Songs for a Lebanon that never existed

In November 2024, despite the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese did not pass up the opportunity to celebrate the 90th birthday of their most famous singer of all time. It has been 70 years since the aspiring young singer Nahad Haddad took the name Fairuz.

What is less well known is that many of the songs cherished by her fans and listened to endlessly originate from the musical comedies Fairuz performed with the Rahbani brothers during the 1960s and 1970s. She collaborated with Assi Rahbani and his brother, Mansour, a police officer, for five years before marrying Assi. He left his job at the city council to devote himself entirely to composing for the young singer.

The 1950s were defined by the dream of reshaping the Arab states following the end of European colonisation. One country after another gained independence and took their first steps into a new era, and sought to prove that they were in no way inferior to the colonial powers.

During this time, the three musicians—Fairuz, Assi, and Mansour—became involved with a musical theatre in Baalbek, a venue that had previously hosted only Western plays. Their artistic journey began with a series of events called "Lebanese Nights", where they performed songs deeply embedded within Lebanon's cultural heritage. They also introduced one of the first songs ever written about the country: "Lebanon, you green land, you beautiful land."

The search for a green and beautiful Lebanon

In reality, Lebanon could hardly be described as green and beautiful. The country was entrenched in one of the many conflicts which have punctuated its history. In 1958, Lebanese Prime Minister Rashid Karami, a Sunni, demanded that Lebanon become part of a joint state recently proclaimed by Egypt and Syria. The Christian President, Camille Chamoun, refused. The conflict escalated and a power struggle broke out within Lebanon.

After Chamoun called on the then-US President Eisenhower to intervene, the US sent 14,000 marines to Beirut to support Chamoun against his rival. Within three months, some 2,000 people on each side had been killed. The crisis ended with Chamoun's resignation. He was replaced by the military commander Fuad Schihab.

In the midst of this turmoil, the Rahbani brothers wrote their first musical comedy, "The Moon Bridge". The play is set in a pair of fictional neighbouring villages, once friendly, now sworn enemies after some dark event. One village decides to cut off the other's water supply in order to destroy its harvest and leave its people thirsty.

But then a young woman with magical powers appears. She promises both villages that if they reconcile, treasure will be found under the moon bridge that connects the two. After the reconciliation, the witch announces that the treasure is peace and love. Fairuz sings on stage: "Contentment is more beautiful than sadness, peace is the treasure of all treasures." In one version on YouTube, the loud applause of the audience can be heard when Fairuz sings the line "peace is the treasure of all treasures."

"The Moon Bridge" was the first musical play by the Rahbani brothers and it was hugely popular thanks to its historical context. The three artists decided to perform all their works in this style, addressing the pain, fears, hopes and ambitions of Lebanese and Arab society. The plays usually took place in a fictional place—a simple, good and peaceful world confronted with challenges. The names of the protagonists and places are often wordplays or metaphors, which create a framework for the plays. The spirit of this first project can be found in all of Fairuz and the Rahbani brothers' works.

A critique of power, in musical theatre form

After the defeat of 1967 and Israel's victory over three Arab states in just six days, the Rahbani brothers wrote "The Sawwan Mountains". The play is about a city which is attacked by "Fatek al-Mutasallet" (literally: the murderous power-hungry one). Al-Mutasallet takes the Sawwan Mountains, killing its ruler. Years later, the daughter of the assassinated ruler, Ghurba, returns from exile (al-ghurba also literally means exile). She initiates construction projects and leads singing and celebrations during the harvest season, as a means of fighting Al-Mutasallet. He notices that the grief he inflicted on the populace is leaving them and that the life he has taken from them is returning. He realises too that he will not be able to rule a people who will not let themselves be defeated.

​​Over the years it became apparent that the Rahbanis not only had a specific problem with "al-Mutasallet", the power-hungry, but that they were generally critical of rulers. "Did You Sleep Well?", a musical written by the brothers and sung by Fairuz, tells the story of a king who spends most of his time asleep and is only awake one day a month. On that day he devotes himself to only three of the many concerns of his people.

A young woman, Qaranful, wants the king to use his seal to authorise her to build a roof on her house to protect her from the rain. Since the king is sleeping, Qaranful steals his seal to approve her own request as well as those of all his other subjects. At the end of the play, there is the line: "If our hope in the rulers is disappointed, we, the people, must stop them." The choir then sings: "Wake up, our lord... The moon is full and you have slept for a month. You eat and drink and sleep and all this for the good of the people, our lord?"

The end of a dream that never came true

In 1977, the Lebanese civil war was raging and many powerful states were interfering in the small country’s affairs. At that time, the Rahbanis wrote the play "Petra" about a small Arab country defending itself against the cruel empire of "Roma". Queen Shkila, played by Fairuz, is forced to sacrifice her young daughter for her country.

Fairuz sings, and it sounds as if she is singing about Lebanon; "They say my country is small... My country is surrounded by anger... And they say we are so few. But even though we are not many, our country is good and beautiful ... O rock of dawn and palace of dew, my country … You are small, but in truth you are great and you will not be conquered, my country."

In 1979, Fairuz separated from Assi Rahbani after 22 years of marriage, and a musical partnership which had produced 500 songs and 24 plays in two decades, fell apart. Rahbani’s role in Fairuz’s life came to an end, and with it a key era in her journey.  During this time, she not only became the most important singer in Lebanon's history, but also created an image of a utopian ideal of Lebanon and its people—whether through a young witch who resolves her country’s conflicts, a woman returning from exile to fight al-Mutasallet, or a figure resisting an unjust ruler by stealing his seal.

After Fairuz and Assi Rahbani separated, Assi looked for a replacement and found singer Ronza, who he introduced in the plays "The Seventh Spring" and "A Persistent Conspiracy". Without Fairuz, however, Rahbani was not well received by audiences. He died in 1986. Meanwhile, Fairuz worked with other Lebanese composers, including Philemon Wehbe, Zaki Nassif and Muhammad Muhsen. She continues to work with her son, the composer, Ziad al-Rahbani to this day.

In Lebanon, the civil war continued long after the conclusion of "Petra". When it finally ended, what ensued was a vicious circle of political violence, attacks and attempts to get rid of the Syrian military, which had been occupying Lebanon since the end of the civil war.

In 2005, Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri was killed in broad daylight and an investigative committee failed to bring the perpetrators to justice. In 2006, a new war broke out between Lebanon and Israel, followed by another political crisis in which the warring parties took up arms. Later, in 2019, the country experienced a youth uprising to demand reforms to the steadily deteriorating economy. The revolt was suppressed by Hezbollah. The country also repeatedly failed to elect a new president.

This year, Lebanon was once again the scene of a new war between Hezbollah and Israel. Many Lebanese feel that they have not lived a single day in stability, but rather live in a country doomed to suffer. The perfect Lebanon is only to be found in the songs of Fairuz and Rahbani.

This text is an edited translation of the Arabic original. Translated from Arabic by Alicia Kleer.