Wadih El Safi
| Wadih El Safi | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Wadih Francis |
| Also known as | Sawt Lobnan Al Khaled (The Immortal Voice of Lebanon), al imlak al loubnani (the Lebanese giant) |
| Born |
November 1, 1921 Niha, Lebanon |
| Died | October 11, 2013 (aged 91) Mansourieh, Lebanon |
| Genres | Tarab, Folk |
| Occupation(s) | singer, songwriter, composer, instrumentalist |
| Instruments | oud |
| Years active | 1952–2013 |
| Labels | omar mawaki studios |
Wadih El Safi (Arabic: وديع الصافي, born Wadi' Francis; November 1, 1921 – October 11, 2013) was a Lebanese singer, songwriter, composer and actor. He was a Lebanese cultural icon, and was often called the "Voice of Lebanon". Born in Niha, Lebanon, Wadih El Safi started his artistic journey at the age of seventeen when he took part in a singing contest held by Lebanese Radio and was chosen the winner among 40 other competitors.
Wadih El Safi being a classically trained tenor, is not a verified fact since non of his known works provide a proof of classical singing techniques on the contrary he is more known for singing in the belting school class and his phonation are a testimonial of this practice. In addition to this; if we revise the melody of his famous "Loubnan Ya out3et sama" song we notice that 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 passgio" around "Eb4" note above middle "C4" not overlapping "F4" which is an undoubted prove that his voice falls in the Baritone categorization rather than a tenor precisely a lyric baritone which is often linked to these transition areas nevertheless the person in concern who is widely known by his stage name as "Wadih 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. Meaning; for a conservatory student who studied at the Beirut National Conservatory of Music and was classically trained as tenor! Voice tone is another indicator which is an expressive aspect clearer to those who are professionally familiar with such detail. He became nationally known when, at seventeen, he won a vocal competition sponsored by the Lebanese Broadcasting Network. 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
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