Fairuz

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Fairuz

Fairuz (Arabic: فيروز, also spelled Fairouz or Fayrouz) is a Lebanese singer. Born Nouhad Haddad (Arabic: نهاد حداد) in 'Jabal al Arz' ('Cedar Mountain'), Lebanon, on 21 November 1935, Fairuz is known as "Our (Lebanese) Ambassador to the Stars", "The Arabs' Ambassador" and "Neighbour to the Moon".

Biography

1935-1950s - The Early years

Nouhad Haddad, later known as Fairuz, was born on 21 November 1935 in 'Jabal al Arz', Lebanon, to a modest Syriac Orthodox family. Wadi' Haddad, Fairuz's father, originally came from the city of Mardin, formerly in the Ottoman Empire (now in modern-day Turkey), and settled in Lebanon after he married Lisa el Boustani (Fairuz's mother), a Maronite Lebanese. The family later moved to the cobblestone alley called 'Zuqaq el Blatt' in Beirut. They lived in a single room of a typical Lebanese stone house facing Beirut's Patriarchate school, and shared a kitchen with the neighbors. Wadi' worked as a typesetter in a nearby print shop and Lisa stayed home and took care of her four children, Nouhad, Youssef, Hoda and Amal.

Nouhad was a shy child and did not have many friends at school. However, she was greatly attached to her grandmother who lived in 'Debbieh', a village in the mountains of Lebanon, where Nouhad used to spend the summer. Nouhad adored the simple village life. During the day, she helped her grandmother with house chores and fetched fresh water from a nearby water spring. She used to sing all the way to the spring and back. In the evening, Nouhad used to sit by the candle light with her grandmother who used to tell her stories from her voyage to the United States.

By the age of ten, Nouhad was already well known at her school for her beautiful voice. She would regularly sing during school festivals and holidays. This is how she came to the attention of Mohammed Fleifel, a well known Lebanese musician and teacher at the Lebanese Conservatory, who happened to attend one of the school's celebrations in February 1950. He was greatly impressed by her voice and performance and advised her to enroll in the conservatory, which she did. At first, Nouhad's conservative father was reluctant to send his daughter to the conservatory, however, he allowed Nouhad to attend classes at the conservatory on one condition, that her brother accompanied her. Nouhad's family encouraged her even though they could not afford much, and one day her father surprised her with a radio.

Fleifel cared for Nouhad's voice in a fatherly way. Most importantly, he taught her how to sing verses from the Quran (singing style known as 'Tajweed'). And one day, prominent Lebanese musician and head of the music department at the Lebanese Radio Station Halim El Roumi (the father of famous Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi) happened to hear Nouhad sing. He was deeply impressed by her voice and noticed that it had a rare flexibility that allowed her to sing both oriental and western modes admirably. At Nouhad's request, El Roumi appointed her as a chorus singer at the radio station in Beirut and composed several songs for her. He chose for her the name 'Fairuz', which is the Arabic word for turquoise.

A couple of months later, Fairuz was introduced to the Rahbani brothers, Assi and Mansour, who also worked at the radio station as musicians. The chemistry was instant, and soon after, Assi started to compose songs for Fairouz, one of which was 'Itab (the third song he composed for her), which was an immediate smash hit in all of the Arab world, establishing Fairuz as one of the most prominent Arab singers on the Arabic music scene. Assi and Fairuz got married on January the 23rd 1955, and Fairuz then converted to Greek Orthodoxy (Assi's sect).

Fairuz had four children: Ziad, a musician and a composer, Layal (died in 1987 after a brain stroke), Hali (paralysed since childhood after meningitis) and Rima, a photographer and director.

The early works of Fairuz and the Rahbanis were innovative mixtures of oriental and foreign modes (especially Southern American music influenced by Eduardo Bianco) combining Fairuz's distinct vocal timbre with ingenious music by Assi and poetic lyrics that expressed innocent love and nostalgia for Lebanese village life.

Fairuz's first large-scale concert took place in 1957 as part of the International Baalbeck Festival, sponsored by Lebanese president Camille Chamoun. Musical operettas and sold-out concerts followed for years, establishing Fairuz as the one of the Arab world's most popular singers.

1960s - The Establishment of a new star

Fairuz became the "First Lady of Lebanese singing" (Halim el Roumi) during the 1960s. At that period the Rahbani brothers had written and composed for her hundreds of famous songs, most of their operettas, and 3 motion pictures. In 1969, as popular as it was, Fairuz’s music was banned from radio stations in Lebanon for six months by order of the Lebanese government because she refused to sing at a private concert in the honor of the Algerian president Houari Boumédienne during his visit to Lebanon. Despite that, Fairuz's popularity soared even higher. Fairuz made it clear that she would not sing to any one individual, neither king nor president, but she would always sing to the people.

