Portugal. The Man Genre
Marketta Carucci
Fado (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-smallfont-size:85%.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-smallfont-size:100%Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈfau]; "destiny, fate") is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal but probably has much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar Rui Vieira Nery states that "the only reliable information on the history of fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best. But even that information was frequently modified within the generational transmission process that made it reach us today."[1]
Although the origins are difficult to trace, today fado is commonly regarded as simply a form of song which can be about anything, but must follow a certain traditional structure. 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, and infused with a sense of resignation, fate and melancholy. This is loosely captured by the Portuguese word saudade, or longing, symbolizing a feeling of loss (a permanent, irreparable loss and its consequent lifelong damage). This is similar to the character of several musical genres in Portuguese ex-colonies such as morna from Cape Verde, which may be historically linked to fado in its earlier form and have retained its rhythmic heritage. This connection to the music of a historic Portuguese urban and maritime proletariat (sailors, bohemians, dock workers, prostitutes, taverna frequenters, port traders, fishwives and other working-class people) can also be found in Brazilian modinha and Indonesian kroncong, although all these music genres subsequently developed their own independent traditions.
Some famous singers of fado, of which there are many, include Alfredo Marceneiro, Amlia Rodrigues, Carlos do Carmo, Mariza, Antnio Zambujo, and Caman. On 27 November 2011, fado was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.[2] It is one of two Portuguese music traditions part of the lists, the other being Cante Alentejano.[3]
The word fado possibly comes from the Latin word fatum[4] ("fate", "death" or "utterance"[5]). The word is linked to the music genre itself, although both meanings are approximately the same in the two languages. Nevertheless, many songs play on the double meaning, such as the Amlia Rodrigues song "Com que voz", which includes the lyric "Com que voz chorarei meu triste fado" ("With what voice should I lament my sad fate/sing my sad fado?").[6]
A totally different theory about the origin of fado was defended by Brazilian musical critic Jos Ramos Tinhoro, 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.[9]
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).
More recently Amlia Rodrigues, known as the "Rainha do Fado" ("Queen of Fado") was most influential in popularizing fado worldwide.[11] Fado performances today may be accompanied by a string quartet or a full orchestra.
Fado typically employs the Dorian mode or Ionian mode (natural major), sometimes switching between the two during a melody or verse change.A particular stylistic trait of fado is the use of rubato, where the music pauses at the end of a phrase and the singer holds the note for dramatic effect. The music uses double time rhythm and triple time (waltz style).
The Lisbon style is better known, owing much to the popularity of Amlia Rodrigues. It has been suggested that fado appeared on the streets of Lisbon only after 1840. Before then the sailor's fado was sung at the bow of a boat, serving as a model for the first fados sung on land.[12] Lisbon hosts a Fado Museum.[13]
The fado style of Coimbra is traditionally linked to the city's university and the style of medieval serenading troubadours. It is sung exclusively by men; both the singers and musicians wear the academic outfit (traje acadmico): dark robe, cape and leggings. Dating to the troubadour tradition of medieval times, it is sung at night, almost in the dark, in city squares or streets. Typical venues are the steps of the Santa Cruz Monastery and the Old Cathedral of Coimbra. It is also customary to organize serenades where songs are performed before the window of a woman to be courted.
As in Lisbon, Coimbra fado is accompanied by the guitarra portuguesa and viola (a type of guitar). The Coimbra guitar has evolved into an instrument different from that of Lisbon, with its own tuning, sound colouring, and construction. Artur Paredes, a progressive and innovative singer, revolutionised the tuning of the guitar and the style with which it accompanied Coimbra fado. Artur Paredes was the father of Carlos Paredes. He followed in his father's footsteps and expanded on his work, making the Portuguese guitar an instrument known around the world.
In the 1950s, a new movement led 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 Salazar dictatorship. In this movement names such as Adriano Correia de Oliveira and Jos Afonso (Zeca Afonso) had a leading role in popular music during the Carnation Revolution of 1974.
Portuguese music includes many different styles and genres, as a result of its history. These can be broadly divided into classical music, traditional/folk music and popular music and all of them have produced internationally successful acts, with the country seeing a recent expansion in musical styles, especially in popular music.
In traditional/folk music, fado had a significant impact, with Amlia Rodrigues still the most recognizable Portuguese name in music, and with more recent acts, like Dulce Pontes and Mariza. The genre is one of two Portuguese music traditions in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, with the other being Cante Alentejano. Regional folk music remains popular too, having been updated and modernized in many cases, especially in the northeastern region of Trs-os-Montes. Some more recent successful fado/folk-inspired acts include Madredeus and Deolinda, the latter being part of a folk revival that has led to a newfound interest in this type of music.
In popular music, there is a significant number of popular genres. These include rock, with popular acts including Xutos & Pontaps, The Gift (alternative rock), Fingertips (pop rock), Blasted Mechanism (experimental electro-rock), Noctivagus (gothic rock) and Wraygunn (rock, blues). Also hip-hop, with acts such as Boss AC, Da Weasel, Ithaka, Mind Da Gap and Sam the Kid. Acts such as Moonspell and Heavenwood (metal) and Buraka Som Sistema (electro/kuduro/breakbeat) have had significant international success. Other popular modern genres in Portugal include dance, house, kizomba, pimba, pop, reggae, ska and zouk.[1]
Portugal has had a history of receiving different musical influences from around the Mediterranean Sea, across Europe and former colonies.In the two centuries before the Christian era, Ancient Rome brought with it Greek influences; early Christians, who had their differing versions of church music arrived during the height of the Roman Empire; the Visigoths, a Romanized Germanic people, who took control of the Iberian Peninsula following the fall of the Roman Empire; the Moors and Jews in the Middle Ages. Hence, there have been more than two thousand years of internal and external influences and developments. Its genres range from classical to popular music. Portugal's music history includes musical history from the medieval Gregorian chants through Carlos Seixas' symphonies era to the composers of the modern era. The musical history of Portugal can be divided in different ways. Portuguese music encompasses musical production of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern eras, especially from Angola with Kizomba. Portugal has very good dancing clothes making Portuguese dancing famous.
Portuguese music gets its rich history from its privileged geographical location. These are evidenced in the music history of Portugal, which despite its firm European roots, nevertheless reflects the intercontinental cultural interactions begun in the Portuguese discoveries.
A short list of past and present Portuguese musicians with important contributions must necessarily include the names of composers Manuel Cardoso, Duarte Lobo, Filipe de Magalhes, Carlos Seixas, Pedro de Escobar, Diogo Dias Melgs, Joo Domingos Bomtempo, Marcos Portugal, Jos Vianna da Motta, Lus de Freitas Branco, Antnio Fragoso, Joly Braga Santos, Fernando Lopes-Graa, and Emmanuel Nunes; organists such as Antnio Carreira and Manuel Rodrigues Coelho; singers Lusa Todi, Elisabete Matos and Jos Carlos Xavier; pianists Maria Joo Pires and Sequeira Costa; violinists Elmar Oliveira and Carlos Damas; and cellists such as Guilhermina Suggia.
Fado is a musical style, which arose in Lisbon as the music of the urban poor. Fado songs are typically lyrically harsh, accompanied by a wire-strung acoustic guitar or the Portuguese Guitar. It is usually sung by solo performers, with the singer resigned to sadness, poverty, and loneliness, but remaining dignified and firmly controlled. It is claimed that fado's origins are older, going back to the 15th century, when women cried with longing for their husbands that sailed to the never-ending seas.
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