Beyond borders: Wadih Sabra, Lebanon's musical tapestry of unity and dialogue

It is a poem by Gibran Khalil Gibran, composed by Wadih Sabra, one of the prominent figures in classical music in Lebanon and the region during the first half of the past century.

Sabra's music infused optimism into Gibran's poetry; he titled the composition " Voici le matin" (Here is the Morning), replacing "البلاد المحجوبة" (The Veiled Country), which almost echoes our present reality.

This composition would have remained unknown if not for its discovery by an individual initiative in the archive of Wadih Sabra, a portion of which has been kept at the Center for Lebanese Musical Heritage at College Notre-Dame de Jamhour since 2016.

This cultural discovery is a window into the world of Wadih Sabra, who was among the pioneers in setting poetry to music, including the works of poets like Said Akl, Chibli Mallat, and Fawzi Maluf.

The composer of the Lebanese national anthem, Wadih Sabra, was a diligent musician who studied under the guidance of esteemed professors at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he traveled in 1893.

Returning to Lebanon armed with a rich Western experience, he aimed to infuse Eastern music with it, working on transcribing traditional Lebanese songs that were previously oral.

Wadih Sabra contributed to the invention of the first Eastern piano, adding the quarter-tone characteristic of Eastern music to this Western instrument, and he also presented the first Arabic opera produced in our region.

The most significant part of Sabra's journey is that he established "Dar ul Musica" (House of Music), which became the National Conservatory in 1925 and remained under his direction until his passing in 1952.

True, a portion of Sabra's legacy has been lost or damaged, but what remains reminds us that music is among the noblest means of cultural dialogue in Lebanon and the region.