For this last cultural post, I wanted to explore a traditional element of Portuguese culture and decided upon exploring music. My language partner had told me to see what I could find on folk music because he believed it was quite popular in the culture. Upon further research, it turns out that is exactly right. In Portugal, there’s a huge tradition of music called Fado music which essentially is comparable to longstanding folk music. Fado music roots back to stylistic music of previous working class and poor generations, and is best described as melodic and somewhat melancholy. The word fado translates specifically to “fate” or “destiny”, and really stresses mournful tunes and lyrics. Many common songs in the genre refer to the sea, and is linked to the concept of homesickness, longing, and nostalgia. Some say it is the genre of longing to be home. Within fado, two main genres exist: Lisbon style and Coimbra style. Lisbon style of Fado is much more popular within the country and is signified by audience engagement with clapping. On the other hand, Coimbra style Fado is much more refined as seen as a formal music style to show appreciation of something. This style dates back long ago and demonstrated its significance when Amália Rodrigues passed away, known around the country as the “Queen of Fado”, three days of national mourning were declared for everyone. This is something that’s been engrained in culture for a long time.
Accompanying the actual music, is the traditional dance and movements of Fado. The stylistic dances have differed greatly over time and really depending on the era it came from. Some typical styles include: energetic couple routines, single song and dance combined, and large crowd circles joining hands in dance. A lot of the dancing portion of Fado stems back to where Fado entertainers were from in the early nineteenth century. A lot of Fado singers or entertainers were from distinctly urban areas of the country. In these areas, tradition evolved over time to be both song and dance instead of just song unaccompanied by any movement. These entertainers then spread the tradition of dance across the country with their performances, and it became a typical phenomena for both to have its place in Fado.
Fado music has transcended typical Portuguese entertainment for generations and something that the country has tried to protect. If one visits portugal today, the visit is absolutely incomplete without listening to or seeing some Fado music be performed. The typical venue for this is now public squares around the country or private event type organizations putting on traditional folk performances. In addition, there even are Fado restaurants in some places throughout the country. This combines a unique interactive experience of song and dance with dining. Some of the most famous ones I found during my research were: Casa de Linhars and O Faia. Both are in Portugal and have continued to operate to this day.
In addition to this research, I’ve also linked some videos for reference to a traditional Fado type song.
Songs:
Comments
I really like how you included both Brazilian culture and Portuguese culture in your language learning journey. There are so many lusophone countries all around the world including countries in Europe, South America, Africa, and even Asia just from the history of exploration. This was very insightful.