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Biography of FairuzName: FairuzBirth Date: 1933 Death Date: N/A Place of Birth: Beirut, Lebanon Nationality: Lebanese Gender: Female Occupations: singer Fairuz Probably the greatest Arabic singer of modern times, Fairuz (neé Nuhad Haddad; born 1933), also known as Fayrouz, led the creation of a new musical language in the Middle East.Fairuz was born Nuhad Haddad in 1933 in Beirut, Lebanon. She was raised in humble surroundings in the old neighborhood of Zukak el Blat in Beirut, where her father, Wadi Haddad, was a simple typesetter in a small print shop. Nuhad attended the Saint Joseph School for Girls in Beirut until the hardships of World War II forced her father to move her to a public school.In 1947, at age 14, she was discovered by Mohammad Fleifel, one of the founders of the National Conservatory of Music in Beirut, who was in search of talent for a newly formed choral group. Fleifel was instrumental in Fairuz's admission to the National Conservatory, where she spent five years training. But perhaps his greatest contribution …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…her to Billie Holiday and call her the "Callas of Arabia." Further Reading A list of Fairuz's musical plays, records, and songs in Arabic and English, along with a biography and photographs, may be found in a publication entitled "Fayrouz Legend and Legacy" published by the Forum for International Art and Culture (Washington, D.C.: 1981). The following cassettes and albums by Fairuz may also be obtained from the above forum: "A Christmas Album," "Fairuz sings Gibran," "Fairuz in Concert," and the "United Nations Concert Album." A brief article on Fairuz and her March 1994 London concert can be found in New Statesman & Society March 18, 1994. A copy of a 37-mm. color documentary entitled "Fayrouz in America and Canada" (1971), filmed by Parker and Associates, may be obtained from the United States Information Agency. The main source of information about Fairuz remains the annual programs and catalogues of the Baalback International Festival, 1957-1974, Beirut, Lebanon. |