The composer Mohamed Belkhayat died Tuesday in Rabat, at the age of 70, following an illness, we learn from his family.
Born in 1951 in Rabat, the late Belkhayat taught for more than 40 years at the National Conservatory of Music and Choreographic Art in the capital, as well as being a composer for the national radio and the Royal Symphony Orchestra.
The deceased contributed to the modernization of contemporary Moroccan song by drawing inspiration from the Moroccan heritage rich in its folkloric diversity. He has collaborated with big names in Moroccan song including Imad Abdelkbir, Fatima Makdadi, Naïma Samih, El Bahcir Abdou and Amal Abdelkader.
The song “El Ghorba”, performed by Mohamed El Ghaoui, remains one of the very successful works composed by the late Belkhayat.
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