Friday, Jan 16, 2009
Gulf News
Today is a sad day for Arabic music, as the second Rahbani brother is laid to rest. But the death of Lebanese musician and poet Mansour Al Rahbani does not in any way mean the end of the legacy.
Not only was Al Rahbani, who passed away on Tuesday aged 83, a part of the Rahbani brothers duet along with his elder brother Assi, he was also a member of the most famous trio in Arabic music, which included the singing diva Fairuz, Assi's wife.
Their professional relationship started before the marriage of Fairuz and Assi in 1955 when they produced Fairuz's first album, Etab. The trio performed in almost every country in the world and have produced 18 plays, three films and hundreds of songs.
Their productions are considered among the treasures of Arabic music and drama. It had not always been easy for the Rahbani Brothers. The two came from a very poor background.
"We lived in houses of misery for a long time. We lived in homes that were not homes, and that was our childhood," Mansour once said. Their phenomenal success more than made up for their childhood misery, as they created their own trademark in Arabic music.
But why were the Rahbani brothers unique? For many, their music crossed language barriers and appealed to people all over the world as they combined notes from Arabic, Islamic, Syrian, Maronite and Byzantine music with western effects. It simply became international music.
Their plays also dominated the Arabic musical drama scene, in which they were pioneers and had very few competitors. What distinguished their plays from the others was their focus on socio-political themes. Although they all conveyed a strong social or political message, they managed to do it by striking a balance between content and form.
Following the death of Assi in 1986, many predicted the end of the Rahbani era. It was well known that Assi was the musician, although he never took individual credit for any work, and throughout the duo's long partnership, it had always been the Rahbani Brothers.
Yet Mansour carried on, launched his solo career and produced 11 more musical plays before his death. And since Fairuz had earlier parted ways with the duo upon her separation from Assi, Mansour tried to replace her with other singers, to varying degrees of success.
He cooperated with a Lebanese singer, Ronza, who had some physical resemblance to Fairuz, which was not to her advantage, as Fairuz had a very strong fan base in the Arab world, and people would not accept a replacement or a copy.
Mansour also worked with Fairuz's younger and less famous but talented sister, Huda, who accompanied Fairuz in most of her plays and later starred in a few plays of her own. Despite her talent, Huda was overshadowed by Fairuz.
Mansour's experience with Tunisian singer Latifa was controversial, as many were not convinced by her performance, but it was Carole Samaha, who starred in Mansour's latest plays, that stole the show.
Carole realised that no one would be able to replace Fairuz, so she refused to fill in for the famous singer. Her background as an actress and a director also helped, and she became the new star of the Rahbani theatre.
Fairuz and Mansour, who were not on good terms since her separation from Assi in 1979, got back together in 1998 to produce a medley of the most famous Rahbani plays.
Their work was shown during the Baalbeck Festival in Lebanon, and dedicated to Assi's soul.
Besides his musical career, Mansour was a renowned poet. He published four poetry collections and published another which contained the lyrics of the songs that he wrote.
Although the Rahbani Brothers were the first members of the Rahbani family to break into the world of music, they were not the last. Their youngest brother, Elias, is a renowned musician and pianist in his own right.
The three brothers' sons, Ziad, Osama, Marwan, Ghadi and Ghassan, all seem to have inherited their fathers' talents. Ziad, Assi and Fairuz's son, started his own musical career in the 1970s, producing a number of successful plays. He also composed most of his mother's songs after her separation from his father, while Mansour's sons directed and choreographed his solo plays.
I will die for Beirut,
And I will be crucified in Hamra
For Lebanon to have hope
And for the Martyrs to live
O, my people..
I am united with glory
I am united with death!
Mansour wrote in one of his poems.
Lebanon and the Arab world pay their last respects to Mansour Al Rahbani today, but his poetry and music will live on, and the Rahbani legacy will always be in the hearts of the people who loved their music and sang along for love, happiness and the Arab world.
Gulf News 2009. All rights reserved.
