'Master of malouf' Mohamed Tahar Fergani dies aged 88

'Master of malouf' Mohamed Tahar Fergani dies aged 88
Algerian singer Mahmoud Tahar Fergani, considered a master of the Arab-Andalusian musical genre, died in Paris on Wednesday evening.
1 min read
08 December, 2016
Fergani had a career spanning more than 70 years [Wikimedia Commons]
Algerian singer and composer Mohamed Tahar Fergani, considered a master of the Arab-Andalusian musical genre, has died aged 88, Algerian media said on Thursday.

Fergani, whose career spanned seven decades, was renowned as a leading performer of malouf – a traditional Arab music style that originated around Seville during the Medieval period and which was popularised throughout North Africa.

Born in Constantine in northeast Algeria in May 1928, Fergani, the son of a famous singer, initially practised traditional oriental music in the Egyptian style. Having mastered the violin, he took up malouf in the early 1950s.

Fergani, who died on Wednesday evening in Paris, made hundreds of recordings and last performed in public in July 2015.