Wadih El Safi (Arabic: وديع الصافي, born Wadih Francis; November 1, 1921 – October 11, 2013) was a Lebanese singer and composer. He was a Lebanese icon and the forefather of the country's musical culture. He was the longest singer in production, seventy-five years in the singing profession. He was the number one singer of his era. He was known amongst his peers to have incarnated and raised the ceiling of all the singing styles and music of that era and added his own intricate new styles and genres to the existing national musical and singing heritage. He is the reference to every new singer and the example to follow for generations to come.[1][2] Born in Niha, Lebanon, Wadih El Safi started his artistic journey at the age of sixteen when he took part in a singing contest held by Lebanese Radio and was chosen the winner of all categories among 40 other competitors.[3]
Wadih El Safi
وديع الصافي
Background information
Birth name
Wadih Bishara Yousef Francis وديع بشارة يوسف فرنسيس
Also known as
Sawt Lobnan Al Khaled (The Immortal Voice of Lebanon), Al I'mlak Al Loubnani (The Lebanese Giant)
Wadih El Safi being a classically trained tenor is not a verified fact since none of his known works provide proof of classical singing techniques. He has been known for singing in the belting school class, and his phonation is a testimonial of this practice. This is further confirmed in what arguably is his most famous song "Lebnan Ya Ote'et Sama" ("لبنان يا قطعة سما" in Arabic, specifically Lebanese dialect) in which his voice shifts to the so-called Falsetto or more widely recognized today as the "Voce Piena Testa" or the full head register on the second transition "Secondo passagio" around "EB4" note above middle "C4" not overlapping "F4", meaning that his voice falls in the Baritone categorization rather than a tenor precisely a lyric baritone which is often linked to these transition areas. El Safi has no record for singing the "B4" and "C5" tenors' famous "High C" which are the characteristic signature of a tenor's laryngeal mechanism (constriction of the pharynx ) even though many of his age did. He was a classically trained tenor. He gained national recognition when, at seventeen, he won a vocal competition sponsored by Radio Lebanon.[4] El Safi began composing and performing songs that drew upon his rural upbringing and love of traditional melodies, blended with an urban sound, and creating a new style of modernized Lebanese folk music.
In 1947, El Safi traveled to Brazil where he remained until 1950. El Safi toured the world, singing in many languages, including Arabic, French, Portuguese and Italian,[5] accompanied by his son George.
Songs and recordingsEdit
Wadih El Safi has sung over 5000 songs.[6] He is well-known for his mawawil (an improvised singing style) of 'Ataba, Mijana, and Abu el Zuluf. He has performed and recorded with many well-known Lebanese musicians such as Fairouz, and Sabah.
Health problems and deathEdit
In 1990, Wadih El Safi underwent open-heart surgery with the support of the Syrian government.[7] In 2012, he broke his leg and had to have surgery to mend the fracture. After the surgery, his health deteriorated rapidly. In 2013, he was admitted to hospital, suffering from pulmonary consolidation. On October 11, 2013, he fell ill at his son's home and was rushed to the Bellevue Medical Center where he died.[8] His funeral was held at Saint George Maronite Cathedral, Beirut on October 14, 2013.[9]
^"World Music:Wadih El Safi, Place des Arts, Montreal". sixmoons.com. from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2007.
^. Afropop Worldwide. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2007.
^"Wadih el Safi - Prestige Magazine". February 23, 2015. from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
^"Wadih El Safi". May Audio. from the original on December 17, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2007.
^"Wadih el-Safi, 91, a Favorite Singer in the Arab World (Published 2013)". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 14, 2013. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
^"توقف عن الدراسة لولعه الشديد بالموسيقى.. وديع الصافي مطرب الأرز". aljazeera.net. Al Jazeera. November 13, 2022.
^"Death of Wadih El Safi, the Voice of the Mountains". BBC (in Arabic). October 11, 2013.
