Cristian Vasile
Cristian Vasile (May 8, 1908 – June 15, 1974) was a Romanian tango-romance (Romanță) singer between 1928 and 1949, famous for songs such as "Zaraza", "Aprinde o țigară", "Ce să-ți mai scriu", "Pentru tine am făcut nebunii", and "Nunuțo".
He was born in Brăila, the son of Virginia and Gheorghe Vasile, a judge. He went to school in Viziru and Brăila and attended the Nicolae Bălcescu High School in his native city, after which he studied at the Music and Declamation Conservatory in Bucharest.[1]
His greatest success, the song "Zaraza", that was said to refer to a Roma woman he was in love with at that time, was in fact an adapted version of a Uruguayan tango written in 1929 by Benjamín Alfonso Tagle Lara.[2] A popular rumour surrounding the song says that Vasile's lover was murdered by a rival singer, Zavaidoc, and her death caused Vasile to never sing again. Vasile did in fact abruptly stop his singing career, but a more credible explanation is that he lost his voice due to cancer.[2] Although he was supposedly at odds with Zavaidoc, there is no proof that such a rivalry existed beyond mere rumours.[3] He died in 1974 in Sibiu.
References
- ^ Bouleanu, Elisabeth (December 16, 2015). "Destinul dramatic al cântărețului Cristian Vasile, interpretul "Zarazei". Idolul femeilor n-a avut parte de iubire, a cunoscut mărirea și decăderea". Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ a b Tănase, Stelian (2008), "Zaraza all inclusive", Observator Cultural (in Romanian), no. 393
- ^ Apostol, Maria (6 April 2011), "Legenda frumoasei Zaraza, țiganca pe care o iubeau nebunește lăutarii din Micul Paris. A existat sau nu?", Adevărul (in Romanian)