Today our musical journey around Europe continues with a visit to Portugal to sample the best of Fado. Fado (destiny, fate) is a music genre that 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.”
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 sentiment of resignation, fate and melancholia. This is loosely captured by the Portugese word sausdade, 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, port traders, fishwives and other working-class people) can also be found in Brazilian modinha.
The word “fado” possibly comes from the Latin word fatum (“fate”, “death” or “utterance”). 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 Amália 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?”)
Fado appeared during the early 19th century in Lisbon, and is believed to have its origins in the port districts such as Alfama, Mouraria and Bairro Alto. 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), some ancient Moorish influence and the chants of Africans sailing at sea, but none is conclusive. It possibly evolved and formed, from a mixture of several older musical genres.
Fado performers in the middle of the 19th century were mainly from the urban working-class, namely sailors, bohemians and courtesans, who not only sang, but also danced and beat the fado. During the second half of the 19th century, the dance rhythms would eventually fade away, and the performers became merely singers (fadistas). The 19th century’s most renowned fadista was Maria Severa. More recently Amália Rodrigues, known as the “Rainha do Fado” (“Queen of Fado”) was most influential in popularizing fado worldwide. Fado performances today 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 and Coimbra. The Lisbon style is more well known, alongside the status of Amália Rodrigues, while that of Coimbra is traditionally linked to the city’s university and the style of medieval serenading troubadours. It is sung at night, almost in the dark, in city squares or streets. The most typical venues are the stairsteps 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. Modern fado is popular in Portugal, and has produced many renowned musicians.
