Rennet the Oranian

Sultana Daoud alias Reinette the Oranian is a singer and an Algerian compositrice born in 1910 in Tiaret (Algeria) - Died on November 17th, 1998 in Paris). It was during more than one worthy half-century representing Oranian folklore, Chaâbi and the author of compositions constantly reactualized. Its labor force, its talent, its original work and its good mood carried out it to be made appreciate, the Jewish public and Arabic-speaking person, and makes redécouvrir in France the beauties of the arabo-Andalusian Musique.

Biography

Born in Tiaret, whose father is a rabbi of Moroccan origin and a family of French nationality since the decree Crémieux (1870).

Reached blindness at the two years age, following a badly cured variola Reinette attends the school of the blind men of Algiers and learns the Braille and cane-bottoming from the chairs. But his/her mother refuses that it continues to carry out this work which it considers ungrateful and who damaged the fingers to him.

She intervenes then with Saoud Médioni says the Oranian, a Jew séfarade and singer violonist virtuoso of the style Hawzi which held a coffee in Oran, - which was the appointment of all the music lovers, the musicians, the lyric writers and the local high-speed motorboats (the theaters were under colonial control and prohibited any Algerian expression at that time) - so that maestro initiates Reinette with the awakening of the arabo-Andalusian Musique and accommodates it at his place and Reinette calls it.

It leaves some time later one there 78 turns, that later Reinette hardly dares to listen to because of the faults of diction .

It integrates the orchestra of maestro, while being familiarized with the musical instruments. After the Darbouka, it is initiated with the Mandole then with the Oud to be accompanied with the song and to constitute a rich person repertory of texts and to compose of the melodies drawn from the Oranian musical tradition. In 1938, Saoud Médioni emigrates in France to assemble a musical coffee to Paris. The life of this last finishes in deportation under the cruelty of the Nazis.

At the 26 years age it begins a fulgurating career. It carries out twice-weekly services in Radio-Algiers which diffused the best artists of the of Algiers Chaâbi and of the repertory Andalusian and it becomes a famous singer. She is accompanied musicians such as the virtuoso Mustapha Skandrani with the piano, Alilou with the Derbouka, Abdelghani with the violin, she interprets with the greatest voices of the popular song and the erudite Musique of the Maghreb: Fadela Dziria, Meriem Fekkaï, Alice Fitoussi, Zohra El-Fassia, Abdelkrim Dali, Dahmane Ben Achour. Rennet the Oranian accompanies the Master by the Chaâbi, Hadj El Anka.

Rennet continues to exert its musical art at the time of Jewish holidays and Moslem women, marriages, circumcisions, birthdays.

Like Jewish séfarade, it will be even authorized to sing in an orchestra of men. Its new Master of song of the sheik Abderrahmane Belhocine gives him courses of classical Arabic and makes him work diction. Start then for it one long period of fold, quasi of lapse of memory and great loneliness.

In 1985, Reinette with the approach of its 70 years any more but does not think of cultivating its memories. One will need all the tenacity of an organizer of Radio-Beur for Paris and support of a generation of French music lovers requesting it to convince it to go up on scene.

In 1995, Reinette the Oranian lives in Parisian suburbs, at the sides of her husband, Georges Layani, a percussionnist. It is then crowned by the Academy Jean-Cross-country race and is recognized by Algerian of the tradition of the style Hawzi.

Become a legend of the song judéo-Arabic, his voice dies out in Paris, on November 17th, 1998 at the 80 years age. Its body is buried with the cemetery Jew of Puppet.

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