^National News Agency (Lebanon): وديع الصافي في ذمة الله October 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic)
^"'The Frank Sinatra of the Mideast:' Lebanese singer Wadih El Safi dies". Al Arabiya. October 12, 2013. from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
^"Wadih El Safi's 95th Birthday". Google. November 1, 2016. from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
wadih, safi, arabic, وديع, الصافي, born, wadih, francis, november, 1921, october, 2013, lebanese, singer, composer, lebanese, icon, forefather, country, musical, culture, longest, singer, production, seventy, five, years, singing, profession, number, singer, k. Wadih El Safi Arabic وديع الصافي born Wadih Francis November 1 1921 October 11 2013 was a Lebanese singer and composer He was a Lebanese icon and the forefather of the country s musical culture He was the longest singer in production seventy five years in the singing profession He was the number one singer of his era He was known amongst his peers to have incarnated and raised the ceiling of all the singing styles and music of that era and added his own intricate new styles and genres to the existing national musical and singing heritage He is the reference to every new singer and the example to follow for generations to come 1 2 Born in Niha Lebanon Wadih El Safi started his artistic journey at the age of sixteen when he took part in a singing contest held by Lebanese Radio and was chosen the winner of all categories among 40 other competitors 3 Wadih El Safiوديع الصافيBackground informationBirth nameWadih Bishara Yousef Francis وديع بشارة يوسف فرنسيسAlso known asSawt Lobnan Al Khaled The Immortal Voice of Lebanon Al I mlak Al Loubnani The Lebanese Giant Born 1921 11 01 November 1 1921Niha LebanonDiedOctober 11 2013 2013 10 11 aged 91 Mansourieh LebanonGenresTarab FolkOccupation s Singer songwriter composer instrumentalistInstrument s OudYears active1938 2013 Contents 1 Style and career 2 Songs and recordings 3 Health problems and death 4 Tribute 5 Discography 5 1 As performer 5 2 As composer 5 3 As sideman 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksStyle and career EditWadih El Safi being a classically trained tenor is not a verified fact since none of his known works provide proof of classical singing techniques He has been known for singing in the belting school class and his phonation is a testimonial of this practice This is further confirmed in what arguably is his most famous song Lebnan Ya Ote et Sama لبنان يا قطعة سما in Arabic specifically Lebanese dialect in which his voice shifts to the so called Falsetto or more widely recognized today as the Voce Piena Testa or the full head register on the second transition Secondo passagio around EB4 note above middle C4 not overlapping F4 meaning that his voice falls in the Baritone categorization rather than a tenor precisely a lyric baritone which is often linked to these transition areas El Safi has no record for singing the B4 and C5 tenors famous High C which are the characteristic signature of a tenor s laryngeal mechanism constriction of the pharynx even though many of his age did He was a classically trained tenor He gained national recognition when at seventeen he won a vocal competition sponsored by Radio Lebanon 4 El Safi began composing and performing songs that drew upon his rural upbringing and love of traditional melodies blended with an urban sound and creating a new style of modernized Lebanese folk music In 1947 El Safi traveled to Brazil where he remained until 1950 El Safi toured the world singing in many languages including Arabic French Portuguese and Italian 5 accompanied by his son George Songs and recordings EditWadih El Safi has sung over 5000 songs 6 He is well known for his mawawil an improvised singing style of Ataba Mijana and Abu el Zuluf He has performed and recorded with many well known Lebanese musicians such as Fairouz and Sabah Health problems and death EditIn 1990 Wadih El Safi underwent open heart surgery with the support of the Syrian government 7 In 2012 he broke his leg and had to have surgery to mend the fracture After the surgery his health deteriorated rapidly In 2013 he was admitted to hospital suffering from pulmonary consolidation On October 11 2013 he fell ill at his son s home and was rushed to the Bellevue Medical Center where he died 8 His funeral was held at Saint George Maronite Cathedral Beirut on October 14 2013 9 Tribute EditOn November 1 2016 Google celebrated his 95th birthday with a Google Doodle 10 Discography EditAs performer Edit Best of Wadi Vol 1 EMI 1999 Best of Wadi Vol 2 Best of Wadi Vol 3 Inta Omri 2000 The Two Tenors Wadi Al Safi amp Sabah Fakhri Ark 21 2000 Wadih El Safi and Jose Fernandez Elef Records Wetdallou Bkheir Rouh ya zaman al madi atfal qana W Kberna Duet with Najwa Karam 2002 Chante Le Liban Wadi El Safi Legends Of The 20th Century Mersal El Hawa Mahrajan Al Anwar Youghani Loubnan Ajmal El AghaniAs composer Edit Cantiques de l Orient Harmonia Mundi Fr 1996 Psaumes Pour Le 3eme Millenaire Angel Records 2002 As sideman Edit Music of Arabia Hanaan and her ensemble Request Records New Rochelle New York SRLP 8083 as Wadih El Saffi on oud See also EditList of Lebanese people Lebanon Fairuz Sabah ZajalReferences Edit World Music Wadih El Safi Place des Arts Montreal sixmoons com Archived from the original on October 30 2007 Retrieved November 23 2007 Classic Streams on Afropop Worldwide Afropop Worldwide Archived from the original on February 29 2012 Retrieved November 23 2007 Wadih el Safi Prestige Magazine February 23 2015 Archived from the original on August 21 2016 Retrieved August 9 2016 Wadih El Safi May Audio Archived from the original on December 17 2007 Retrieved November 23 2007 Wadih el Safi 91 a Favorite Singer in the Arab World Published 2013 The New York Times Associated Press October 14 2013 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved December 16 2020 توقف عن الدراسة لولعه الشديد بالموسيقى وديع الصافي مطرب الأرز aljazeera net Al Jazeera November 13 2022 Death of Wadih El Safi the Voice of the Mountains BBC in Arabic October 11 2013 National News Agency Lebanon وديع الصافي في ذمة الله Archived October 11 2013 at the Wayback Machine in Arabic The Frank Sinatra of the Mideast Lebanese singer Wadih El Safi dies Al Arabiya October 12 2013 Archived from the original on October 12 2013 Retrieved October 12 2013 Wadih El Safi s 95th Birthday Google November 1 2016 Archived from the original on November 1 2019 Retrieved November 1 2019 External links EditWadih El Safi at IMDb nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wadih El Safi amp oldid 1169921475, 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