10 Lebanese Composers Who Wrote Your Favorite Songs
Here are 10 most legendary and influential Lebanese composers who have graced the world with their unique musical creation.
#1 Elie Choueiry
Born in 1935, Elie Choueiry was brought into what is widely considered as "The Golden Age of Middle Eastern Music." His contemporaries include Abdel-Halim Hafez, Um Kulthoum, and Abd al-Wahhab.
Choueiry's music offers a mixture of romantic, patriotic, and poetic songs. Growing up in the diversified city of Beirut, Elie was so moved by the call for prayer ( adhan) of his Muslim counterparts, and he incorporated the sound in many of his songs.
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Having composed hits like Eyyam el Loulou and Biktob Ismik Ya Bladi (I write your name, O my country), which were sung by Sabah and Zaki Nassif , Choueiri was quickly taken under the wing of the Rahbani Brother s.
He was also a close friend of late Melhem Barakat and the composer of the national anthems of Morocco, Tunisia, and Qatar.
#2 The Fleifel Brothers
Mohammad and Ahmad Fleifel were born in Achrafieh during the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
Disciples of the iconic Wadih El-Safi , the Fleifel brothers went on to write and compose one of the region's most celebrated patriotic anthems: Mawtini, (my native land) .
Devout patriots and activists, the Fleifels were quick to fight the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the subsequent influx of French and British dominions via their music.
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They wrote over 1,000 rebellious songs and poems that often got them in trouble with the French authorities during the France Mandate of Lebanon.
They are even credited with putting Fairouz under the radar of the Rahbanis who made her their protegée.
#3 Melhem Barakat
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A popular household name, Melhem Barakat rose to fame with his passionate, even volatile, music. His success is largely attributed to that aspect of his music, its honesty, and its semblance to his own character.
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He studied music under the Lebanese legendary composer Zaki Nassif in the National Conservatoire and composed for Lebanese giants like Wadih el Safi, Nasri Shamsuddin, and Majida El-Roumi.
#4 Ahmad Ka'boor
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A truly versatile composer, Ka'boor wrote all types of music, from nursery rhymes to rebellious anthems.
In 1975, at the mere age of 19, Ka'boor called for nationwide togetherness to reject the precursors of the budding civil war with his masterpiece Ounadikom (I call upon you).
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#5 Marcel Khalifeh
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A champion of the people, Marcel Khalifeh has stood out among his peers in the region. His music has always come hand-in-hand with his political call to resist oppression.
He often composed musical pieces for Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwiche and performed them.
With his formidable musical talent and unquestionable knowledge, Khalifeh often teaches at the National Conservatoire.
He was also the first to incorporate the saxophone into the Lebanese and Arabic music, making it a companion to his renowned Oud musical instrument .