Fado is a genre of music and poetry that is widely practiced throughout Lisbon. Although the origins of fado are difficult to trace, it is generally considered to be a form of music with mournful melodies and lyrics, often about the sea or a life of poverty. The tradition says fado is a form of music that is filled with feelings of resignation, fate, and melancholy. This sense of loss (a permanent loss that cannot be repaired and whose effects last a lifetime) can be characterized loosely by the Portuguese word “saudade”, or longing.
Fado (Portuguese pronunciation: faou), means "destiny, or fate". It represents an amalgam of several distinct cultural backgrounds which combine Afro-Brazilian folklore, local regional forms of song and dance, musical traditions, and urban patterns of the song from the early nineteenth century.
Fado songs are typically performed by a solo singer, male or female, normally accompanied by a wire-strung acoustic guitar, often accompanied by the unique Portuguese guitarra which has twelve strings. It is a pear-shaped cittern acoustic guitar with an extensive repertoire that has recently been extended to two Portuguese guitars, a guitar and bass.
Both the two major styles of fado have roots in marginality and transgression. A fado following grew in the early 1900s in places where sailors and prostitutes gathered, but it encountered some difficulty during 1926, when censorship caused major changes to urban entertainment, placing heavy restrictions on shows and venues. Through radio, fado found its way into Portuguese homes, and in the 1990s, it found its way into world music circuits.
Informal tuition occurs within traditional performance spaces, often by respected older exponents, and takes place over generations within a single-family. Fado has been popularized as a symbol of Portuguese identity through emigration and the world music circuit, thus contributing to a process of cross-cultural exchange involving other musical traditions. Nowadays various genres of Fado are performed professionally on the concert circuit and in small ‘Fado houses’, as well as by amateurs who gather in numerous grass-root associations throughout the old neighborhoods of Lisbon.
Fado (Portuguese pronunciation:faou; "destiny, fate") is a genre of music and poetry that is widely practiced throughout Lisbon. Although the origins of fado are difficult to trace, it is generally considered to be a form of music with mournful melodies and lyrics, often about the sea or the poor life. The tradition says fado is a form of music that is filled with feelings of resignation, fate, and melancholy. This sense of loss (a permanent loss that cannot be repaired and whose effects last a lifetime) can be characterized loosely by the Portuguese word saudade, or longing.
Fado represents an amalgam of several distinct cultural backgrounds which combine Afro-Brazilian folklore, local regional forms of song and dance, regional musical traditions, and urban patterns of the song from the early nineteenth century. Fado songs are typically performed by a solo singer, male or female, normally accompanied by a wire-strung acoustic guitar, often accompanied by the unique Portuguese guitarra which has twelve strings. It is a pear-shaped cittern acoustic guitar with an extensive repertoire that has recently been extended to two Portuguese guitars, a guitar, and a bass guitar. Both two major styles of fado have roots in marginality and transgression. A popular following grew in the early 1900s in places with sailors and prostitutes, but they also encountered some difficulty in 1926, when censorship caused major changes to urban entertainment. It also placed heavy requirements on any shows and venues. Through radio, fado found its way into homes throughout Portugal. In the 1990s, it quickly found its way into World Music circuits.
Fado was a folk music style that has roots in social contexts of marginality and transgression. Originally, it was a style of music usually found in places for sailors and prostitutes. In the early 1900s, it was popular and continues to be so today. Increasingly prevalent on the radio, fado found its way into homes across Portugal in the 1990s. In the 2000s, it found its way into a variety of World Music concerts.
Informal tuition occurs within traditional performance spaces, often by respected older exponents, and takes place over generations within a single-family. Fado has been popularized as a symbol of Portuguese identity through emigration and the world music circuit, thus contributing to a process of cross-cultural exchange involving other musical traditions. Nowadays various genres of Fado are performed professionally on the concert circuit and in small ‘Fado houses’, as well as by amateurs, who gather in numerous grass-root associations throughout the old neighborhoods of Lisbon.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/fado-urban-popular-song-of-portugal-00563) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fado) (https://www.britannica.com/art/fado) |Subject=Art, Craftsmanship and Practices, Music |Country=Portugal |Region=Lisboa }}