Muhyiddin Basttarzi.. The Algerian Theater Revolution
The Algerian National Theater bears the name of Muhyiddin Bachtarzi, the spiritual father and founder of the Algerian theater during the colonial period in the twenties of the last century, accompanied by Rachid Constantine and Salali Sayed Ali called Allalo, a generation that established through his works the reference and identity of the Algerian theatrical movement.
Musician Edmond Yavel supervised the transition of Muhyiddin Bachtarzi from religious praise to the performance of the Andalusian character
During the colonial period, theatrical performances were presented at the Opera of Algiers, which was founded in 1861 by foreign theater groups, France, Spain and Italy.
In light of the developments and repercussions of the First World War 1914-1918, and the maturity of the national movement, the features of the Algerian theater began to grow slowly, and contribute to the cultivation of patriotism, and a qualitative addition to the awakening of national awareness, accompanied by reform, collective and educational work, initiated by a national elite.
The Algerian cultural memory and theater refuses but to immortalize one of the pillars of the Algerian theatrical movement, the late Muhyiddin Bachtarzi, and in this article the first stations of Muhyiddin Bachtarzi's artistic life, and we stand at the most important birth dates of the Algerian theater.
The beginnings of Muhyiddin Bashtarzi
Muhyiddin Bashtarzi was born on December 5, 1897 in the Kasbah. He studied at the new mosque located in the center of Martyrs’ Square today. In 1915, when he reached the age of 18, he was appointed as a reciter of the Qur’an with the rank of “hazzab.” A loud voice layer that allows him to recite the salary party, and episodes that attract hundreds of fans of the Noble Qur’an.
Thanks to the admiration of the Grand Mufti at that time, Hassan Boukandora, with his recitation performance and the strength of his vocal tone, at the age of 18, he joined the band of praise and religious chanting, nicknamed "Al-Qassadin" in relation to the religious poems.
His formation and teaching him the art of religious poems and maqamat were supervised by Muhammad ibn Qatban, Sheikh ibn Shawish, and Muhammad Lakhal, and when he reached the age of twenty-one, he rose to the rank of "Bash Hazab" as a result of his ability to perform and his vocal skills.
Muhyiddin Bashtarzi, accompanied by the band Al-Qassadin, supervised the revival of religious ceremonies, chanting and supplications, and the city of Constantine was a school and a center for associations of praise and religious chanting, represented by the modern school under the supervision of Mustafa Hafeez and Mustafa Bashtarzi, and during the participation of Muhyiddin Bashtarzi in one of the religious evenings in the capital,
The Andalusian School of Music
The vocal performance of Muhyiddin Bashtarzi aroused the curiosity of some musicians and artists, whether from artists of Jewish origin or some Europeans such as Edmond Yavel, who specializes in the art of craftsmanship, in addition to a group of musicians such as Laho Srour, Mouzino and the famous artist San Sian.
These musicians and artists infiltrated Algerian mosques and cafes in order to eavesdrop on young Algerian voices, such as Muhyiddin Bachtarzi and Sayyid Ali Selali in religious praises, and Sheikh Al Svenji, who was a student at the hands of Sheikh Manamish and Al Muallem Bin Farasho, who are among the pillars of the Andalusian song.
The musician Edmond Yavel was the one who supervised the transition of Muhyiddin Bachtarzi from religious praise to the performance of the Andalusian and Qurtubi lyrical character, which is rich in traditional musical heritage and cultural and lyrical repertoire, during which he joined the musical and singing association "Al Mutribiyya".
Bashtarzi was trained by Yafil, Mouzino, Surur, and San Cyan in various popular and Andalusian musical styles such as Mazmuz Intelligence, Zidan Intelligence, Mawal Intelligence, Sika Intelligence, and other types. Drawer, departure, balance, balance, and balance under supervision.
Muhyiddin Bastharzi was able to arouse the astonishment and admiration of his teachers in music, as a result of his ability to master the wonderful character of the Sika and Mazmuz, which is the character that allowed Muhyiddin Shattarzi to improvise and explode his vocal energies and maqamat.
Muhyiddin Bachtarzi began to perform concerts in the Andalusian character and Cordoban rapture. The occasion was an opportunity to claim his artistic and cultural rights and defend his material entitlements with his fellow singers such as the artist Bouchachia, Mesfaggi, Otama and others.
Art and resistance
Entering the world of music and singing was not easy and easy for Muhyiddin Bashtarzi’s artistic choices, as he received opposition and denunciation from some mosque imams and muezzins from the neighborhood he grew up with, and even from the ancient family as well. However, Muhyiddin Bashtarzi had a completely different vision, as he estimated The performance of musical art in the first place does not contradict the teachings of religion, moreover, the form of art, in his view, is an occasion to achieve self- and national existence, and evidence of the possibility of the supremacy of the Algerian personality amid colonial hybridization. In short, Bastharzi saw art as a form of healthy resistance.
