DESCRIPTION:
A remarkable interview with renowned reciter Abdul Basit Abdus Samad.
(1927--1988) (عبد الباسط عبد الصمد) He is the only Qari to have won three world Qirat competitions in the early 1970s. 'Abd us-Samad was one of the first huffaz to make commercial recordings of his recitations, and the first president of the newly formed Reciters' Union in Egypt.

================transcript:

[ Interviewer ]: As for composition, without musical instruments,
I mean, Mr. Abdel Wahab's idea of not using instruments...

[Abdel Basit]
No, well, the Quran has rules for ghann (nasal 'nn' sound), and madd (elongating vowel sounds) , and shortening and stuff like that. So I am sure it will conflict with, umm, with the glory of the Quran.

[Interviewer] :
I mean, the same Tajweed (proper recitation) that exists in the Quran, appears to me to be sufficient

[AB]
Of course, because the voice itself is a collection of tones,
And every person, all the verses he brings out (recites)
This one is Nahawand, this one is Rast (Different Melodic structures), and so on
Each recitation a person can learn.

[I]
So we are able to say that the Quran is a [melodic] composer
[ab]
Precisely, a natural [melodic] composer
[i]
So the idea is not new...
[ab]
No, the idea of the sound, is the sound itself, of course in it has its tunes.
[i]
Respected Sheikh, do you listen to songs?
[ab]
Yes, I listen to numerous songs.
[i]
Which singers do you like?

[ab]
Well, Wallahi I listen to every beautiful voice.
And of course for the more beautiful voice, I listen to the Misses Umm Kulthum, the star of the East and West :)
The Diva
The Misses of Singing

Well, because it seems to me that at the start of your life, you did not
Focus primarily on recitation.

No, from the start it was my wish to become a Qari (Reciter) and when I was young I used to melodify the recitation of the Quran.