1970s - International fame and the Lebanese Civil War

In 1971, Fairuz's fame became international after her major north-american tour and thanks to her voice and quality of music. Many consider the 1970s as the most important phase of her carreer, with a maximum of voice power and potential and a high amount of music production by the Rahbani brothers. During the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), Fairuz never left Lebanon to live abroad and did not hold any concerts there (except the stage performance of the tragedy "Petra" in both sides of the then-divided Beirut in 1978) because it pained her greatly to see the Lebanese suffering and dying at the hands of foreigners and their own. She would not sing for them, as she felt that they were killing each other and destroying Lebanon. However, during that time period, Fairuz held many very successful record-breaking concerts and tours in numerous countries around the world.

1980s - A new production team

After the artistic divorce between Fairouz and the Rahbani Brothers in 1979, Fairuz carried on with her son, composer Ziad Rahbani, his friend the lyricist Joseph Harb, and composer Philemon Wehbe. Together, they forged new albums that yielded tremendous success reinforcing Fairuz's image as the constantly evolving number one Arab singer.

Joseph Harb gave Fairuz some of his best lyrics/poems while Philemon Wehbe offered her timeless purely oriental music cherished by the masses. Ziad, on the other hand, offered Fairuz very original jazz-tinted songs.

1990s-Present

Fairuz remains the most important singer in the Arab world.

Fairuz works now exclusively with her son Ziad. In the 1990’s, Fairuz produced three albums, held a number of large-scale concerts, most notably the historic concert held at Beirut's Martyr's Square (September 1994) to launch the rebirth of the downtown district that was ravaged by the civil war. She appeared at The International Baalbeck Festival in 1998 after 25 years of absence where she performed the highlights of 3 very successful plays that were presented in the 1960s and 1970s.

An Album, (wala Keef), was her latest. It released in 2002. Another huge success was the massive concert at the Las Vegas MGM Grand Arena (1999) which broke box-office sales records[citation needed] and was attended by over 16,000 Lebanese who flocked to the city from all over the American continent and Europe. Fairuz also held sold-out concerts at the Beiteddine International Festival (Lebanon) from 2000 to 2003, in three cities in the USA (2003), in Montreal (2005), in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Baalbeck and BIEL (2006).

Live Concerts

Fairuz has performed once or more in each of many countries around the globe including Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, France, The United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada, The United States of America, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and of course, Lebanon.

Fairuz has performed in many internationally famous and prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1962, the New York Carnegie Hall in 1971, the London Palladium in 1978, L'Olympia de Paris in 1979, London's Royal Festival Hall in 1986, the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles (1971, 1981, and 2003), the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C (1981 and 1987)... among many others (for the complete concert chronology, see Fairuz Concerts).

Fairuz has yielded record-breaking performances month after month, year after year in almost every concert she has held around the world. Fairuz, Assi, and Mansour have become the most famous and dominant music production phenomenon in the Arab world, and their success has spread beyond the Arab world to Europe, the Americas, and Australia.

Theatrical Works

Musical plays or operettas were the cornerstone works of the Rahbani Trio, Fairuz, Assi and Mansour. The Rahbani Brothers produced 25 popular musical plays (20 with Fairuz) over a period of more than 30 years. They were some of the first to produce world-class Arabic musical theatre.

The musicals combined rich storyline, poetic lyrics and dialogue, ingenious musical composition varying widely from Lebanese folkloric and rhythmic modes to classical westernized oriental songs, masterful orchestration, and the hauntingly beautiful voice and acting talent of Fairuz, who played the lead role alongside singers/actors Nasri Shamseddine, Wadi Safi, Antoine Kerbaje, Elie Shouayri (Chouayri), Hoda, Siham Chammas (Shammas), Georgette Sayegh and many more.

These plays are ample proof of Fairuz's outstanding talent as a singer and actress. The Rahbani plays expressed patriotism, love and nostalgia for village life, comedy, drama, philosophy, and contemporary politics thereby embodying the very soul of Lebanon. The songs performed by Fairuz as part of the plays have become immensely popular among the Lebanese and Arabs around the world.

The Fairuz-Rahbani collaboration produced the following musicals (in chronological order):

  • "Ayyam al Hassad" ('Days of Harvest' - 1957)
  • "Al 'Urs fi l’Qarya" ('The Wedding in the Village' - 1959)
  • "Elissa" - 1979 (Never performed due to the separation of Fairuz and Assi)

Most of the musical plays were recorded and video-taped. Eighteen of them have been officially released on CD, two on DVD (Mais el Reem and Loulou). A pirated version of 'Petra' and one pirated live version of 'Mais el Reem' in black and white exist. 'Ayyam al Hassad' (Days of Harvest) was never recorded and 'Al 'Urs fi l’Qarya' (The Marriage in the Village) has not yet been released (yet a pirated audio record is available).

