Fado, the soul of Portuguese culture
The remarkable Rosa Borges Jacintto sings fado at Lucindas, Alfama Lisbon.
“Some visitors to Portugal may be familiar with the country’s national music, Fado, but most know nothing of it, let alone have ever heard it. ”
It is likely their introduction to Fado will come as they explore the historical neighborhoods of Lisbon and see signs in front of restaurants saying “Fado presentation tonight.” These restaurants are known as Fado Houses.
Fado, which literally means fate, is considered to be the ‘ Soul of Portuguese Culture’ and is one of the country’s most enduring traditions, dating back to the 1820’s.
It has mournful melodies and intricate guitar accompaniment with lyrics about longing, fate and destiny, something that resembles melancholy and nostalgia.
The earliest accounts of Fado are linked to the old neighborhoods of Alfama and Mouraria, where the sailors and fishermen lived.
When they were away at sea, often for months, their mothers, wives, and lovers, missing their men, started singing of their feelings and the memories of better days.
When Fado first began it was scorned and looked down upon by the upper classes and intellectuals who, at least publicly, said it was a mediocre form of music, confining it to the lower classes.
But over time, especially with the introduction of radio and the gramophone, Fado started to win supporters from all classes, becoming very popular and spreading all over Portugal, mostly confined to its shores.
In the Fado Houses of today, there are several singers, both men and women performing during the night, but the accompanying guitarists are usually always the same. Traditionally there are two guitarists, one playing the harmony on a classical guitar, the other on a Portuguese guitar – an instrument with 12 strings and a very deep, loud and pleasant sound.
Fado is a little over a hundred melodies, being altered only by the lyrics and the Fadista’s interpretations. The guitarists can accompany any Fado singer at any time.
Although there is a museum dedicated to Fado in Lisbon and much can be read and researched online about Fado, the only way to really experience it, feel it and know it, is to visit the Fado Houses of Lisbon.
Postcards from Alfama
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