Latest news with #LebaneseMusic
The National
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Best Photos of July 28: From the funeral of Ziad Rahbani to the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore
TOPSHOT - Mourners gather around the hearse of Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut's central Hamra district on July 28, 2025. Lebanon mourned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, son of iconic singer Fairuz and a musical pioneer in his own right, who died on July 26 aged 69 after a decades-long career that revolutionised the country's artistic scene. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP) TOPSHOT - Mourners gather around the hearse of Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut's central Hamra district on July 28, 2025. Lebanon mourned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, son of iconic singer Fairuz and a musical pioneer in his own right, who died on July 26 aged 69 after a decades-long career that revolutionised the country's artistic scene. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP) Show less
The National
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Seven ways Ziad Rahbani changed Arabic music
Ziad Rahbani reimagined what Arabic music could be. The Lebanese composer and playwright, who died on Saturday aged 69, charted his own path from the beginning of his five-decade career. From redefining his mother Fairouz 's career, to transforming what could be seen and heard on the Lebanese theatre stage, Rahbani's contributions showed the dynamism of Lebanese music while breaking outdated taboos. More than these stylistic and technical feats, the reason Rahbani's death has been felt so keenly in Lebanon and across the Arab world – with tributes pouring in from musicians to politicians – is that his work was deeply empathetic to the trials and travails of the common man. As Taymoor Marmarchi, Mena Recording Academy executive director, tells The National, Rahbani's music made people feel seen and heard. "He wasn't just an iconic musician and composer – he was part of the soundtrack of so many people's lives all across the Arab world. He captured the soul of Lebanon with raw honesty and intellectual brilliance," he said. "His words made us laugh, think and sometimes cry, because they spoke to real moments we all lived through. He had this rare gift of turning politics into poetry, and everyday struggles into unforgettable songs. His legacy isn't just in what he created, but in how he made people feel seen." Here are seven ways Rahbani changed popular Arabic music. 1. He gave Fairuz a second act By the late 1970s, Lebanese artist Fairouz 's career high was gradually turning into a creative cul-de-sac, with her musical identity still rooted in the folk theatre and operatic works of Assi and Mansour Rahbani. It took her son Ziad to shake up her sound. Brilliant albums such as Wahdon (1979) and Maarifti Feek (1987), found Fairuz moving away from the pastoral scenes and folk wisdom of the Rahbani Brothers to embrace darker ballads and jazzy torch songs. Ziad's lyrics reflected the gritty social realities of Beirut such as in the 1979 Fairuz track Al Bosta. Initially viewed as a creative risk, the shift helped cement both his and Fairuz's status as commentators on Lebanon's changes and challenges over the years. 2. He made Arabic jazz cool Popular Arabic music has a long history of incorporating Western elements into its sound – whether through the orchestras of Umm Kulthum using violins, or Abdel Halim Hafez drawing on the sound of French chanson for his ballads. Rahbani didn't just borrow aspects of jazz as an appendage. A fan of jazz maestros Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie, he absorbed the sound fully with solo works full of nifty phrasing, improvisation and harmonic depth. This approach shines in seminal recordings such as Nazl El Sourour (1974) and Film Ameriki Tawil (1980), with Arabic compositions built on jazzy foundations of upright bass and trumpets. He coined the term "Oriental jazz" to describe his style, and his recording sessions were known to encourage improvisation – most clearly heard in the vibrant 1978 album, Abu Ali. 3. He made protest music funny Rahbani's politically inspired songs were defined more by dry satire than grand declarations. You rarely find sloganeering in his lyrics – just a catalogue of observations reflecting the absurdity of the times. In songs for theatrical plays such as Bennesbeh Labokra Shou? (1978), Shi Fashel (1983), and Bikhsous el Karameh (1993), the music was inseparable from political commentary. Characters used it to expose contradictions in Lebanese society. Rather than offering revolutionary anthems or patriotic hymns, Rahbani's political works captured the weary cynicism of ordinary Lebanese caught between competing factions. His characters expressed the kind of political exhaustion that resonated across generations – the sense that ideology had given way to survival. This approach continues to strike a chord as Lebanon moves from one crisis to the next. 4. He made Arabic music more intimate A woman confessing a love to a married childhood sweetheart – the subject matter of one of Fairuz's most memorable tracks, Kifak Inta, caused a stir upon release. It wasn't only due to what was perceived as daring subject matter in conservative Lebanese society, but also the fact that it came from the country's musical idol. Not only did it showcase the brilliant songwriting partnership between mother and son, it showed how Rahbani pushed the Arabic ballad to move beyond the extreme ends of the relationship scale – grand love and crushing heartbreak – to explore some of the more interesting places in between, such as nostalgia, regret, and confessionals. All of which went on to be incorporated in works by Lebanese indie music stalwarts such as Mashrou' Leila, Yasmine Hamdan, and Tania Saleh. The latter summed up the influence best in her tribute to Rahbani for The National:"Some people like to think the indie scene started with us. I don't think so. I believe it started with him, because he was already independent – from his family, from the Lebanese music scene, and even from the larger Arab world. His influences came from everywhere. He was the true first." 