You should listen to or watch a live performance to understand its magic. Keep reading this article to learn more about fado and also learn about where you can experience the best fado in Lisbon.
Fado is a unique kind of music. Some say this Portuguese style of music sounds like a cross between the opera and the blues. Nowadays, although traditional fados are generally nostalgic and melancholic, there are also modern fados with cheerful themes. A new generation of fado singers, fadistas, and instrumentalists have introduced new themes and sounds.
Usually, fado is sung by a single person accompanied by a classical guitar and a Portuguese guitar. The Portuguese guitar is also called a fado guitar. It is smaller than a regular guitar, a chordophone with six pairs of strings, and a pear-shaped harmonic box.
There are two main models of this type of guitarβ the Lisboa and the Coimbra models. But we will talk about this a little later in the article. It takes three to fado, but this has been changing over time.
There are many reasons to fall in love with fado, one of which is its history. History says that fado was first sung by homesick Portuguese sailors in the 15th and 16th centuries and appeared in Lisbon in the 19th century. The lyrics sing the daily narratives and express urban themes. The history of fado includes the myth of the amorous involvement of an aristocrat, the Count of Vimioso, with Maria Severa Onofriana , a prostitute hailed for her talents as a singer.
