by arabnews — DUBAI: Veteran Lebanese musician Elias Rahbani died on Monday at the age of 83 due to COVID-19, Lebanese media reported. According to Al-Arabiya, Rahbani – who was a composer, songwriter and an orchestra conductor – died due to COVID-19. He was the yonger brother of Assi and Mansour Rahbani, who rose to fame as the Rahbani brothers. Celebrities quickly took to social media to pay tribute to Rahbani.
Singer Carol Samaha wrote on Instagram: “We lost an important figure from my country, and he took with him the most beautiful musical era in the history of the Lebanese music. Goodbye, Elias Rahbani. Thank you for your generosity and loyalty to our country Lebanon. Your work is immortal in memory and conscience.” While Lebanese singer and actor Ramy Ayach wrote on Twitter: “A great loss… the one with a pure heart and the lover of art and homeland.” Rahbani composed over 2,500 songs, 1000 of them were for 25 movies and multiple series across the region. He wrote and composed some of Lebanese singer Fairouz’s most-famous songs, including “Qatalooni Aouna El-Soud,” “Kan Endna Tahoun,” and “Maak.” His songs for late legendary Lebanese singer Sabah included “Keif Halak Ya Asmar” and “Shoftoh Bel Anater.”
by AP — The three brothers were pioneers of a Lebanese golden age of music and culture, before the country was plunged into a lengthy civil war in the mid- 1970s. Many Lebanese still start their day listening to their songs and see them as uniting figures, beloved across the country’s divided political spectrum. Born into a musical family in the town of Antelias, north of Beirut, Elias quickly forged a path for himself in the music industry. He often worked with his brothers but went on to compose his own songs for veteran Lebanese artists including Fairouz, Sabah, Melhem Barakat, Majida al-Roumi and others.
Elias Rahbani distinguished himself from his brothers, who were the industry’s best known duo, with his more modern styles and mix of Middle Eastern and Western music that won him international awards. He wrote some of Fairouz’ best hits, as well as the music and lyrics for many patriotic songs. Rahbani composed hundreds of songs and music for the theater and the soundtracks to dozens of films and TV series, including “Habibati,” or my Love, “The Night Player.” Elias leaves behind a wife, Nina, two sons, Ghassan and Jad and a sister, Elham.
BEIRUT (Reuters) -Elias Rahbani, who wrote songs for Lebanon’s most revered singer Fairouz among many others, died on Monday at the age of 83, local media reported. Elias was the youngest brother of celebrated musicians Mansour and Assi Rahbani, known together as the Rahbani brothers. Fairouz’s songs, written by the Rahbanis, were listened to across religious and factional divides throughout Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war and they continue to transcend divisions in Lebanon and beyond. “Another branch from the Rahbani tree falls after a journey full of refined music production,” Prime Minister-designate Saad al Hariri wrote on Twitter. The Rahbanis’ music and lyrics have drawn admiration from across the Arab world.
In a career spanning almost six decades, Elias Rahbani wrote music for many famous Lebanese singers including the late Wadih al-Safi and Sabah. “Your departure takes with it a large part of the romanticism of our wounded country,” Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama said. Local and Arab media reported that Rahbani had been taken ill with COVID-19 a few days ago and died in a Beirut hospital. There was no confirmation on the cause of death from his family. (Reporting by Laila Bassam and Maha El Dahan, editing by Ed Osmond)
