Wadih El Safi ( ar, وديع الصافي, born Wadih Francis; November 1, 1921 – October 11, 2013) was a Lebanese singer, songwriter, composer and actor. 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. Born in Niha,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, 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.

Style and Career

Wadih El Safi being a classically trained

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

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 Passaggio () is a term used in classical singing to describe the transition area between the vocal registers. The ''passaggi'' (plural) of the voice lie between the different vocal registers, such as the chest voice, where any singer can produce ...

" around "EB4" note above middle "C4" not overlapping "F4", meaning that his voice falls in the Baritone categorization rather than a

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 The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the oesophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its st ...

) 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. El Safi began composing and performing songs that drew upon his rural upbringing and love of traditional melodies, blended with an

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

sound, and creating a new style of modernized Lebanese

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. In 1947, El Safi traveled to Brazil where he remained until 1950. El Safi toured the world, singing in many languages, including

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, French, Portuguese and Italian, accompanied by his son George.

Songs and recordings

Wadih El Safi has sung over 5000 songs. 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 Nouhad Wadie' Haddad ( ar, نهاد وديع حداد, ; born November 21, 1934), known as Fairuz ( ar, فيروز, ; also spelled Fairouz, Feyrouz or Fayrouz), is a Lebanese singer. She is considered by many as one of the leading vocalists a ...

, and

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...

Health problems and death

In 1990, Wadih El Safi underwent open-heart surgery with the support of the Syrian government. 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 A pulmonary consolidation is a region of normally compressible lung tissue that has filled with liquid instead of air. The condition is marked by induration (swelling or hardening of normally soft tissue) of a normally aerated lung. It is conside ...

. On October 11, 2013, he fell ill at his son's home and was rushed to the Bellevue Medical Center where he died. His funeral was held at

Saint George Maronite Cathedral, Beirut Saint George Maronite Cathedral ( ar, كاتدرائية مار جرجس للموارنة) is the cathedral of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Beirut, Archdiocese of the city of Beirut, Lebanon. Its construction, with a Neoclassical facade ...

on October 14, 2013.

Tribute

On November 1, 2016,

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celebrated his 95th birthday with a

Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...

Discography

As performer

*''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 Aad Sabah Fakhri'' (Ark 21, 2000) *''Wadih El-Safi and José Fernandez'' (Elef Records) *''Wetdallou Bkheir'' *''Rouh ya zaman al madi atfal qana'' *"W Kberna" Duet with

Najwa Karam Najwa Karam ( ar, نجوى كرم, , born 26 February 1966) is a Lebanese singer, songwriter, producer, fashion icon, one of the best selling recording artist in the middle east with more than 60 million records worldwide. Known as the "Sun of ...

(2002) *''Chante Le Liban'' *''Wadi El Safi / Legends Of The 20th Century'' *''Mersal El Hawa'' *''Mahrajan Al Anwar'' *''Youghani Loubnan'' *''Ajmal El Aghani''

As composer

*''Cantiques de l'Orient'' (Harmonia Mundi Fr., 1996) *''Psaumes Pour Le 3ème Millénaire'' (Angel Records, 2002)

As sideman

*''Music of Arabia'', Hanaan and her ensemble. Request Records (New Rochelle, New York) SRLP 8083 (as Wadih El-Saffi on

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)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Safi, Wadih 1921 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Lebanese male singers Lebanese composers Lebanese songwriters Lebanese Maronites People from Chouf District Lebanese oud players Singers who perform in Classical Arabic Performers of Christian music in Arabic