Fairuz
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{{Infobox_band | band_name = Fairuz | image = Image:Fairuz1971.jpg | country = Lebanon/Middle east | caption = Fairuz at the Carnegie Hall, 1971 | years_active = 1952–present | music_genre = Arabic music | }}
Fairuz (also spelled Fairouz or Fayrouz) (Arabic: فيروز) is a Lebanese singer. Born Nouhad Haddad in 'Jabal al Arz' (Arabic for Mountain of the Cedars), Lebanon on 21 November 1935. Fairuz is known in Lebanon as "Lebanon's ambassador to the stars". The Arabic word Fairuz literaly means turquoise.
Contents |
Biography
Early Years
Her original name is Nouhad Haddad. She was born on 21 November, 1935 in a small house in 'Jabal al Arz', Lebanon. Her family later on moved to 'Zuqaq el Blatt' in Beirut. Her family was Syriac orthodox. Her mother was a housewife and her father worked in a printing press. She was the oldest of her siblings, Yousef, Houda and Amal. Nouhad came from a relatively low-income family and lived in a one room-house with a kitchen shared by neighbors. She was a very shy child and did not have many friends at school. Instead, she was attached to her grandmother who lived in 'Debbieh' village.
Since she was ten, Nouhad became well known in school for her beautiful voice, so she would sing at festivals and holidays. One time, Mohammed Flaifel and his brother, well-known Lebanese musicians, happened to be attending one of the festivals at her school.
Prominent Lebanese musician Halim El Roumi, who was the one to give Nouhad Haddad the name of Fairuz. Al-Rumi later convinced Fairuz's conservative father to enroll her at the National Music Institute in Beirut. She began her musical career as a choir singer in the Lebanese Radio Station (al-Iza'a al Loubnaniah).
In December of 1946, Nouhad became a student in Flaifel's class in the Conservatoire (The National Music Institute) where she learned for four years theories of oriental and western music and how to sing and chant. Her parents encouraged her even though they could not afford much, one day her father surprised her with a radio.
After graduation, she started her first job as a choir singer in the Lebanese Broadcasting Radio Station (al-Iza'a al Loubnaniah). There she met Assi Rahbani and they worked together. In 1954, at nineteen years of age, Fairuz married Assi and converted to Greek orthodoxy.
Soon thereafter, the Rahbani brothers, Assi, Mansour, and Elias formulated their company and began composing music for Fairouz (as Nouhad now came to be known). Fairuz's early recordings were an innovative mixture of Arab instruments and musical idioms with European instruments, such as violins, and dance rhythms, combining Fairuz's distinct vocal timbre with lyrics that expressed nostalgia for Levantine village life. She also sang several patriotic songs for Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Mecca. Her first official appearance was in 1957 in Baalbeck.
Musicals
The Rahbanis were mostly famous for their musical dialogues which they used in the many musical plays they wrote and directed. These masterpieces always included major artistic figures along with Fairouz, such as the great Wadih El Safi and Nasri Shamseddine. Some of these plays focused on historical events and others on love, comedy and simplicity in the Lebanese countryside:
- "Ayyam al Hassad" ('Days of Harvest' in 1957)
- "Al 'Urs fil qarya" ('The wedding in the village' in 1959)
- "Al Ba'albakiya" ('The girl from Baalbeck' in 1961)
- "Jisr el Amar" ('The bridge of the moon' in 1962)
- "'Awdet el 'Askar" ('The return of the soldiers' in 1962)
- "Al Layl wal Qandil" ('The night and the lantern' in 1963)
- "Biyya'el Khawatem" ('Rings for sale' in 1964)
- "Ayyam Fakhreddine" ('The days of Fakhreddine' in 1966)
- "Hala wal Malik" ('Hala and the King' in 1967)
- "Ach Chakhs" ('The person' in 1968-1969)
- "Jibal Al Sawwan" ('Sawwan mountains' in 1969)
- "Ya'ich Ya'ich" ('Long live, long live' in 1970)
- "Sah Ennawm" ('Did you sleep well?' in 1970-1971)
- "Nass min Wara'" ('People made out of paper' in 1971)
- "Natourit al Mafatih" ('The guardian of the keys' in 1972)
- "Al Mahatta" ('The Station' in 1973)
- "Qasidit Houb ('A poem of Love' in 1973)
- "Loulou" in 1974
- "Mais el Rim" in 1975
- "Petra" in 1977-1978
Nearly all these musical plays were video-taped, nevertheless, only two are legally commercialised (Mais el Rim and Loulou), and there is a pirated version of Petra and one live version of Mais el Rim in Black and White. All these musical plays are sold on audio CDs except for "Ayyam al hassad" (Days of harvest) which was never recorded and "Al 'Urs fil qarya" (The marriage in the village) which was recorded but not released. A pirated audio track is available for this play.
Fairuz seems to be very mysterious on how she commercialises her concerts and plays. Only Las Vegas 1999 concert is legally commercialised. Many others are sold by pirates (Kuwait 1966, Syria and Egypt 1976, Paris Olympia 1979, Australia 1984, Syria 1985, Abu Dhabi 1985, France 1988, London 1994, and some of the new Beiteddine concerts).
