Discover the Lisbon SongThe Lisbon Song is the unique Fado. And in this page, I'll present to you this genre - one of the most fantastic musical styles of our Continent. The word Fado comes from the Latin fatum, which means fate or destiny. There is also a Portuguese word that explains very well what the Fado really represents. The word is saudade and it has no direct correspondence in other languages. It represents the feeling of missing someone that you love. The Fado history goes back a long, long way... But before we go further, I invite you to listen to this fado, singed by Amália - one of the most fantastic voices of all time. She is one of the most famous Portuguese Fado singers that ever existed. Fantastic, right? You see, for a long time, this Lisbon Song was associated with old people. The lyrics always talked about the betrayal, jealousy, poverty and loss. But, nowadays, there are many young people who sing the Fado and are taking it to other countries. And are also introducing new themes to Fado. Mariza is a fine example of that. Today, she is an international artist and performs on the best stages of the world. Typically, the Fado is singed by an artist (fadista), while two other artists play the classic guitar (viola) and the Portuguese guitar (guitarra portuguesa). But, more recent settings range from a singer and a string quartet to a full orchestra. Like in the example bellow with Mariza performing the Fado called "Ó gente da minha terra" (people of my city), with an orchestra. In Lisbon, there are some Fado Houses (Casas de Fado), where you can have dinner and listen to some artists performing live in the restaurant. In some of them, you don't have to eat. Just show up after dinner and enjoy the music and the singing. An amazing experience! Do you like to know more about this unique piece of the Portuguese culture? Let's go. See alsoLearn more about the fantastic FadoThe Official Fado Website Top of Page
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