Music 🇵🇹 Português
Versão 🎼 Fado
Traditional Portuguese Songs, also Known as Fado
Speak of Life, Struggle and Passion.
Fado is a profoundly melancholic music genre originating in 1820s Lisbon, characterized by expressive vocals, themes of fate (saudade - longing), and intimate tavern performances. Accompanied by 12-string guitars, it is a national treasure often performed in Alfama or Bairro Alto, reflecting daily hardships.
Fado quickly took its place as the music of the country.
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Fado comes from the Latin word fato for fate.
Born along the waterfront in alleys and taverns, the mournful melancholy songs of Faro speak of life, struggle, and passion.
The genre originated in Portugal in the early 1800s and quickly took its place as the music of the country.
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Most Portuguese need but one word to describe Fado (saudade), which loosely translates to longing.
I always say you are born with Fado.
Father is jealousy. Fado is pain.
Fado is love and betrayal. Fado is everything that we feel. Even as a child when I listen to Amalia Rodriguez, our queen of Fado, I knew I was destined to follow the same path.
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It's been said Fado is actually a window into the soul of the Portuguese people.
And after one evening, it's easy to understand why.
Fado as an art form is held in such high regard. It's part of the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list.
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Fado is sung with such passion that even though it's performed in Portuguese, you'll swear you understand every word.
Fado will touch you.
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We all have Fado inside us. We just need to have the courage to let our souls speak to the world. And because many will, Fado will never die.
The genre originated in Portugal in the early 1800s and quickly took its place as the music of the country.
🎸
Most Portuguese need but one word to describe Fado (saudade), which loosely translates to longing.
I always say you are born with Fado.
Father is jealousy. Fado is pain.
Fado is love and betrayal. Fado is everything that we feel. Even as a child when I listen to Amalia Rodriguez, our queen of Fado, I knew I was destined to follow the same path.
🎸
It's been said Fado is actually a window into the soul of the Portuguese people.
And after one evening, it's easy to understand why.
Fado as an art form is held in such high regard. It's part of the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list.
🎸
Fado is sung with such passion that even though it's performed in Portuguese, you'll swear you understand every word.
Fado will touch you.
🎸
We all have Fado inside us. We just need to have the courage to let our souls speak to the world. And because many will, Fado will never die.
Key Aspects of Fado:
Origins: Rooted in early 19th-century Lisbon.
The Vibe (Saudade): Expresses a sense of loss, longing, and resignation to fate.
Performance: Typically a single vocalist (fadista) accompanied by one or two guitarras (10-12 string guitars) and a viola (6-string guitar).
Styles: Divided into Lisbon style (intense, often dramatic) and Coimbra style (traditionally sung by university students).
Cultural Status: Inscribed in 2011 as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Famous singers include the legendary Amália Rodrigues and modern artists like Mariza, Ana Moura, and Carminho.
Origins: Rooted in early 19th-century Lisbon.
The Vibe (Saudade): Expresses a sense of loss, longing, and resignation to fate.
Performance: Typically a single vocalist (fadista) accompanied by one or two guitarras (10-12 string guitars) and a viola (6-string guitar).
Styles: Divided into Lisbon style (intense, often dramatic) and Coimbra style (traditionally sung by university students).
Cultural Status: Inscribed in 2011 as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Famous singers include the legendary Amália Rodrigues and modern artists like Mariza, Ana Moura, and Carminho.
Fado appeared during the early 19th century in Lisbon, and is
believed to have its origins in the bohemian areas of the capital, such
as Bairro Alto, Mouraria and Alfama districts.
A different theory about the origin of fado was defended by Brazilian musical critic José Ramos Tinhorão, who said that fado was brought into Portugal by the hands and craft of a mixed-race Brazilian musician called Domingos Caldas Barbosa in the mid 18th century.
There are numerous theories about the origin of fado. Some trace its origins or influences to the medieval "cantigas de amigo" (song of a friend), others suggest some ancient Moorish influence, and yet others point to the chants of (enslaved) Africans sailing at sea. None of these are compelling. It possibly evolved and formed from various older musical genres.
Fado performers in the middle of the 19th century were mainly from the urban working-class, namely sailors, bohemians and courtesans in popular taverns, who not only sang but also danced and beat the fado. During the second half of the 19th century, the dance rhythms faded away, and the performers became merely singers (fadistas).
Maria Severa, fado singer (1820–1846)
The 19th century's fadista Maria Severa, a half Cigano woman considered scandalous by some at the time, was the artist who made this genre famous.
More recently Amália Rodrigues, known as the "Rainha do Fado" ("Queen of Fado") was most influential in popularizing fado worldwide. Fado performances today may be accompanied by a string quartet or a full orchestra.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fado
Top Questions
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Where did fado music originate?
What are common themes in fado songs?
What instruments are typically used in fado performances?
Who are some famous fado singers?
How has fado influenced Portuguese culture and identity?
Fado, a type of Portuguese singing, traditionally associated with pubs and cafés, that is renowned
for its expressive and profoundly melancholic character.
