Rakoto Frah

His mother was born in Antananarivo and his father, a herdsman and farmer from Fianarantsoa, had previously been a singer at the Merina royal court before the colonization of Madagascar in 1897.

Both of Philibert's parents were already aged at the time of his birth and they struggled to care for their new son alongside his six brothers and four sisters.

As a child, Philibert assisted his family with looking after the livestock and farming their plot of land.

In his early years he was given the nickname Rakoto by an older brother of the same name.

Like many residents of the rural areas in central Madagascar at that time, Rakoto's brothers played the sodina, an end-blown tube traditionally made of bamboo or reed with three or six finger holes and a thumb hole down its length.

One of the oldest and most iconic musical instruments in Madagascar, it is believed to have arrived on the island with the earliest settlers from Borneo around 2,000 years ago and remains widespread throughout the central highlands.

Young Rakoto began playing the sodina when he was seven years old.

He honed his skills by listening to village elders' sodina performances, and three years later the boy formed a small musical group called Ambohijatobe that performed locally at traditional festivities.

During this period Rakoto had the opportunity to participate in a community musical competition.

His competitors, who performed on accordions and guitars, threw stones at Rakoto when he stepped forward to perform on the sodina.

Despite being struck in the face he completed his performance and was awarded first prize.

Born in 1923 near the capital city of Antananarivo to a poor rural family, Rakoto Frah surmounted the challenges posed by his underprivileged origins to become the most acclaimed 20th century performer of the sodina flute, one of the oldest traditional instruments on the island.

Through frequent international concerts and music festival performances, he promoted the music of the highlands of Madagascar and became one of the most famous Malagasy artists, both within Madagascar and on the world music scene.

Philibert Rabezoza was born in 1923 in Ankadinandriana, a suburb of Antananarivo.

In 1935 he was nominated by the local governor to represent his district in a national musical competition organized by the French colonial authority at Mahamasina stadium in Antananarivo.

That same year Rakoto was orphaned at the age of 12, preventing him from further pursuing an education in the interest of earning a livelihood.

A Frenchman hired the boy to work as an assistant baker until he came of age.

Upon reaching adulthood, Rakoto left the bakery to become a metalworker while continuing to perform on the sodina in musical ensembles.

After gaining regional recognition for his sodina skills as a youth, Rakoto Frah rose to national fame in 1958 when he was selected by Malagasy President Philibert Tsiranana to perform on the sodina for the visiting French president Charles de Gaulle.

This event launched his career as a professional musician.

Rakoto's opportunity for national fame arrived with the 1958 visit of French President Charles de Gaulle to Madagascar.

The visit was in conjunction with the dissolution of colonial status and naming of Philibert Tsiranana as Prime Minister, part of the island's transition to full independence in 1960.

Tsiranana had previously seen the flutist perform and invited Rakoto and his group of 18 musicians to accompany de Gaulle and perform traditional pieces during a portion of the French statesman's walking tour through the capital city of Antananarivo.

Following this performance, Rakoto dedicated himself full-time to a career in music, performing regularly at traditional celebrations on the island.

Tsiranana, who became president of Madagascar two years later, was the first to refer to the artist as Rakoto Frah, the name that the musician would use for the rest of his career.

He first played at traditional ceremonies around the country, then expanded his performances from 1967 to include participation in international music competitions and festivals.

International recognition of Rakoto Frah and his performance of traditional sodina music began with his first overseas voyage to Algeria in 1967.

The artist led a troupe of 18 Malagasy musicians selected to represent the island's various ethnic groups at the International Festival of Algiers.

Among the 80 competitors hailing from a variety of countries, Rakoto Frah's troupe won the gold medal.

This success was followed by performances in Japan, England, the United States, India, Germany, China, Norway, Finland, Australia and France, making him one of the first musicians to perform traditional Malagasy music at music festivals and concerts outside of Madagascar.

At these performances, he was often accompanied by supporting musicians under the group name Orchestre Nationale.

By exposing international audiences to sodina performances, Rakoto Frah promoted the instrument and the traditional musical heritage of Madagascar across the globe.

His popularity declined in the 1970s but underwent a revival that began in the mid-1980s and continued until his death in 2001.

During this period Rakoto Frah recorded ten albums, toured extensively in Madagascar and overseas, was featured in two French documentaries, and collaborated with a variety of international and Malagasy artists.

Over the course of his career he recorded over 800 original compositions.

Rakoto Frah and his sodina were depicted on the 200 ariary Malagasy banknote in honor of his key role in revitalizing and internationally popularizing the sodina.

Despite the artist's worldwide acclaim, he lived simply and died having earned little from his lifetime of musicianship.

The government of President Tsirananana fell into disfavor and was overturned in 1972, and Rakoto Frah's close association with the unpopular former head of state led the artist to be marginalized for the first half of the administration of his successor, Didier Ratsiraka (1975–1993).

Philibert Rabezoza (1923 – 29 September 2001), better known by the name Rakoto Frah, was a flautist and composer of traditional music of the central highlands of Madagascar.

His death was widely mourned and marked by a state funeral, and in 2011 a famadihana (the Malagasy highland "turning of the bones" funerary tradition) was organized to celebrate the artist's life.