There is no use in attempting to describe fado. Those who have attempted it have become entangled in conflicting allusions and dates and utterly lost the track. Some claim that its roots can be discovered in the songs of the Moors, who established Lisbon’s Mouraria neighbourhood after the Christian reconquest. Others say that it evolved from modinha, a popular form of song in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was the consequence of a merger with Angolan lundu.
But does where it came from actually matter? Why, if its allure lies in its mystery? Listen to it, preferably in the streets of Lisbon’s historic districts, and let the impromptu guitar playing transport you. You discover it in that way.
The word “fado” is derived from the Latin word for fate. The presence of something as serious and depressing as fate at its core has shaped its personality. Strong emotions like love and heartache, betrayal, envy, retaliation, and tragedy are therefore frequently referenced in the songs. Contrary to popular belief, fado is not always depressing. No other song so fully captures the characteristics of the people who created it: the varinas (fishwives), the sailors, the bohemians, the young girls—all the commotion of Lisbon, in other words. It is frequently bold and bohemian.
The only certainty regarding the origins of fado is that it arose in the centre of this city, the result of a cultural melting pot in which Moors and mariners mixed. As a result, the lovers maintained authority over the historic areas of the city, which included lanes with a Moorish aesthetic that led to the river.
Lisbon’s fado has captivated the bohemian elite while being traditionally considered the people’s music. Its history includes the legend of the affair between an aristocrat, the Count of Vimioso, and Maria Severa Onofriana (1820–1846), a celebrated singer and prostitute. Numerous fado songs and even an entire book have been influenced by the legend.
The first type of fado, known as “fado do marinheiro” or “mariner’s fado,” served as the inspiration for all subsequent varieties. Fado castiço, fado aristocrata, fado corrido, and fado boémio are some of the many genres that developed from it.
Fado was sung whenever and wherever its amateur performers felt like it until it became customary to listen to it in particular places. Only after the 1930s did the number of casas de fado, or “fado houses,” increase, most notably in Bairro Alto. With this modification, it lost part of its spontaneity, but not enough to eradicate the tasquinhas, spontaneous performances created in response to audience moods.
The earliest Portuguese recordings date back to the turn of the 20th century. The local market was just getting established at the time, and most people outside of Portugal had never heard of Lisbon’s unusual and fascinating music.
In the 1940s, the heyday of fado began. From then until the 1960s, the number of brilliant performers expanded, and recognised artists, like Amália, emerged, carrying fado to every corner of the world and establishing its position in the pantheons of global music.
More recently, a new generation of fado singers, or fadistas, and instrumentalists have introduced fresh sounds, fusing them to offer the music unexpected new dimensions without altering its fundamental characteristics. Fados was added to Unesco’s list of intangible cultural treasures in November 2011. Of course, this is only one chapter in the history of fado.
Rua Vicente Borga
In the parish of Estrela, beginning at Travessa do Pasteleiro and finishing at Rua das Trinas, this street holds a significant place in the history of fado: at number 33, Maria Severa Onofriana, the first known fado vocalist, was born. In addition to this property, the Real Mosteiro de Nossa Senhora do Mocamba is a jewel on this street.
Museu do Fado
Nothing in this museum, which opened in 1998, has stopped moving forward in time. The exhibition of things belonging to hundreds of singers, composers, poets, instrument manufacturers, scholars, and researchers is lively and is occasionally presented in song. Indeed, there are organised guided trips for groups that include singing. In addition, there are workshops, record releases, and rotating displays.
Amália by Vhils
In Rua de São Tomé, passersby are caught by surprise by a mural made out of Portuguese cobblestones featuring the image of the iconic fado singer Amália Rodrigues. The work was created by the famous urban artist Vhils in collaboration with the cobble pavers of Lisbon. The artist’s idea was to pay homage to fado, which first began in the street. The mural, which begins on the pavement and progresses up the wall, has an interesting feature: when it rains, the image of Amália “cries,” as the real Amália did so many times when she became emotional on stage.
