| Remembering
Zaki Nasif: A Lebanese Musical Odyssey
By
Sami Asmar
The death of Lebanese
composer and singer Zaki Nasif in Beirut last March marked
the end of a significant era in Lebanese musical heritage.
Nasif left a legacy placing him among the greats in the field
of Arab music.
Born in 1916 in
the town of Mashghara in Lebanon's Biqa Valley, Nasif studied
music composition and piano at the American University of
Beirut . After his studies were interrupted by World War II,
he continued to pursue music at the hands of a European professor
at St. Joseph University. In the early 1950s, under the French
Mandate, Nasif joined the music staff of the Near East ( Al-Sharq
al-Adna ) Radio station under the direction of Palestinian
musician Sabri al-Sharif. That station had moved from Jerusalem
to Cyprus and was based in Beirut before closing down but,
during a brief period, brought together many musicians who
built the foundation of the modern popular music genre in
the region.
In the mid 1950s, lyricists/composers
Asi and Mansur Rahbani, singers/composers Wadi al-Safi, Zaki
Nasif, and Filimon Wahbe, and singers Fairuz, Sabah, and Nasri
Shamsiddine, along with other contemporaries such as Tawfiq
al-Basha, Halim al-Rumi (whose daughter Majida later sang
many of Nasif compositions), long-time flautist Joseph Ayoub,
and percussionist Michel Mirhej Baklouk, most of whom met
at the Near East Radio station, became a core group credited
with the establishment of the modern popular Lebanese song
with the start of the Baalbek festivals, set in the Roman
ruins of Baalbek.
Zaki Nasif's career
reached national recognition with his early contribution to
the Baalbek Festival with the song "Tallu Hbabna Tallu"
(The Beloved Ones Have Arrived), which quickly became
a huge hit. The lyrics, which describe receiving beloved visitors
in the beautiful setting of the Lebanese countryside, cover
three themes: romance, hospitality, and patriotism. The magnificence
of the lyrics was matched by Nasif's brilliant melody, which
combined beauty and folk-style simplicity. Decades later in
a 1991 interview, Nasif discussed how village folk tunes inspired
his compositions and revealed that "Tallu Hbabna"
was inspired by the comic folk chant "Qam al-Dib Ta Yurqos
" (When the Bear Tried to Dance).
The third element
of the song's success was the vocalist. Nasif intended that
his song would be performed by the Baalbek chorus, but decided
instead that it would be best performed by his colleague Wadi
al-Safi, an archetypical folk singer. The rest is history;
for nearly four decades, Wadi al-Safi probably performed this
song at every concert in his life; it was requested by delighted
audiences who would typically rise to the traditional dabkah
line dance. The song was typically performed by al-Safi
at live concerts during a suite of songs with a similar theme
such as " Khadra Ya Bladi Khadra " (My Green Country)
and " Zra'na Tlalik Ya Bladi " (We Planted the Hills).
Unfortunately for Nasif, with time his name lost association
with "Tallu Hbabna"; many people erroneously assumed
that the song was composed by either Wadi al-Safi or the Rahbani
brothers.
Nasif collaborated
with many groups and artists. In 1960, journalist Said Fraiha
founded the Al-Anwar group that included both Zaki Nasif and
Wadi al-Safi and often performed at Casino Lubnan. Al-Anwar
featured the typical style of Zaki Nasif, namely modern music
rooted in folk rhythms and melodic simplicity. This was similar
to the work of the Rahbani Brothers but, while the Rahbanis
drew on folk music of Mount Lebanon, Nasif did the same for
the Biqa Valley. The Rahbanis, Filimon Wahbe, Tawfiq al-Bahsa,
and Nasif also formed a quintet called the League of Five
modeled after the Russian group; during this collaboration
they modernized their music. This group earned the sponsorship
of Badi' Boulos, the founder of Studio al-Fann, a recording
studio in the Sin al-Fil neighborhood in Beirut.
Perhaps to honor the
historical importance of Studio al-Fann, when producer Simon
Asmar started a star-search talent show on the Lebanese Broadcasting
Corporation, he called it Studio al-Fann and, for many years,
had Zaki Nasif sit on the judging committee. Throughout this
period, Nasif continued to compose for the country's leading
singers, including the Gibran poem " Ya Bani Ummi"
for Fairuz.
Although outside
of Lebanon Nasif was known as the great folk singer who popularized
the dal'una genre and composed popular songs for
the Baalbek festival, people who worked with him knew two
other aspects of him. Nasif was a classically trained pianist
with a passion for playing Chopin pieces at private gatherings
and was a scholar of ancient Byzantine chants. He had an encyclopedic
knowledge of the Byzantine repertoire and discussed how the
chants' Eastern scales, similar to the traditional Arab modes
called maqamat, inspired his own compositions. Lebanese
ethnomusicologist Nidaa abu Mrad researched the influence
of Byzantine music on Nasif's work for an academic publication.
Just as Nasif started
his career with a hit, he ended it with another hit when he
composed and sang "Raji' Yit'amar Libnan " (Lebanon
Shall be Rebuilt). Intended as a celebration of the end of
the long civil war in Lebanon and a show of the solidarity
of all the Lebanese factions in re-building, the song became
an unofficial anthem for all who shared a patriotic feeling
of conciliation. Even for a serious topic like this, Nasif
chose an upbeat rhythm and, sure enough, was received by impromptu
dabkah lines when he performed it.
Since for most of
the 1990s Nasif taught at the conservatory and seemed detached
from folk music, " Raji' Yit'amar" brought him back
to the people and the sam e crowds who loved "Tallu Hbabana,"
a fitting conclusion to a long career. This song, however,
brought up parallels between Zaki Nasif and Egypt 's Sayyid
Darwish (1892-1923). Darwish was the people's singer and his
simple yet awesomely sincere song " Biladi Biladi "
was so popular and fitting that the nation turned it into
the official national anthem. Nasif's songs, for now, will
remain an un-official anthem.
This essay appears
in Al Jadid Magazine, Vol. 10, nos. 46/47 (Winter/Spring 2004)
Copyright (c) 2004 by Al Jadid
|
