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 the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, 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 music, classical male singing human voice, 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 lo ...
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
The term phonation has slightly different meanings depending on the subfield of phonetics. Among some phoneticians, ''phonation'' is the process by which the vocal folds produce certain sounds through quasi-periodic vibration. This is the defini ...
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
''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave.
It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...
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
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
categorization rather than a
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, 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 lo ...
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 struc ...
) 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 languages, 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 ...
, 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
The ataaba ( ar, عتابا, meaning "plaint" or "dirge", also transliterated 'ataba) is a traditional Arabic musical form sung at weddings, festivals, and other occasions. Popular in the Middle East, it was originally a Bedouin genre, improvised ...
'', ''
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 States and federal territories of Malaysia, 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 Indone ...
.
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
Bellevue Medical Center ( ar, مستشفى ومركز بلفو الطبي , BMC) founded in July 2009, is a general hospital located in Mansourieh, Lebanon. It offers healthcare services in many specialties. The hospital has a capacity of 130 ...
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,
Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
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
oud
, image=File:oud2.jpg
, image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921
, background=
, classification=
* String instruments
*Necked bowl lutes
, hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum
, ...
)
See also
*
List of Lebanese people
This is a list of notable individuals born and residing mainly in Lebanon.
Lebanese expatriates residing overseas and possessing Lebanese citizenship are also included.
Activists
*Lydia Canaan – activist, advocate, public speaker, and United ...
*
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 the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
*
Fairuz
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 ...
*
Zajal
Zajal () is a traditional form of oral strophic poetry declaimed in a colloquial dialect. While there is little evidence of the exact origins of the zajal, the earliest recorded zajal poet was the poet Ibn Quzman of al-Andalus who lived from 1078 ...
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