Mohammed Al Qubanchi

Muhammad al-Qubanchi , born Muhammad Abd al-Razzaq al-Ta’i was an Iraqi maqam singer. He was one of the pioneers in the development of the Iraqi maqam who modernized it and is considered one of the most prominent maqam reciters in Iraq.

Early life Muhammad Abd al-Razzaq al-Ta’i was born in Baghdad in 1904, and he worked with his father in the Shorja market. He later was nicknamed "al-Qubanchi", a title given to someone who is skilled in weighing agricultural crops with a scale, which also referred to his father's profession. At a young age, he was introduced to Iraqi maqam and its origins, which is where his love for the genre began. He also met with many maqam lovers at the market and the Kadouri Café. At age 12, he excelled in singing maqam and other Arabic genres and also practiced theatrical acting. Reportedly, Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawqi met with al-Qubanchi and told him "This is a great heritage, and you are a great Iraqi artist."

Al-Qubanchi's renewal of the performance of the Iraqi Maqam is considered a major shift in the development of Iraqi music. Despite opposition from the supporters of the older styles, he was able to create a new school of maqam with clear features, and his students were able to preserve it. His teachings became standard in the performance of the maqam and among his students, including Yousuf Omar, Nazem al-Ghazali and Abd al-Rahman Khader.

Later life On May 28, 1969, al-Qubanchi announced his retirement and moved to al-Karkh district where he used his money to build a mosque, that he had seen in a dream. He also became its first preacher in 1977. On the evening of April 2, 1989, he died in Ibn al-Bitar Hospital and was buried in the mosque he had built.

Legacy The Hungarian composer and pianist Béla Bartók wrote about al-Qubanchi when he visited the Cairo Congress of Arab Music: "No Arab artist, other than the rural colors or the color of the city, presented a great performance filled with all the elements of drama, and I can even say that the Iraqi performer rose to the peak level in musical performance."