5. He turned street slang into song Rahbani infused the Lebanese theatre stage and songs with unfiltered Beiruti dialect – fast, clipped and dripping with sarcasm. The move also aligned with his image as an enfant terrible, disrupting the approach of the Rahbani Brothers, who often drew on stylised village dialects in their work. Ziad made his songs sound deliberately raw – with staccato phrasing and repeated spoken-word phrases – but it made them feel real and urgent. That freewheeling approach to lyrics and vocal delivery has since become a trait of Arabic indie music, from the work of Lebanese band Mashrou' Leila to Palestinian rapper Saint Levant. 6. He is the blueprint for fusing Arabic music Rahbani's discography is replete with styles such as disco-funk, bossa nova, jazz and French chanson. But that exploration was always rooted in clear and distinct Arabic melodies. This vast body of work deserves to be cited more when discussing how Arab music can be fluid with Western forms without losing its integrity. 7. Rahbani still hasn't faded Rahbani's work never lost its vitality and audience. Tracks from the 1970s and 80s are regularly reissued on vinyl by labels such as WeWantSounds and Habibi Funk. DJs sample his grooves and snippets of musicals are reposted and subtitled for a new generation of viewers across the Arab world. These rediscoveries are not part of retro fads found in other genres such as disco and funk. They remain as relevant as Lebanon's ongoing resilience. His work will remain a reference point for creatives on what it means to be proud of your heritage while also embracing what the world out there holds.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Ziad Rahbani, Lebanese musical giant and sardonic critic, dead at 69
BEIRUT, July 26 (Reuters) - Ziad Rahbani, the Lebanese composer and musician who built a distinct Lebanese sound from Western and Arabic musical roots, and whose sardonic critique of the country's sectarian politics rang true to Lebanese across the divides, has died. He was 69. Rahbani was much-loved across Lebanon and his words remained relevant across generations, from those who grew up with him during the 1975-90 Civil War, to the post-war generation who have struggled to shake the war's legacy. He passed away at a hospital in Beirut on Saturday morning after a long illness, the hospital said.
France 24
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- France 24
Ziad Rahbani, enfant terrible of Lebanese stage and song, dies at 69
"On Saturday at 9:00 am (0600 GMT), the heart of the great artist and creator Ziad Rahbani stopped beating," said a statement from the Beirut hospital where he was being treated. He had long suffered from health problems. Tributes poured in for the enfant terrible of Lebanese music -- a musician, composer and theatre producer who made a huge mark on generations of Lebanese with his theatre pieces and songs, which many know by heart. Rebellious and visionary, his work evoked Lebanon's civil war even before it erupted in 1975, later reflecting the eventual conflict itself and the harsh realities of economic crisis. One of his most famous theatre pieces, the 1980 production "Film Ameriki Tawil" (The American Motion Picture), was a satirical depiction of Lebanon during the civil war, set in an asylum with characters who represented facets of society. Ziad Rahbani was the son of Arab musical icon Fairuz, who turned 90 last year, and the late Lebanese composer Assi Rahbani who along with his brother Mansour modernised Arab music by blending Western, Russian and Latin American sounds with Eastern rhythms. Already adored by older generations, Fairuz became a youth idol when her son began composing jazz-influenced songs for her, calling it "Oriental jazz". While Fairuz transcended Lebanon's deep sectarian divides, her son was fiercely left-wing and secular, and spent his life decrying the divisions that ruined his country. "I feel like everything has gone. I feel like Lebanon has become empty," Lebanese actress Carmen Lebbos, his former partner, wrote on X. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement that Rahbani was "a voice that rebelled against injustice, an honest mirror for the oppressed and marginalised". Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that "Lebanon has lost an exceptional artist and creative, a free voice who stayed faithful to the values of justice and dignity" and who said "what many don't dare to say". Culture Minister Ghassan Salame wrote on X that "we dreaded this day as we knew his health was worsening and that his desire for treatment was dwindling".
Arab News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Tributes pour in as Lebanese musician Ziad Rahbani dies at 69
DUBAI: Lebanese musician and playwright Ziad Rahbani, who was the son of iconic singer Fayrouz, died on Saturday at the age of 69. Rahbani wrote and composed legendary songs for his mother, including 'Kifak Inta' and 'Bala Wala Shi.' Considered one of the most influential voices in Lebanese music, Rahbani was also a political commentator and was known for his satirical political theater. Notable plays by Rahbani include'Nazl Al-Sourour,' 'A Long American Film,' and 'Bema Inno.' Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam paid tribute to Rahbani in a post on X, calling him 'an exceptional creative artist and a free voice who remained loyal to the values of justice and dignity. 'Ziad embodied a deep commitment to human and national causes,' Salam added. 'On stage, through music and words, he said what many did not dare to say, and for decades, he touched the hopes and pains of the Lebanese people. With his piercing honesty, he planted a new awareness in the conscience of national culture.'