As for concerts, only the Olympia 1979 (audio only, video released in the 80's) and Las Vegas 1999 (video only) concerts have been officially released. Pirated versions of other concerts exist: Kuwait 1966, Syria and Egypt 1976, Olympia 1979, Australia 1984, Syria 1985, Bahrain 1987, France 1988, London 1994, and parts of the four recent Beiteddine concerts (2000 - 2003).

Discography

Fairuz possesses a large repertoire of around 1500 songs (nearly 800 released), has sold 100 million records around the world[citation needed], and has been offered prestigious awards and titles over the years (check Fairuz Awards and Recognitions).

Around 85 Fairuz CDs and cassettes have been officially released so far. Most of the songs that are featured on these albums were composed by the Rahbani brothers. Also featured are songs by Philemon Wehbe, Ziad Rahbani, Zaki Nassif, Mohamed Abd El Wahab, Najib Hankash and Mohamed Mohsen.

Fairuz's unreleased works are very abundant. Most of them date back to the late 1940's, 1950's and early 1960's and were composed by the Rahbani Brothers (certain unreleased songs, the oldest of all, are by Halim el Roumi). A remarkable Fairuz album composed by Egyptian musician Riad Al Sunbati (who has worked with Umm Kalthoum) was produced in the 1980’s and is yet to be released. It is also thought that there are fifteen unreleased songs composed by Philemon Wehbe.

Television and Film

Films

Fairuz and the Rahbanis have also had their share of movie production. They produced three high-quality films,

The three films drew large audiences across the Arab world, world theatres, and further introduced Fairuz to the Arab and world audience. These films are released for sale.

Television Programmes

Lebanese Television has featured appearances by Fairuz in the following television programmes:

  • "Al Iswara" (The Bracelet)
  • Day'it El Aghani (Village of Songs)
  • Layali As'Saad (Nights of Happiness)
  • Al Quds fil Bal (Jerusalem in my Heart)
  • Dafater El Layl (Night Memoirs)
  • Maa Al Hikayat (With Stories)
  • Sahret Hobb (Oriental Evening)
  • Qasidat Hobb (A Love Poem)

Other television programmes have been recorded for the Syrian TV, though neither these nor the ones mentionned above are released for sale.

Documentaries

There are five 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 war days, and the return of peace. The film tells the story of Lebanon through Fairouz’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.

1998: Alone They Remain

Named after one of her most famous songs, Alone They Remain is a documentary that covers Fairouz’s rise to fame, the history of her voice and Baalbeck Festivals, Lebanon’s glorious days in the late 50’s, it’s prosperity in the 60’s and early 70’s, and the destruction that followed in the mid-70’s till 1990. It also encompasses the plays she and the Rahbanis produced. Produced by Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI), it was released after her historical return to the Baalbeck Festivals.

1999: Arrab El Maw’ed (Time is Upon Us)

Covered Fairouz’s historical performance at MGM’s Garden Arena. It offers 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 Fairouz, as well as her visits to local attractions. Directed by Rima Rahbani.

2003: We Loved Each Other So Much (We Hielden Zoveel Van Mekaar)

Depicts the love of the inhabitants of Beirut for Fairouz and illustrates the postwar reconciliaton between the different Lebanese parties through the voice of Fairouz. Directed by Jack Janssen.

Quotes

Numerous musicians, poets, scholars, critics and singers around the world were deeply impressed by the voice and performance of Fairuz. The admiration of several of them is expressed in the following quotes:

"The voice of Fairouz knows no boundaries and is enormously capable of rendering all singing styles. Her voice is soon going to be distinguished as the voice that is more capable of rendering modern music than any other in the entire world." (Fairuz's early mentor Halim El Roumi)
"In the songs of Fairuz we sense an art that is dedicated to the human being, to the pains of the human being, and to the hopes of people for an honorable and pleasant life." (Fouad Badawi)
"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, our childhood is molded anew." (Prominent Syrian poet 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 the moon of her chanting in my heart." (Prominent Lebanese journalist Ounsi el- Hajj)
"Quite simply, Fairuz is one of the world's nonpareil musicians and outstanding Artists, an international treasure of the order of Rostropovich, Sills, Ravi Shankar, Miles Davis, Sutherland, Pavarotti and Dylan." (Harvard University scholar Barry Hoberman)[1]
"The voice of Fairouz is the single most beautiful voice I have ever heard. In her voice the Orient and the West meet and mix." (Hungarian Opera Singer Anna Korsek)

Voice sample

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See also

External links

References

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