ZIAD RAHBANI: A musical genius connected to his people

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This week, mourning crowds gathered outside Khoury Hospital in Beirut’s Hamra neighbourhood to bid a final farewell to the iconic and much-adored Lebanese composer, pianist and playwright Ziad Rahbani, who passed away at just 69. ⁠
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Rahbani reportedly chose not to undergo a liver transplant, following months of hesitation over the treatment of his deteriorating health. ⁠
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The crowd - many dressed in black, clutching roses, a few Palestinian and Lebanese Communist party flags and some holding up Ziad’s portrait - spontaneously broke into a solemn chant of Saalouni el Nass (People Asked Me). It was the first song Ziad ever composed for his mother, Fairuz, written when he was just 17. ⁠
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As the hearse carrying his body departed for his funeral in Bikfaya, the mourners erupted into applause and whistles - as if this was Ziad’s final play, the curtains closing on a remarkable and unrepeatable chapter of artistic authenticity, social and political rebellion and intellectual brilliance. ⁠
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When asked by a reporter "What did Lebanon lose today?", Talal Haider, the great Lebanese poet and close friend of Ziad, poignantly replied "Lebanon lost itself".⁠
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At a young age, on the cusp of the Lebanese civil war, Ziad left East Beirut where his family were living, to settle in Hamra, choosing to live at the heart of Lebanon’s pro-Palestinian leftist movements and communist party, among his comrades and friends. ⁠
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Hamra was the neighbourhood where Ziad spent most of his life. His home and famous recording studio, Nota, were there. His historic plays - that shaped Lebanon’s daily life, people’s consciousness, sarcasm and vocabulary for decades - were first staged in its theatres such as Piccadilly.⁠
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And he played countless concerts in the neighbourhood’s small jazz clubs and hotel bars, like Blue Note and the Cavalier."⁠
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