 |
| News > Commentary - Portuguese song, “Fado,” now UNESCO’s World Intangible Cultural Heritage |
|
Portuguese song, “Fado,” now UNESCO’s World Intangible Cultural Heritage
Posted 1/24/2013 Updated 1/24/2013
Email story
Print story
Commentary by Eduardo Lima
65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
1/24/2013 - LAJES FIELD, Azores -- As of Nov. 27, 2011, the most characteristic Portuguese song style, called Fado, was included in the United Nation's organization, UNESCO, as a World's Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Fado, is a type of music genre characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics that originated long time ago, according to some chronicles. The word "Fado" means fate or destiny and its music is the heart of the Portuguese soul.
Fado's origin is difficult to ascertain, but according to the Wikipedia encyclopedia, it probably comes from a mixture of the laments of the African slaves blended with the traditional music of Portuguese sailors and Arabic influence. Other theories relate the fado's origin to the music of the Brazilian slaves that could have been brought by sailors around 1820.
There are two main varieties of Fado: Those of the cities of Lisbon and Coimbra. The Lisbon style is more popular and with more rhythm, whereas the one from Coimbra has the characteristics of ballads and more romantic.
The modern Fado is still very popular in Portugal and has produced many renowned musicians and singers. Fado is usually sung by men or women and accompanied by the Portuguese guitar, a 12-stringed instrument and the classic guitar
Like other forms of music such as the American blues or the Argentinean tango, Fado cannot be explained; it must be felt and experienced. Fado has been often described as the Portuguese blues.
Portugal has had many famous Fado singers like Alfredo Marceneiro, Maria Teresa de Noronha or Amália Rodrigues. The latter was considered the diva of Fado, worshiped at home and celebrated abroad as the most famous representative of Fado. Some of the famous musicians included Carlos Paredes, Artur Paredes or Antonio Portugal.
The Fado music, although not as much celebrated now as some decades ago, is still very popular. Today, there is a new wave of Fado performers who have added a new style and brought international popularity to the traditional Portuguese music, such as Mariza, Misia, Camané, Ana Moura, etc.
This form of music can be heard throughout the country, but especially in the city of Lisbon, where there are restaurants and night clubs that present exclusively Fado performers. Those are places where people can go and taste a good Portuguese traditional meal or just have a drink while listening to this unique form of Portuguese culture. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
