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| João Martins - "Fado Corrido" com Amália Rodrigues, 1964 |
Posted on 17.01 2013 and 24.05.2014
The Portuguese word fado comes from the Latin fatum (fate, in English). How can sound and what lyrical themes can tackle a musical genre that is called so? In Portuguese popular belief, fado is characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor, and infused with a sentiment of resignation, fatefulness and melancholia, linked to the word saudade (a permanent, irreparable loss and its consequent life lasting damage).
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| Fado Painted Tiles - Street Wall Art, Lisbon |
The fado's history can be traced to the 1820s, but probably it had much earlier origins. It was generally sung by one person, accompanied by the portuguese guitar and the classical guitar, but today the the fadista may be accompanied by a string quartet or a full orchestra. There are two main varieties of fado, namely those of the cities of Lisbon (a more popular style) and Coimbra (a more classic style). According to tradition, to applaud fado in Lisbon you clap your hands, while in Coimbra one coughs as if clearing one's throat. In 2011, UNESCO inscribed Fado, urban popular song of Portugal on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
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