Fado

Americans have the blues, the Spanish flamenco and the Portuguese Fado…

Fado, the melancholic and nostalgic folk music of Portugal, is strongly linked to "saudade", a word which has no clear English translation, but is a kind of longing that conveys a mixture of nostalgia, sadness, happiness, pain and love.This musical genre was born on the narrow streets of Lisbon’s working class quarters. Fado has been associated with sailors, slaves, poets and kings. However, the first written record of Fado dates back to the early 19th century.

Portugal’s first great Fado singer was a gypsy named Maria Severa, whose highly publicized affair with Count Vimioso made this type of music famous among the aristocratic circles. The upper class flocked to the "Mouraria," one of Lisbon’s poorest neighborhoods, just to get a glimpse of the nobleman’s mistress. Here, Fado was sung everywhere from taverns to street corners. Performances included a singer supported by a simple Portuguese "guitarra" and the songs were so powerful that the singers trembled with intensity.Later came Amália Rodrigues, perhaps the most famous Fado singer. She brought Fado to the great concert halls of Europe and captured the attention of international audiences. Since then the image of Fado has been shaped by those who have sung it. A new generation of performers has added stylistic changes to the traditional Portuguese folk music. Mariza is the most recent revelation having continued the tradition of earlier singers while also providing her own modern form, taking Fado to an even wider audience.

An evening of Fado can be enjoyed in one of the many Fado Houses in Lisbon. A candlelit dinner, accompanied by these passionate songs, is an experience that you simply have to include in your Lisbon stay.It's not necessary to speak the language to get caught up in the feeling. After all, Fado is better experienced than described!