The singer of fado (literally, “fate”) speaks to the often harsh realities of everyday life, sometimes with a sense of resignation, sometimes with the hope of resolution. The music is performed by either a female or a male vocalist, typically to the accompaniment of one or two guitarras (10- or 12-string guitars), one or two violas (6-string guitars), and perhaps also a viola baixo (a small 8-string bass viola). Most of the repertoire follows a duple metre (usually with four beats to a measure), with a text arranged in quatrains or in any of several other common Portuguese poetic forms. Until the mid-20th century many fado performances featured a significant element of improvisation. Inevitably enriched with an array of emotive bodily gestures and facial expressions, fado aims—and indeed, is required—to evoke a penetrating sense of saudade (roughly, “yearning”).
There are two distinct styles of fado, the older of which is associated with the city of Lisbon and the younger with the north-central Portuguese city of Coimbra. The Lisbon style emerged in the first half of the 19th century, following the 1822 return to Portugal of the Portuguese government, which had been removed to Brazil during the Napoleonic Wars. It arose in the city’s Alfama district, a socially and economically marginalized area that was a nexus of Iberian, South American (particularly Brazilian), and African peoples and traditions. A diverse array of dance traditions circulated within this milieu, including the Afro-Brazilian lundum; the Brazilian fado (distinct from the song genre that bears the same name); the fofa, which was common both in Portugal and in Brazil; and the Spanish fandango. Also popular at the time was the modinha, a type of Portuguese and Brazilian art song that often was accompanied by the guitar. The musics of these dance traditions merged with the modinha, ultimately giving birth to fado.
Amália da Piedade Rebordão Rodrigues (born July 23, 1920, Lisbon, Port. — died Oct. 6, 1999, Lisbon) was a Portuguese singer whose haunting and passionate renditions of her homeland’s melancholic traditional form of music known as fado brought her international fame.
Amália, as she was known to her fans, debuted as a fadista while still a teenager. By the time she was 25, she had already launched her first international tour in Brazil and had recorded the first of an estimated 170 albums. In 1947 she starred in her first film, Capas Negras (“Black Capes”). As her fame increased, she began to stretch the traditional boundaries of fado. She incorporated Spanish and Mexican rhythms into her songs and used contemporary poets as a source for her lyrics.
Amália’s impact on Portuguese culture and contemporary artists was incalculable, although her image was somewhat tarnished after the Revolution of the Carnations (1974), when accusations arose that she had collaborated with the recently toppled dictatorship. However, news that she had secretly funded the Portuguese Communist Party during the repressive rule of António de Oliveira Salazar (1932–68) helped to restore her status as the queen of fado. In 1990 she received the Grand Cross of the Order of Santiago, Portugal’s highest honour. Amália’s death in 1999 triggered three days of official mourning in Portugal and a temporary suspension of campaigning in the country’s general elections.
Fado Favorites: The Artists We Love
by Emily Mudge
If you’ve been to Portugal, you’ve probably heard the soulful Fado music playing from cafes or restaurants. This traditional folk music is a staple of Portuguese culture. The lyrics often focus on longing (saudade), or on the working-class life. If you’re new to Fado, or if you just want to hear more, check out some of our Fado favorites to get you longing for your next trip to Portugal.
Amália Rodrigues
Amália Rodrigues, the Queen of Fado, is easily the best known Fado artist of all time. She is responsible for bringing Fado to the international spotlight in the 1940’s, after performing in Spain, Brazil, Berlin, Mexico, and France. She was also the first Portuguese artist to appear on American television. Amália died on October 6, 1999, leading the Portuguese government to declare three days of national mourning. Her song Fado Português tells of the birth of Fado music, and it’s easy to see the themes that define the genre. Some of her other popular songs are Coimbra and Barco Negro.
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Notable lyrics (from Fado Português):
Fado was born on a day,
When the wind barely stirred,
And the seas elongated the skies.
On the main rail of a sailing ship,
In the chest of a seaman
While sorrowful he sang.
While sorrowful he sang.
Fado was born on a day,
When the wind barely stirred,
And the seas elongated the skies.
On the main rail of a sailing ship,
In the chest of a seaman
While sorrowful he sang.
While sorrowful he sang.
Carlos do Carmo
Lisboa Menina e Moca
https://youtu.be/8mr39SW9zqY?si=ngT_J72JTOnfq71d
https://youtu.be/8mr39SW9zqY?si=ngT_J72JTOnfq71d
Although Amália is indisputably the Queen, Carlos do Carmo may be the best known male Fado artist. His mother, Lucia do Carmo, was also a Fado singer. His style also draws influence from jazz and orchestral music. At 80 years old, do Carmo is still performing today. Some of his best known songs include Lisboa Menina e Moca, No Teu Poema, and Os Putos.
Fado 🎸 The Soul of Portuguese Music
January 23, 2023 by Joaquim DeCarvalho
January 23, 2023 by Joaquim DeCarvalho
Fado music is a form of Portuguese singing that is often associated with pubs, cafés, and restaurants. This music genre officially originated in Portugal around the 1820s, though it is thought to have much earlier origins. Fado is known for how expressive and profoundly melancholic it is. In fado music, the musician will sing about the hard realities of daily life, balancing both resignation and hopefulness that a resolution to its torments can still occur. It can be described by using the Portuguese word “saudade,” which means “longing” and stands for a feeling of loss. This loss is generally permanent and of long-term consequence. Fado music often has one or two 12 string guitars, one or two violas, and sometimes a small 8 string bass.
https://portugalonline.com/portuguese-music/fado-soul-portuguese-music
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