Fado in Porto: History and Tradition

According to Rui Vieira Nery, Lisbon is the birthplace of Fado.

How did Fado emerge in Porto?

 

 

 

The most widely publicised genre of Portuguese popular music is Fado. As part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO), Fado has been shaped by time. It continues to evolve today, yet never abandons its history and, above all, the voice of the Portuguese people.

 

 

 

 

 

It was in the 19th century that Portuguese Fado was born as an intimate urban song, drawing on poetic, musical, and cultural influences. In fact, it was these influences that led to its consolidation as a Portuguese identity by the late 1920s. Although historiographically marginalised and censored under the Estado Novo regime, Fado never ceased to exist and continued to echo the Portuguese character through verses that sing of saudade, sorrow, fate, lament, and love.

 

 

Later, after establishing its presence in Lisbon’s Fado houses, from around 1880 Fado began to spread throughout the country. At that time, there were no dedicated Fado houses in Porto, and the first recorded ones were located above or in the cellars of cabarets.

 

 

How Fado Arrived in Porto

 

Pinto de Carvalho states that Fado had only recently arrived in Porto at the beginning of the 20th century. Throughout this century, many figures born in or connected to the Invicta city have left their mark on Fado: José Fontes Rocha, Amália’s guitarist, Maria da Fé, Toni de Matos, and Gisela João are some of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are records of the first Fado recording in Porto dating back to 1900, around the time when Fado concerts began to appear in Porto. Another significant reference to Fado in Porto is the recording of the melody “Fado Menor do Porto”, performed by Amália, featuring the poem by Norberto de Araújo, “Não é desgraça ser pobre” (“It is no disgrace to be poor”).

 

 

Today, Fado is firmly rooted in Porto and can be heard in its Fado houses, performed by distinguished musicians and soulful voices. Thus, Casa da Guitarra presents daily, at 6 pm and 7:30 pm, an intimate concert of the purest Fado, where you can enjoy this traditional expression accompanied by a complimentary glass of Port wine.

 

Sources:

NERY, RUI VIEIRA (2004) PARA UMA HISTÓRIA DO FADO.

PINTO, D. C. (1903). História do fado.

BRUNO, H. (2016) Fado in Porto? It appeared more than 100 years ago, but has little tradition. In Observador.