In addition to Mariza, other names to look out for are Ana Moura, Carminho, Cristina Branco, Kátia Guerreiro, Mafalda Arnauth, and Mísia. She took the Portuguese soul around the world in the 20th century, but since her death in 1999 a new generation of fadistas (especially Grammy-nominated Mariza) have kept her style alive while also broadening the sound with new instruments. If you'd like to take some recordings home, the ones to look for are those of Amália Rodrigues. There is also an evident Moorish influence, but that may have been introduced by Amália Rodrigues, the diva who was influenced by Andalusian music. It all started as what today we'd call urban music, in the early 1800s, in the streets and brothels of Lisbon, although some historians believe the real origin predates to homesick sailors at sea and to the slaves in Brazil. It should be performed in a very low-lit, quiet space, although there are also more upbeat fados, usually about everyday life and characters of Lisbon's oldest neighborhoods. You sense it in the singer's voice and face (usually with the eyes closed and head tilted back), in the darkness (as in mourning) of the outfit, and in the melodramatic pauses in between. It's essentially a heartfelt recital of poems, a chant, or a cry, which is why you don't really need to understand the lyrics to feel it. It's revealing mostly nostalgic and melancholic feelings, but also a great sense of hope and celebration of the complexities of life (and love) amid pain. Fado is the opening of the heart, the exposure of emotions to the sound of a guitar. New Orleans has its jazz, Buenos Aires dances tango, Rio de Janeiro moves to samba, and Seville has flamenco, but Lisbon's fado is not a dance or even music. Lisbon is one of the very few cities in the world with its very own sound.
0 kommentar(er)
