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The best independent guide to Lisbon
LisbonLisboaPortugal.com
The best independent guide to Lisbon
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Fado is the haunting music that wafts out from the small bars of the Bairro Alto and Alfama districts of Lisbon. Fado comprises of a mournful sounding solo singer accompanied by a classical Portuguese guitar.
The word Fado translated into English means fate, but the powerful music style is better described as nostalgia and longing. No visit to Lisbon is complete without experience this traditional and emotional style of music.
Fado street art in Lisbon
The mournful tunes originate from the sorrow felt, due to the separation of dangerous sea voyages around the globe. Fado has its historical roots within the district of Alfama, and this historically hard and deprived district was where the families of sailors lived. The best Fado restaurants and venues are still located within this district, and for real enthusiasts, there is the Fado Museum.
The traditional Portuguese guitar and black clothes of a Fado Singer
It is very difficult to define a year when Fado became its own distinct style of music and transcended from the songs and tunes which filled the small late sailor bars of Alfama, but it is widely agreed that the first true Fado was heard in Lisbon post-1840. This early style of Fado was sung by solo male singer which probably originated from the sailors of the ships which passed through the busy ports of Lisbon.
Later the lead singer altered to a solo female and the class of the audience increased from the lowly sailors and dock works to the expanding working class of 19th century Lisbon. The lyrics to the Fado songs typically concern the struggles of the sea or the difficult life that the poor experience. The true definition of Fado is based upon the musical structure and not the content of the lyrics but the content rarely strays from the traditional feeling of saudade.
There are numerous venues and settings at which Fado can be heard at. The two common settings are during an evening meal or at an internment concert hall. The latter tend to be the less expensive, with tickets starting at €17 for a 50 minutes performance, tickets can be purchased here.
There are two district branches of Fado which evolved; one based within Lisbon the other in the university town of Coimbra. Though they are the same music styles the roots and sound is very different.
Coimbra Fado is sung by a male singer and was traditional sung by male students to woo the women of Coimbra; it is more up tempo and cheery. Lisbon Fado is sung by a female and reflects the pain and sorrow of a wife whose husband is possibly lost at sea. Lisbon's Fado is emotional, mournful and powerful.
The pretty Alfama district of Lisbon
One of the best ways to discover Lisbon and to meet fellow travellers is to join a guided tour. We have worked with Getyourguide.com for the last six years, and some of the best tours of Lisbon include:
Female Fado singers traditionally wear a black shawl across the shoulders; this is a mark of respect to the greatest Fado singer Maria Severa. Maria Severa worked as a prostitute in the deprived area of Alfama, but she was described as tall, gracious with the voice of an angel.
Her voice would captivate audiences of rowdy sailors while she sung Fado based upon the hardships she had faced. Maria Severa sweet voice was short lived, as she died just 26 from tuberculosis in 1846. For tourists interested in discovering more about Fado in Lisbon there is the Museum of Fado in Alfama and the Teatro da Trindade in Bairro Alto, which has good daily shows of live Fado.
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If you've enjoyed our content, we'd like to ask for your support.
The internet landscape has changed, and small independent publishers like us face increasing challenges. Search engines now prioritize advertising over organic content, reducing our traffic, while AI systems increasingly copy our original work without attribution.
To help support us, please consider bookmarking our website for easy access. If you find an article useful, we encourage you to share it with friends or on social media. Equally, if you notice anything outdated or incorrect, please let us know so we can promptly address it.
We're always open to collaborating with brands, bloggers, and SEO/PR agencies who value independent creators. If you'd like to work with us or offer support, please reach out at: [email protected]
Thank you for being part of our community and helping us continue to provide valuable content in an increasingly challenging digital environment.