Bashtarzi and public life
Despite his artistic successes, Bachtarzi did not stop practicing the family profession, represented in the grocery trade, the shop located at 15 and then 24 Rondoa Street previously known as Ali Ammar neighborhood (currently La Pointe), where he felt that practicing commerce was an emotional connection with the people of the Kasbah and the preservation of the legacy The family and the family, and the nickname “Al-Fanarji Shop” in relation to the lighthouse or the light lamp, and the name goes back to the fact that the Beshtarzi family, during the year 1886 and for a period of fifty years, was financing the administration of Algiers with oil that is used to light the city.
The first regiment of the Algerian theater
Bashtarzi met Seyyed Ali Selali, called Allalo, in the “Al-Mutribiya” singing association. He also used to work in the Yavel musical group, and during the end of his career as a worker in a pharmacy (before he moved to the Algeria Tramway Company), and he was accompanied by Hassan Kuttab, Musa Khadawi, and Shukri Mansouri. Aziz Lakhal, Allal Lafarwali, Simah and Mensali took the cinema hall (Trianon) in Bab El Oued as a place to show some comic sketches for a period not exceeding 25 minutes.
In the beginning, the performances presented by Bachtarzi and his companions were improvised work that did not amount to amateur theater, but they marked the beginning of communication with Algerians and speaking to them through humor in the colloquial dialect, by drawing inspiration from a character from folklore such as Juha and Hashishi, and then moving to the public space on the occasion of religious holidays such as Ashura Or the noble Prophet’s birth, and dealt with topics on alcoholic beverages and social ills.
In the year 1920, the troupe participated with a Tunisian theatrical troupe that came to Algeria, and in 1921 another glimpse of hope landed in Algeria on the occasion of an artistic tour led by the Egyptian-Lebanese artist George Abyad, who presented the most important performances of his plays such as “Majnoun Laila” and “Salah al-Din and the Kingdom of Jerusalem,” and "The Magnanimity of the Arabs" and "Adoeb the King", and in the year 1922 the Egyptian troupe "Izz al-Din" visited Algeria, where they performed a dramatic theatrical work.
However, these performances were not popular with the Algerian public due to the prevailing cultural reference at the time, the language used, and the themes dealt with. During the year 1922, a text by an unknown writer fell into the hands of the Algerian theater group, entitled “For the sake of the homeland.” After three months of rehearsals and rehearsals, the play was shown. On December 22, 1922, in the theater hall (kurssal), the show ended with a musical and lyrical performance, energized by the Yafil Ensemble, led by Muhyiddin Bashtarzi.
On June 18, 1923, the troupe moved to the city of Blida, and a play titled "The Conquest of Andalusia" was shown, which was well received. Bachtarzi also intensified his visits to major and interior cities, despite the narrow spaces and spaces due to the colonial administration.
Bashtarzi provokes
In the context, Muhyiddin Bachtarzi translated the French anthem "La Marseilles" and performed the French anthem in Arabic during some theatrical and lyrical performances. Performing the French anthem in Arabic and colloquial languages, considering that treason and collusion.
On the other hand, and in his memoirs, Bastharzi provides an explanation for that choice, according to the temporal and political context during the years of 1923, as the merger project was among the most unanimous options among the political, religious and cultural elite, before it became clear that the assimilationist project was an illusion.
As for the second motive that encouraged Bashtarzi to translate and perform the French anthem, it is some of the passages contained in the anthem, which first condemns colonialism, the centenarians and settlers, as it is a song that Bashtarzi says includes phrases and concepts about freedom, justice and solidarity and calls for war and taking up arms in the face of slavery and tyranny.
The performance of the song was a ploy and ploy that Bastharzi deliberately intended to plant ideas of resistance, broadcasting the meanings of freedom, justice and citizenship, and not loyalty to colonial France.
Bachtarzi gave the Algerian theater in its infancy a lot of giving. He was an actor, writer and director. He was behind the inclusion of the feminist element in the 1930s into the stage, similar to Kulthoum and the singer Fadela Dziria. He was the one who discovered the giants of folk art who first passed through the theater, such as Mustafa Iskandarani and Al-Hashemi Garouabi.
The Algerian theater was a space for resistance, addressing social problems, and disseminating liberal ideas
In general, the Algerian theater was a space that its founders considered to address social problems, and aimed to spread the spirit of patriotism in the hearts of Algerians. Activists in the field of art and theater met many difficulties and obstacles amid the reactionary mentalities that France encouraged, and the artistic work knew stages of prosperity and setbacks as a result of colonial harassment. However, Muhyiddin Bastharzi and his companions continued to give through stages of struggle and long stages.
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