Fado & Saudades

‎"Live your life from your heart. Share from your heart. And your story will touch and heal people's souls."                                                                                                                   

Fado is a traditional or typical Portuguese music genre characterized by intense, passionate, mournful lyrics. The word "fado" originates from the Latin word fatum which the English word "fate" comes from. It is often associated with the word "saudades"--an important Portuguese word that has no immediate translation to English, but basically describes a deep, nostalgic feeling of loss or longing for something that one loves, but is apart from. It is coupled with the knowledg that the object of longing might never return or that the love will never come to full fruition. 


My first Fado music experience was here is Lisbon at a place called "Retiro de Baca" where we drank vinho tinto (red wine), while eating many varieties of delicious queijos (cheese) with bread, olives, and chorizo. There were two fadistas (fado singers) accompanied by two guitar players- one playing a portuguese guitar which is smaller with 12 strings and the other a classical guitar. I was swept away with the beautiful Portuguese lyrics while the audience became completely silent and intent on focusing on the singer. During many of the songs that were familiar to the locals, the entire restaurant would join in and begin to sing along! I was lucky to have a Portuguese pal with me-- as I could understand parts of the songs, but my friend was able to translate the full spectrum and depth of the meaning. At the end of the evening I was feeling a mixture of emotions that the music stirred within...


Amelia Rodriguez is probably the most famous Portuguese fadista to popularize this genre, but today one of the best fado singers is Mariza. Here is a song "Barco Negro" (black ship) performed by her to have a taste:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ElLSBx9Jo8