Zaki Nassif (; 4 July 1918 – 10 March 2004) was a Lebanese music composer and singer. He was influential among the first generation of composers for the mass audience for music on radio in Lebanon in the 1940s and 1950s, and continued to be a force in Lebanese music until his death in 2004.
Biography
Born in
Machghara, the largest town in the western
Beqaa Valley
The Beqaa Valley (, ; Bekaa, Biqâ, Becaa) is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region. Industry, especially the country's agricultural industry, also flourishes in Beqaa. The region broadly corresponds to th ...
in 1918 and was involved in music and country folk poetry (''
zagal'', maannaa, ''
'ataba'', mijana, abu el zuluf, etc.) at an early age. He was one of the Big Five who contributed material to Radio Orient and Radio Liban in the 1950s (alongside
Halim El Roumi and
Philemon Wehbe among others). During the 1990s he did singing performances on primetime television entertainment shows in Lebanon.
Music
The lyrics of his songs are very often of the patriotic kind (''Baladi Habibi'', ''Ya Daya'ati''- my village, etc.). When his recordings are played on Lebanese TV stations, it is always along with scenery from Lebanon. Zaki Nassif is remembered during the civil war for his anthem song "Rajeh Yittammar" (Lebanon will be rebuilt) at a time when violence and destruction were the rule rather than the exception in Lebanon. The song is upbeat and inspires patriotism and is recommended as a staple Zaki Nassif's material.
In 1995, Zaki Nassif composed a full album for
Fairuz
Nouhad Wadie Haddad (, ; born November 20, 1934 or November 21, 1935), known as Fairuz (, ), is a Lebanese singer. She is widely considered an iconic vocalist and one of the most celebrated singers in the history of the Arab world. She is pop ...
(''Fairuz Chante Zaki Nassif'', Voix de l'Orient label). The CD contains material that shows the variety of expression Zaki Nassif had.
Albums
There are at least four CDs of re-issued recordings on the ''Voix de l'Orient'' label. Zaki Nassif's CDs have over 20 songs or 70 minutes.
Death
Zaki Nassif died in
Beirut
Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
on 10 March 2004 from a heart attack.
See also
*
Rahbani brothers
Assi Rahbani (4 May 1923 – 21 June 1986) and Mansour Rahbani (1925 – 13 January 2009), known as the Rahbani brothers (), were Lebanese sibling musicians, composers, songwriters, authors, and playwrights/dramatists, best known for their work ...
*
Assi Rahbani
*
Mansour Rahbani
*
Fairuz
Nouhad Wadie Haddad (, ; born November 20, 1934 or November 21, 1935), known as Fairuz (, ), is a Lebanese singer. She is widely considered an iconic vocalist and one of the most celebrated singers in the history of the Arab world. She is pop ...
*
Wadih El Safi
*
List of Lebanese people
This is a list of notable individuals born and residing mainly in Lebanon. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items.
Lebanese expatriates residing overs ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nassif, Zaki
1918 births
2004 deaths
Lebanese composers
20th-century Lebanese male singers
People from Machghara
Performers of Christian music in Arabic