Wadih El Safi

Wadih El Safi Arabic وديع الصافي‎ Born Wadi' Francis November 1 1921 – October 11 2013 Was A Lebanese Singer Oud Player Songwriter And Actor. He Is A Lebanese Cultural Icon And Is 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 Fifty Other Competitors.
Wadih El Safi A Classically Trained Tenor Studied At The Beirut National Conservatory Of Music. 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
In 1947 El Safi Traveled To Brazil Where He Remained Until 1950.
El Safi Toured The World Singing In Many Languages Including Arabic Syriac French Portuguese And Italian.
In The Spring Of 1973 El Safi Recorded And Released A Vinyl Single With The Songs "Grishlah Idi" Lyrics By Ninos Aho And "Iman Ya Zawna" Lyrics By Amanuel Salamon First One In Western Syriac And Second One In Eastern Syriac. The Music Arrangements Were Done By Nuri Iskandar And The Songs Were Produced Especially For An Aramean Festival Which Occurred In The UNESCO Building In Beirut At That Time Where El Safi Participated As A Singer. El Safi Has Written Over 3000 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 Including Najwa Karam Fairouz And Sabah. Wadih El Safi وديع الصافي The Prominent Lebanese Composer And Singer Of His Time Often Described As The "Voice Of Lebanon" And Responsible For The Mark Of Distinction And Popularity Of The Lebanese Musical Sound. His Name Is Synonymous With Traditional Lebanese Folklore. His Tenor Voice Commends A Unique Beauty And Evokes The Images And Sounds Of Lebanese Terrain. Wadie' Grew Up In A Village In The Mountains Of Lebanon And Later On Moved To Beirut Where He Began Composing And Performing Music Based On His Folklore Roots Incorporating A New Urban Sound Which Would Be Later Described As The Urbanization Of The Lebanese Folk Music. Recently Through His Work With Jose Fernandes & Michel Elefteriades Through Elefrecords Wadih El Safi Has Explored New Pathways For His Music Exposing A New Generation To His Sound. Wadih El Safi & Jose Fernades Have Found Great Success With Their Arabic-Flamenco Fusion. read less