El Hadj M'hamed El Anka

El Hadj Mhamed El Anka in Arabic الحاج محمد العنقة real name Mohamed Idir Aït Ouarab in Kabyle Muḥend Yidir At Waɛrab in Tifinagh ⵎⵓⵃⴰⵏⴷ ⵢⵉⴷⵉⵔ ⴰⵜ ⵓⴰⵔⴰⴱ born in the Casbah of Algiers on the 20 May 1907 in a family from Azeffoun in Greater Kabylia is a precursor and master of Algerian chaâbi song died on November 23 1978 He is the father of Mustapha El Anka Sid Ali Halo and Abdel Hadi Halo Hadj El Anka grew up in a house at 4 rue de Timbouctou in Casbah of Algiers Hadj El Anka also nicknamed the phoenix grew up in a modest family His father Mohamed Ben Hadj Saîd suffering on the day of his birth had to be replaced by a maternal relative for the declaration to the civil registry thus a misunderstanding arose regarding the patronymic name of El Anka He attended three schools successively from 1912 to 1918 a Koranic school at Chikh si Mohand Arezki in Bir Djebbah 19121914 the school of Brahim Fatah Casbah from 1914 to 1917 and finally the normal school of Bouzareah until in 1919 On the recommendation of Si Saïd Larbi a renowned musician playing in Mustapha Nadors orchestra in Algiers young Mhamed obtained the privilege of attending the festivals hosted by this master whom he revered During the month of Ramadan in 1917 the sheikh noticed the young Mhamed and his sense of rhythm allowing him to hold the tar drum within his orchestra Later Kéhioudji Ayad Mohamed a halfbrother of Hadj Mrizek welcomed him as a fulltime musician in the orchestra which hosted the henna ceremonies generally reserved for beginner artists After the death of Sheikh El Nadhor real name Saidji in 1925 in Cherchell his wifes hometown where he had just settled Hadj El Anka participated in singing lessons given by Sheikh Reghai Abderrahmane Abderrahmane Saidi teaching which he followed assiduously from 1927 to 1932 At the beginning of the 1930s El Anka saw its popularity favored by the modern means of the phonograph and the radio It was at this time that he introduced several instruments into the Medh orchestras the banjo the Derbouka the piano and above all he asked the luthier Jean Bellido to redesign his halfmandolin by lengthening the handle while enlarging the soundboard leading to the typically Algerian mandola that we know today In 1932 the Sultan of Morocco Mohammed V invited him on the occasion of the Feast of the Throne Upon his return from Mecca in 1937 he resumed his tours in Algeria and France and renewed his training with Mustapha Skandrani as his conductor El Hadj El Lanka has performed nearly 360 poems qassaid and produced around 130 records After more than fifty years of career El Anka will host the last two evenings of his career until dawn in 1976 in Cherchell for the wedding of the grandson of his master Sheikh Mustapha Nador and in 1977 in ElBiar with families who were very attached to him He died on November 23 1978 in Algiers and is buried in the ElKettar cemetery in Algiers