Mariza – Portuguese Fado singer
13.01.2010
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Mariza began singing fado as a child. At the age of five, she would join in the spontaneous singing at her parent's restaurant in Mouraria, one of Lisbon's most traditional neighbourhoods. Mariza was born in Mozambique, but her family moved to Portugal when she was a baby, giving her plenty of time to get immersed directly in the Fado Houses where singing is part of everyday life.
Fado music is the heart of the Portuguese soul. It is a Portuguese folk song typically of doleful or fatalistic character and usually accompanied on the guitar. To Mariza, "Fado is an emotional kind of music full of passion, sorrow, jealousy, grief, and often satire."
Mariza walks the fine line necessary to both genuinely carry the fado's tradition and bring it freshness for today. Her performance style captures the raw emotion that characterizes the genre, but with her own personal twist. If you cannot understand Portuguese, there is no problem. The way Mariza sings fado communicates directly to the soul and the emotions, tugging at the heart with a performance that speaks of longing, love and nostalgia.
All of her albums - "Fado em Mim" (2001), "Fado Curvo" (2003), "Transparente" (2005) and "Concerto Em Lisboa" (2006), plus the DVD "Live In London" (2004) - were Platinum winners.
Her latest album "Terra", release in 2008, is the beginning of a new cycle. Special guests in "Terra" features Dominic Miller, Concha Buika and Tito Paris.
With Amália Rodrigues gone, the Portuguese looked for a new voice to express fado. Mariza is considered the new "Queen of Fado."
Here is an example of Mariza Fado. Barco Negro is one of the songs Mariza performed during her concert in the Union Chapel, London in 2003. Barco Negro is one of Amália Rodrigues famous fados.
Fado - Lisbon soul
08.10.2009
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Fado music is the heart of the Portuguese soul. It is a Portuguese folk song typically of doleful or fatalistic character and usually accompanied on the guitar.
The Fado music is usually linked to the portuguese word saudade. This word describes a sentiment and translates nostalgia for unrealized dreams. Fado flowers from this fatalistic world-view. It speaks of an undefined yearning that can't be satisfied.
By the early twentieth century, Fado had become a fixture in the everyday life of Lisbon's working class. It was played for pleasure but also to relieve the pain of life. Skilled singers known as fadistas performed at the end of the day and long into the night. Fado was the earthy music of taverns and street corners in Alfama and Mouraria, the old poor sections of Lisbon.
Fado is split into two genres: the best known is the Lisbon Fado and the other one is the Coimbra Fado whose ancient roots can be found in the medieval songs called trovas. Sung by the students of Coimbra University, the Coimbra Fado subjects are mainly love, friendship and nostalgia.
The Lisbon Fado has been exported and has made adepts all over the world. From the 1940's until her death in 1999, the towering figure of Portuguese fado was Amália Rodrigues. She was the diva of Fado, worshipped at home and celebrated abroad as the most famous representative of Portuguese culture.
If you want to experience Fado in real life, visit Lisbon and spend a night in a Fado Restaurant called "Casa de Fado". The most traditional ones are located in Alfama and Mouraria, but there are some other around Lisbon, like the Bairro Alto.
Se our suggestions of apartments for rent in Lisbon centre, especially in Alfama, Mouraria and Bairro Alto.
