Elias Hanna Rahbani (Antelias, Matn, Lebanon 1938-4 January 2021),[1] in Arabic إلياس حنا الرحباني was a Lebanese musician, composer, songwriter, orchestra conductor and reality television personality sitting as judge on a number of talent shows. He composed more than 2500 songs including 2000 in Arabic.[1]<ref name=asharqhttps://archive.aawsat.com/details.asp?article=318407&issueno=9761#.X_N-vdhKi70 Acharq Awsat: الياس الرحباني: سحره صوت البيانو فاعتقد أنه من عناصر الطبيعة] ((In lang|ar))</ref> He wrote the soundtrack for more than 25 films, a number of TV series, and also composed musical scores for the piano.
Born in a very musical family, his older brothers being Assi and Mansour Rahbani known as the Rahbani Brothers, he studied music at the Lebanese Academy (1945-1958) and specialized in the National Music College (the Lebanese Conservatory) from 1955-1956. His older brothers also arranged private lessons for him for almost 10 years under the supervision of French music professors.
In 1957, at the age of 19 he wanted to continue his musical studies in Moscow, But he was injured in his right hand meaning the end of his dreams of becoming a majour player. But he trained with his left hand and concentrated on music composition instead.
In 1958, Rahbani had his break at the age of 20 when the Arabic Service of the BBC contracted him for composing 40 songs and writing soundtrack of 13 BBC Arabic radio productions. In 1962, he had a majour break by writing "Ma Ahlaha" (in Arabic ما أحلاها) for famous Lebanese singer Nasri Shamseddine and became a programme director and musical consutant for Radio Lebanon, the official broadcaster of Lebanon where he also met his future wife Nina Khalil. The couple married and stayed together for the rest of their life. He stayed in Radio Lebanon until 1972, but also continued a prosperous career as a record producer with a number of record companies in Lebanon. At the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War in 1976, he moved to Paris for a while.
Rahbani has to his record hundreds of successful Lebanese and pan-Arab music, some in foreign music and musical adaptations but mostly in Arabic music. From hsi foreign songs we can mention "La Guerre est finie" sung by the Lebanese Armenian singer Manuel Menengichian and "Mory", a sea song sung by Lebanese singer Samy Clark. The Saber el Rebai song "Atahadda al 'aalam" (in Arabic أتحدى العالم) as Elias Rahbani alleged plagiarism from one of his own songs. When the songwriter Khaled Bakri and his record comoany Rotana refused the charges, Rahbani filed a lawsuit in which a committee of musicians decided remarkable similarities between Saber el Rebai song and Elias Rahbani's musical score "Nina Maria" and ordering Rotana to withdraw the album and credits added to Rahbani.
He has many songs written for Feyrouz and Sabah. Other Rahbani songs were sung by Wadih Safi, Melhem Barakat, Nasri Shamseddine, Majida al Roumi,[1] and contemporary singers including Julia Boutros, Pascale Sakr and Haifa Wehbeh and in foreign languages Manuel Menengichian and Samy Clark and many others. He wrote a number of stage musicals including Wadi Shamseen, Safret el Ahlam, Ela.
In 1996, he published his poetry collection Nafizat el Omr (A window to my life). In 2001, he composed the Song of Francophony with the occasion of the Francophony Summit held in Beirut, Lebanon.
From many of his awards, the Athenes Festival Award for "La guerre est finie", The Youth Award for Classical Music in 1964, an award for a musical score in 1970, Cinema award for International Advertisement Film Award in Venice in 1977, 2nd Award for the London International Advertising Festival in 1995, various awards from Brazil, Greece and Bulgaria, Award for Best Song for "Mory" at the Rostock Festival in Germany, and for the song "Astorias" in Spain. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate from Barington University in Washington.
He was a pioneer in talent shows in Lebanon and the Arab World. He was part of the launching of Rotana Academy for Teaching of Music in 2004, but left soon afterwards for decisions taken without his consultation. He was honorary judge for seasons 10 and 11 of Star Academy.
Elias Rahbani was married to Nina Maria. They had two children Ghassan and Jad Rahbani. He died on 4 January 2021, after complications of contracting the corona virus in the COVID-19 epidemic at the age of 83.