Many say the problem is a conflict of copyright between her and Mansour Rahbani (since her separation with Assi). Others think that this is because she wants to release all her works after her death and leave the wealth to her children.
Films
They also had their share of movie production which included 'Safar Barlek', Biya'h al-Khawatem' (The Ring Peddler), and Bint l’Haress (The Guard’s Daughter). These three films were among the Top 10 hugest box-office draws at the cinemas in the Middle East in the 60’s. Fairouz performed in most countries around the world and was known for her songs about love, Lebanese patriotism, peace, traditional poetry and religious hymns.
Her Music
In 1969, Fairuz’s music was banned in Lebanon by order of the government because she refused to sing at the honor of the Algerian president Houari Boumédienne.
Fairuz performed in most countries around the world and was known for her songs about love, Lebanese patriotism, peace, traditional poetry and religious hymns.
They had become Fairuz and the Rahbani Brothers, yielding smash records and performances month after month. They became the most famous and dominant music production team of their time, as they spread beyond the Arab World and into Europe, the Americas, and Australia. Assi her husband composed the music and his brother wrote most of the lyrics and poetry. Their youngest brother Elias also worked on the musical composition and later took after his older brother when he fell sick and composed for Fairouz some of her best songs.
During the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), Fairuz never left Lebanon and never sang inside it because it pained her to see the Lebanese killing each other. That didn’t prevent her from having several international tours and concerts outside. She held huge, record-breaking concerts throughout the world in the late 70’s and throughout the 80’s. She kept on recording with the trio team of her son Ziad Rahbani, his friend Joseph Sakr, and Philemon Wehbi and the smash hits kept rolling in as strong and continuous since 20 years before…
Joseph Harb gave her some of the best lyrics/poems while Philemon Wehby gave these lyrics/poems tunes and music compositions cherished by the masses just as Ziad also composed and wrote his mother great songs. From modern Arab sounds with jazz appeal to traditional-scale and oriental tunes, her voice fit all types of music genres and she could express emotion with her voice as if they were facial expressions or simple photos… To some, her music was the thin ray of hope left in a country engulfed in darkness and chaos…
In the 90’s she held a number of huge, big-scale concert recitals. One historic appearance in Baalbek (1998) after 20 years of absence, another highlight is the massive concert at the Las Vegas MGM Grand Arena (1999) which broke box-office sales records and over 16,000 Arabs flocked the city from all over the American continent and Europe to attend. And later, she performed for 3 consecutive summers at the Beiteddine Festivals which were marked with tremendous success, sold-out nights, and yielded another huge album of the live concerts.
She has sung about 1500 songs and sold about 80 million units of records around the world, but what remains her greatest achievement in terms of vocal performance and talent is the CD of the Orthodox Great Friday Prayers that she recorded in 1965 in Lebanon and then again in 1985 in the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral in France, both live performances in churches. Her voice simply transcends the human hearing range and nature to reach an ethereal state that takes you beyond a mere hearing experience. Any one around the world who has the chance to hear her holy prayers, no matter what religion or sect, has the chance to experience heaven on earth, or at least to know how an angel’s voice sounds...
Fairuz sang in many internationally famous venues like the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1962, in Carnegie Hall, New York in 1971, London Palladium in 1978, Paris Olympia in 1979, and in the Royal Festival Hall, London in 1986.
Later recordings featured jazz-tinted compositions, some of which were written by Ziad Rahbani.
At the age of 70, and to the amazement of her fans, still has the same angelic voice that has enchanted millions for decades and after undergoing several tests in United States, seems to have solid vocal cords that didn't change much in structure with aging, a rarity among recording artists who strain their vocals most of their lives. She is considered the most popular and respected living Arab singer.
Discography
Fairuz has a total of 84 CD collection. A new album is supposed to be released anytime soon. Most of these albums are the work of the Rahbani brothers (Everything Fairuz).
Her unreleased works are very abundant. Most of them were done in the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s mostly by the Rahbani Brothers and Halim El Roumi. A complete album done by the egyptian musician Al Sounbati in the 1980s was never released. Many other examples could be given. No specific reason has been given to such behavior.
Personal Life
Personally, Fairuz had many struggles throughout her life. She gave birth to Ziad, then Hilli, Lial and finally Rima. Hilli got sick soon after his birth and became paralyzed for the rest of his life. She still takes care of him to this day. During that same time, her mother got sick and died. All these events left a great impact on her. Many believe that the song 'Bi Koukhna ya Bni' (lyrics by Michel Trad) talks about her son.
In 1972 her husband suffered a severe brain stroke that left him half-paralyzed. Her son composed his first song for her titled "The People Asked Me" and was dedicated to the fact that she appears on stage without her husband for the first time...
Ziad (15 years old) and Layal both left the home at a very early age because they were unhappy with the situation. She finally got the courage to leave Assi and they separated in 1979. Now she realized that there are many musicians whom she could work with including her son Ziad. She produced five CD's with Ziad: Maarefti Feek (Knowing You) 'Keefak Inta' (How Are You?) in 1991, 'Ila Assi' (To Assi) in 1995, 'Mish Kayen Haik Tkoun' (That's Not How You Should Be) in 1999, and 'Wala Keef' (No How) in 2000 which were very controversial.
