Fado (translated as destiny or fate) is a
music genreA music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music....
which can be traced from the 1820s in
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
, but probably with much earlier origins. In popular belief, fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor. However, in reality fado is simply a form of song which can be about anything, but must follow a certain structure.
The music is usually linked to the
PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and northern Portugal. It is derived from the Latin spoken by the romanized Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago...
word
saudadeSaudade or saudades is a Portuguese and Galician word for a feeling of nostalgic longing for something or someone that one was fond of and which is lost...
(that has no match in English but it could be understood as nostalgia felt while missing something or someone important), a word describing a
sentimentSentiment can refer to:*Feelings and emotions*Sentimentality, the literary device which is used to induce an emotional response disproportionate to the situation, and thus to substitute heightened and generally unthinking feeling for normal ethical and intellectual judgment*Sentimental novel, an...
.
Fado (translated as destiny or fate) is a
music genreA music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music....
which can be traced from the 1820s in
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
, but probably with much earlier origins. In popular belief, fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor. However, in reality fado is simply a form of song which can be about anything, but must follow a certain structure.
The music is usually linked to the
PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and northern Portugal. It is derived from the Latin spoken by the romanized Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago...
word
saudadeSaudade or saudades is a Portuguese and Galician word for a feeling of nostalgic longing for something or someone that one was fond of and which is lost...
(that has no match in English but it could be understood as nostalgia felt while missing something or someone important), a word describing a
sentimentSentiment can refer to:*Feelings and emotions*Sentimentality, the literary device which is used to induce an emotional response disproportionate to the situation, and thus to substitute heightened and generally unthinking feeling for normal ethical and intellectual judgment*Sentimental novel, an...
. The word "pine", sharing the same root as the Portuguese word "pena" (which has evolved to express the feeling of being sorry for someone) seems to describe the meaning of the word saudade only in very crude terms as a feeling of nostalgia, or longing, which is agreed by translators not to be an accurate description. Furthermore, because the word "pine" is actually a verb in English whilst
saudade is simply a noun, any translation using these two words would be inaccurate.
Some enthusiasts claim that fado's origins are a mixture of
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
n
slaveSlavery is a form of forced labor in which people are considered to be the property of others. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive compensation...
rhythms with the traditional music of Portuguese sailors and Arabic influence.
There are two main varieties of fado, namely those of the cities of
LisbonLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
and
CoimbraCoimbra is a city in Coimbra Municipality in Portugal. It served as the country's capital during the First Dynasty and remains home to the University of Coimbra, the oldest academic institution in the Portuguese-speaking world and one of the oldest in Europe.According to the INE's census of 2001,...
. The Lisbon style is the most popular, while Coimbra's is the more refined style. Modern fado is popular in Portugal, and has produced many renowned
musicians. According to tradition, to applaud fado in Lisbon you clap your hands, while in Coimbra one coughs like if clearing one's throat.
Mainstream fado performances during the 20th century included only a singer, a
Portuguese guitarThe Portuguese guitar is a plucked string instrument with twelve steel strings, strung in six courses comprising two strings each. It has a distinctive tuning mechanism. It is most notably associated with fado, although it has and is being used in a broader context.-History:The Portuguese guitar...
player and a classical guitar player but more recent settings range from singer and string quartet to full orchestra.
Cape-Verdean morna is a close relative of fado.
Coimbra fado
This fado is closely linked to the academic traditions of the
University of CoimbraThe University of Coimbra is a Portuguese public university in Coimbra, Portugal. It is one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in Europe and the world, the oldest university of Portugal, and one of its largest higher education and research institutions...
and is exclusively sung by men; both the singers and musicians wear the academic outfit (traje académico): dark robe, cape and leggings. It is sung at night, almost in the dark, in city squares or streets. The most typical venues are the stair steps of the
Santa Cruz MonasteryThe Santa Cruz Monastery, is a National Monument in Coimbra, Portugal. Founded in 1131 outside the protecting walls of Coimbra, the Santa Cruz Monastery was the most important monastic house during the first times of the Portuguese monarchy...
and the
Old Cathedral of CoimbraThe Old Cathedral of Coimbra is one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Portugal. Construction of the Sé Velha began some time after the Battle of Ourique , when Count Afonso Henriques declared himself King of Portugal and chose Coimbra as capital...
. It is also customary to organize
serenadeIn music, a serenade is, in its most general sense, a musical composition, and/or performance, in someone's honor. There are three general categories of serenade in music history....
s where songs are performed before the window of the woman to be courted.
