz and composed also for Sultana Yussuf and for his engaged girlfriend, the singer Zakia George. In 1933, at the peak of their success, the brothers were approached by one of the greatest names in Arab music, the Egyptian superstar Umm-Kultum. The singer, who rarely recorded works by non-Egyptian composers, contacted Saleh during one of her visits to Baghdad and asked him to write a song for her. The song, " "(Your heart is a rock), became one of the regulars in Um-Kultum's repertoire. Another great Egyptian artist who came to Baghdad and asked to work with the two was Mohammed Abdel Wahab. In 1932 Abed-el-Wahab arrived in Baghdad and asked to meet and play with the brothers. Saleh, who hoped to expand his musical horizons through the meeting with Abed-el-Wahab, was amazed to discover that the great musician actually wanted to learn from Daud and him. Saleh taught Abed-el-Wahab to use the Lahami scale, unique to Selah's music, which was later used in many of Abed-el-Wahab's famous works.

The brother's success didn't go unnoticed by the Iraqi noble ruling class, and soon they became King Faisal's favorite entertainers. They performed for him and composed music for various formal events - the highlight being a piece composed by Saleh for the King's coronation ceremony. In 1936 Iraq's Minister of Education asked Daud and Saleh to take part in establishing Iraq's first radio station. The two became founding members of Iraqi radio and, together with the Egyptian singer Fat'hia Ahmad, performed and played in the initiation ceremony. From that day, up onto their immigration to Israel, they played in the station's orchestra – of which Saleh was named director. At the same time they also played on King Faisal's private radio station.

The Al-Kuwaity brothers continued performing and playing throughout the Arab world up until the 1950s, gaining fame and influence with both the mass of listeners and the Iraqi political elite. They recorded hundreds of works, some of them incorporating western elements such as Waltz. In addition to mastering the high Makam style they also wrote songs in the "Aa'thba" style – popular music with themes of sadness and loss. The brothers also composed music for the cinema, including the music for an Arabic version of Romeo and Juliet, and worked with some of the greatest actors in the Arab world. Saleh and Daud performed regularly on Iraqi radio and continued taking part in the kingdom's major national events. They also set up two clubs in which their concerts were held – one for the summer and one for the winter.Salah al Kuweiti composed music also for the first Iraqi movie - Aliya wa'Assam.