Fairuz once said in an interview that she had oppressed her smile in the past because she was put in the cage of formalities, but that she will always smile (we actually hear her laugh in 'Kifak Inta' CD). She also produced another CD with Zaki Nassif 'Fairuz sings Zaki Nassif' in 1994 and another of works with Philemon Wehbi 'Ya Rayeh' (Departed) in 1994 and was dedicated in his memory.
Fairuz said about Philmoun Wehbi "those you left behind have missed you, and all those who are still coming are going to love you". The two were very close friends and all critics agree that in spite of the few songs he'd given her (about 30) they are undoubtedly her best ever... In 1986 her husband died after 7 years of total estrangement and 12 years after a massive brain stroke left him half-paralyzed. Philemon Wehbi died a few months later after a long struggle with illness. He was one of her best friends, one of the most talented composers who'd given her her most emotional and successful songs, and the only composer she worked with outside the Rahbani structure. Her daughter Layal died a few months later of a suicidal drug overdose.
Fairuz in the media
Documentaries
There are 4 documentaries about her life and work with the Rahbani Brothers:
1971: Fairuz in America
Covered Fairuz’s first major tour in North America. Produced by Parker & Associates.
1998: Fairuz
A history of Fairuz and Lebanon. The documentary begins with Fairuz’s happy childhood and modest upbringing, the summers she spent at her grandmother’s mountain village, her beginning at the Lebanese Radio Station, the long journey with Assi and Mansour Rahbani, the civil war, and the return of peace. The film tells the story of Lebanon through Fairuz’s voice, which is a part of the mosaic of Lebanese history, and a call to those who left to return to the land she never left. Directed by Frederic Mitterrand.
1999: ‘Arrab Elmao’ed (Time is Upon Us)
Covered Fairuz’s historical performance at MGM’s Garden Arena. It is a rare, behind the scenes look at the Lebanese Legend while she and her entourage prepare for the grand event. Scenes include rehearsals, stage set up, a private reception to honor Fairuz, as well as her visits to local attractions. Directed by Rima Rahbani.
2003: We Loved Each Other So Much (We Hielden Zoveel Van Mekaar)
Fairuz is considered far and away the greatest music star alive and the most popular cultural phenomenon in the Arab world. For half a century now, Fairuz has been a living legend in the Arab world. Her home is Beirut, once a thriving seaport, “The Paris of the Middle East”, and a haven for those fleeing religious or ethnic persecution. During the civil war Fairuz remained in Beirut and the film portrays the love of diverse Beirut inhabitants for this diva. Through the music and the myth that grew around Fairuz, they tell their life stories and narrate the stirring history of their city. Directed by Jack Janssen.
Television Shows
Fairuz also has 8 Television shows which are:
- Hikayet El’iswara (A Bracelet’s Story)
- Dei’it Elghani (Rich Village)
- Layali Elsa’ed (Nights of Happiness)
- Alquds fil Baal (Jerusalem in my Heart)
- Dafater Ellayl (Night Memoirs)
- Ma’ Al hikayat (With Stories)
- Sahret Hub (Night of Love)
- Qasidet Hub (A Love Poem), from the musical play.
What others have said about Fairuz
"To the Arab world Fairuz came suddenly, as a miracle. At a time when Arabic singing was weighed down with convention and predictability, and spirits were nationally at their lowest, her voice rang, as though from the beyond, the notes of salvation and joy. Arabic music has never been the same since. Nostalgic but vibrant, sad but defiant, folkloric and yet so new, hers has been for nearly 30 years perhaps the only voice that seems so capable of jubilation in an almost cosmic sense. By turns mystic and amorous, elegiac and fiery, her singing has expressed the whole emotional scale of Arab life with haunting intensity. Often singers give listeners pleasure, as they expect. She often gives them, beyond their expectation, ecstasy" Jabra Ibrahim Jabra.
"After Years of thirst, a voice like fresh water has arrived. A cloud, a love-letter from another planet: Fairuz has overwhelmed us with ecstasy. Names and figures of speech remain too small to define her. She alone is our agency of goodwill, to which those of us looking for love and poetry belong. When Fairouz sings, mountains and rivers follow her voice, the mosque and the church, the oil-jars and loaves of bread. Through her, every one of us is made to blossom, and once we were no more than sand; men drop their weapons and apologize. Upon hearing her voice, it is our childhood which being molded anew" Nizar Qabbani.
"The glory does not only lie in the fact that I live in the age of Fairuz, but also that I belong to her people. I have no country but her voice, no family but her people and no sun but he moon of her chanting in my heart" Ounsi el- Hajj.
See also
{{Infobox_band | band_name = Fairuz | image = Image:Fairuz.jpg | caption = Fairuz | }}
External links
- Fairuz Online - The Web Site Officially Celebrating Fairuz
- Website dedicated to Fairuz, the Rahbani Brothers, and others
- Fairuz - Lebanon - Al Mashriqar:فيروز
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