Fado: Song of fate

The word ??Fado?? in Portuguese, stands for fate, destiny . By this word is being characterized the homonym music genre which appeared in Portugal in 1820.
This genre of music is melancholic and so are the lyrics. Fado, narrates stories about sea and poor people?s life. This kind of music has direct connection with the Portuguese word <<saudade>>which can be interpreted in various ways: It?s a kind of expectation mixed with nostalgia, pain, sadness and happiness. Some devotees of Fado music are claiming that the roots of this music are a mixture of African slave?s music and the traditional music of Portuguese seamen and Arabian influences.

Categories of Fado music!

There are two main categories of Fado music:

1. Coimbra?s Fado: which are more sophisticated.
2. Lisbon?s Fado: which are the most famous.

Coimbra?s fado

The traditional Coimbra?s fados came from academic tradition, of town?s university. The songs are being sung only by men who are attired in black clothes and so are the musicians as long as this the traditional academic garment. Such a group of singers and musicians is named <<Tuna>>. These groups exist in all universities of Portugal. Besides, every year in Porto is organized an international meeting of Fado groups of Spain, of Italy and Argentina?s universities.

Lisbon?s Fado

It?s being signed by men and women in public places or in <<Casas de Fado>> (stands for fado Houses), in addition, it is more cheerful, in contrast to Coimbra?s fado.

Artists of Fado music

Portuguese Fado band <<Madradeus>> is some of the newest Fado?s continuators. Fado songs are popular in Portugal and they have marked out many famous artists all over the world.
The first singer of Fado was Maria Severa who lived in the first half of 19th century. In the decades of ?20 and ?30 in a series of recordings of Coibra Fado?s Maria became very popular. The guitarists Artur and Carlos Pa redes, father and son, became pioneers in this genre of music in Portuguese guitar.
The well-known Amalia Rodriguez established the most known form of Fado songs. After her disappearance , a ??new wave?? of performers added some new elements, which made more famous all over the world the traditional music of Portugal Doulche Branko and the band Madredeus added musical instruments as well as new rythms preserving the melancholic style of Fados and the sense of saudade.

Some other Fado singers

Carlos do Carmo
Mariza
Malfalda Arnauth
Carmare
Katia Guerreiro
Misia
Fernando Farinha
Lucilia do Carmo
Carlos Ramos
Carlos Nesto
Herminia Silva
Ana Moura

Amalia Rodriguez: The Fado queen

(Lisbon 1920-1999) Amalia Rodriguez was born on 23rd of July. Other people believe that she was born on 1st of July in 1920. She started singing since she was an utter girl in streets and she was coming back home with candies that people gave her as a treat. Afterwards, she started singing at the vegetable market, forced by her parents, because of the poverty her family was facing. Since she was 12 years old she started singing as an amateur in Fado houses and making sense! In 1936 her fame was spread and she was nominated to participate in a national competition of Fado, for a neighborhood. When the other competitors of the competition heard her singing at the rehearsals, then decided it give up and not participate at the competition because Amalia was amazing singer. When the organizers of the competition heard that the participants give up because of Amalia, they decided to ban Amalia to take part in this competition for ever. In 1939 she started working as a professional and the tickets for the clubs and the theatres where she was singing were sold in the black market.
Amalia Rodriguese was usually attired in black saliva accompanied by two guitars and she would dominate all over the world. Thanks to her, Fado will travel from Brazil to Japan and the colonies of Africa and Canada. She was regarded as a national hero of Portugal and she also sung at the formal meeting of state leaders. She spread the Fado from her country, all over the world and named it as a symbol of cultural revival of Mediterranean. <<For me, Fado is the mystery of life, the mystery of passion, as well as, the mystery of death>> she said. Her last performance was at Placido Dominigo?s gala in 1998 where she was an honored guest.