Muhammad Abdul Aziz Hassan; A Qari Who Embraced Both Old, Modern Recitation Styles
Hassan entered Egypt’s national radio as a Quran reciter in 1964 and since then had the highest level of mastery and all his recitations were excellent and distinguished.
One of the Quran masters he was influenced by was Master Mohamed Salamah. Once when Hassan was reciting the Quran at a program in the city of Gharbia, Salamah heard his recitation and realized his talents and mastery. He introduced Hassan to the radio for Quran recitation.
The point about the recitations of qaris from Gharbia Governorate is that most of them are quite similar. While recitations by Mansour Badar and Ali Mahmoud were close to that of Hassan, it can be said that Hassan was an exceptional qari with a unique style.
His style is such that it seems he has combined the old and modern styles of recitation to create his own. It has both the genuineness of the style of old qaris and the freshness of the modern ones.
A way of recitation known as Tariqa (way) of Hassan has been named after the prominent qari. It shows that Hassan is an innovative Quran reciter and one can say he has influenced other qaris more than he has been influenced by others.
Some of Hassan’s recitations are attractive to common listeners and some attractive to more special ones. For example, his recitation of Surah Hud attracts common listeners more.
Master Hassan has some 150 masterpiece recitations. They include his recitations of Surahs Al-Muzzamil, Al-Mutaffifin, Al-Rahman, Al-Muddaththir, An-Naml, Al-Isra, Qaaf, and Adh-Dhariyat.