The
Coimbra fadoCoimbra Fado is a genre of fado originating in the city of Coimbra, Portugal. It was adopted as the music of the university students of this city, also known as Student Fado , but is usually considered the typical music of Coimbra itself.It is performed with the traditional Guitarra de Coimbra...
is accompanied by either a
Portuguese guitarThe Portuguese guitar is a plucked string instrument with twelve steel strings, strung in six courses comprising two strings each. It has a distinctive tuning mechanism. It is most notably associated with fado, although it has and is being used in a broader context.-History:The Portuguese guitar...
or by a
classical guitarThe classical guitar is a plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones. It traditionally has 3 plain gut bass strings and 3 gut wound silk core treble strings and the modern adaption typically has 6 nylon strings .The basic characteristics of the shape of the...
; the tuning and sound coloring of the Portuguese guitar in Coimbra are quite different from that of Lisbon.
The most sung themes: student love, love for the city and bohemia, and the ironic and critical reference to the discipline and conservative nature of the professors and their courses. Noted singers of this style are Augusto Hilário, António Menano, and Edmundo Bettencourt.
In the 1950’s, a new movement took the singers of Coimbra to adopt the ballad and folklore. They began interpreting lines of the great poets, both classical and contemporary, as a form of resistance to the
SalazarAntónio de Oliveira Salazar,
GColIH,
GCTE,
GCSE served as the Prime Minister and dictator of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He was the President of the Republic in 1951, as interim...
dictatorship. In this movement names such as
Adriano Correia de OliveiraAdriano Maria Correia Gomes de Oliveira, GCIH, ComL, or just Adriano was a Portuguese musician, born to a conservative Roman Catholic family in Porto. His family moved to Avintes after his birth...
and José Afonso (Zeca Afonso) had a leading role in the revolution taking place in popular Portuguese music.
Regarding the Portuguese guitar, Artur Paredes revolutionized the tuning and the accompaniment style to the Coimbra fado, adding his name to the most progressive and innovative singers. Artur Paredes was the father of
Carlos ParedesCarlos Paredes, ComSE, was a virtuoso Portuguese guitar player, born in Coimbra, son of the equally famous Artur Paredes....
, who followed and expanded on his work, making the Portuguese guitar an instrument known around the world.
Some of the most famous fados of Coimbra include:
Fado Hilário,
Saudades de Coimbra (“Do Choupal até à Lapa”),
Balada da Despedida (“Coimbra tem mais encanto, na hora da despedida”, the first verses are more recognizable than the song title),
O meu menino é d’oiro, and
Samaritana. The "judge-singer"
Fernando Machado SoaresFenando Machado Soares Portuguese fado singer and judge.Born in Roque do Pico, Horta, Azores. He studented Law in the University of Coimbra. Author of the famous fado "Balada da Despedida".-External links:* *...
is an imporatant reference, being the author of some of those famous fados.
Curiously, it is not a Coimbra fado but a song which is the most known title referring to this city:
Coimbra é uma lição, which had success with titles such as
April in Portugal.
Fado in North America
Several singers of the traditional Portuguese fado have appeared in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
One of these,
Ramana VieiraRamana Vieira is a contemporary American singer of the traditional Portuguese Fado. She has been called "The New Voice of Portuguese World Music."-Early Life:...
, regularly performs in the
San Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, or the Yay Area, is a metropolitan region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses large cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and...
without a traditional fado ensemble. Ramana received her formal voice training at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater and is self-proclaimed to be "The New Voice of Portuguese World Music."
San Francisco'sSan Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 12th most populous city in the United States, with a 2008 estimated population of 808,976. It is the eighth most densely populated city in the U.S. and is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the larger San...
Brava Theater often hosts fado performances. Since its founding in 1986, Brava has invited a number of fado singers to perform, including Dona Rosa, Cristina Branco and Ramana Vieira.
California's Central Valley also offers a variety of almost secretive fado performances. Spread only by word of mouth, these shows attract listeners from all over California for a night of music and traditional Portuguese food.
In Canada one can look to Vancouver based
Salome. The large Portuguese communities in
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
and
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
are also home to local fado singers that perform regularly in community events in these two cities.
The Northern California-based band
Judith and Holofernes blends fado with indie and punk rock. The group's interpretation, referred to as "fadocore," is also a representative of Northern California's own blend of Portuguese and American cultures that resulted from the mass migrations of the 1950s and 1960s. Other blendings of fado exist in the music of Mil i Maria
http://www.blancomusic.com, whose 'nu-fado' takes elements of the style and merges them with modern musical influences.
External links