Ahmed Malek’s Approach to Film Music

On how Ahmed Malek approached making music for films?

As a music listener you might be familiar with the music from films like Omar Gatlato by Merzak Allouache or Inspecteur Tahar films by Moussa Haddad. These soundtracks are a part of the Algerian collective memory with their Jazz, Funk and Algerian folk undertones combined with a sense of melancholia.

The man behind this music is Ahmed Malek, born on March 6th, 1932 in Bordj El Kiffan, Algiers. After graduating school, he studied at the Algerian Conservatory, gained recognition for his talent and was awarded several prizes and medals, both nationally and Internationally, like the “Premier Grand Prix Des Arts et Des Lettres De la Composante” in 1972, and the golden medal for the “Pan-African Festival” in 1976. The composer combined many music genres to build a cohesive soundtrack that sets the film’s mood, establish character identity and the tone of a given scene, and guide the audience’s emotional response. How did Ahmed Malek manage to compose music for films that has remained in the collective memory to this day?

Ahmed Malek’s career beginning was mainly radio-based, he was the accordion accompaniment for all the singers who performed on the Algerian Channel II, such as El Anka and Abderrahmane Aziz. In the meantime, many internships and participation in international festivals have enriched his music learning, like the Universal Exhibition in Canada in 1967 and 1968, and the one held in Japan in 1970, in which he was the conductor of the Algerian musicians and the conductor for the Algerian Television Orchestra, simultaneously. Then, he became a professor of music theory and flute for six years.

From a variety musician to film score composer

After working at the Algerian Broadcasting Corporation, and composing music for programs like documentaries, interludes, and films for children.The National Office for cinematographic commerce and industry’s officials made a political decision to have Algerian composers make the music for Algerian films. He then got called upon by them for a documentary about the city of Algiers directed by Ghaouti Bendebbouche, then got commissioned by Moussa Haddad to make the music for his famous films Les Vacances De L’inspecteur Tahar.

The successful experience of Inspector Tahar launched Ahmed Malek as a film music composer. Afterwards, he was practically seasoned for almost all T.V programs and was contacted by plenty of filmmakers, like Ahmed Lallem for his documentary Zone Interdite.

Commenting on his work for the Inspector Tahar films, Ahmed Malek said :

“Inspector Tahar was a comedy film, so extremely difficult, as the music had to intervene at all times to underscore the image : sound effects for gags, etc. It was my first experience in film music, done a bit hastily, my experience was then limited to training as a variety musician.”

After this experience, He gradually developed a way of communicating with film directors as he composed the music for their films, which made the process highly collaborative. During an interview, Ahmed Malek got asked about music’s role in cinema and how he composed music for this latter, He said :

‘’What is not spoken must also be felt, music is often a necessary support for the film's images. This is why when I have to prepare music for a given film, I first watch it as soon as the editing is done, I immerse myself in it, prepare the draft, and then create the opening credits that must follow the film's style; the scenes that illustrate the strong stages of the feature film are also isolated.”

For Omar Gatlato’s film, director Merzak Allouache asked him to compose music that would convey what the character hides inside his appearances : ‘’a man with plenty of masculinity to spare, when in reality he is a frustrated boy who has problems with affection and communication’’. Therefore, a sensitive melody was necessary to express Omar's inner character, somewhat tender and compassionate, according to Merzak’s description.

Then, for Les deracines’ film, directed by Lamine Merbah, Ahmed Malek composed a music that was made for the image, to dramatize and emphasize the most emotional sequences of uprooting and its consequences. the music fits with the image, it is deliberately and almost redundantly used. Talking about the nonverbal language him and Lamine Merbah wanted to communicate for the film, the composer said :

“I wanted to express the painful exodus of the Beni-Endel tribe-dispossessed by the colonizer - to where nothing grows.”

Talking about the evolution of writing music for films, Ahmed Malek said :

" I used to write my music score by hand, which was extremely time-consuming. Moreover, all musicians had to be present during recordings and rehearsals, and the only symphonic orchestra of Algiers Was functional. Modern methods of music production or electro acoustics are providing benefits in terms of time and finance. Previously, it would take a week of preparation with the orchestra, but now everything can be done half a day, thanks to the computer. The music score can be written instantly on it, meanwhile the synthesiser is combined with the multi track computer. Work becomes more personal, for some projects I do no longer need an orchestra."

After the 1970s, Ahmed Malek became the most sought-after composer for film scores among his peers. His musical production evolved with the emergence of modern electro-acoustic techniques and the development of recording studios, while blending his classical music background with new influences from various genres — a combination that rendered his film soundtracks timeless.

Photo Credits
Personal photographs of Ahmed Malek courtesy of Maya Malek and Henia Malek.

Archive Credits
Henia Malek, Maya Malek, Mehdi J. Blidge, Jannis Stürtz, and Camille Deberdt.

Sources

Interview with Ahmed Malek by Ratiba Benbouzidi, El Watan, May 4, 1993.

Interview with Ahmed Malek by Ferhat Cherkit, Radio Télévision Algérienne (RTA), February 24, 1980.

Interview with Ahmed Malek by Latifa Kharrat.

Yamina.H