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Fado is a Lisbon song tradition that took shape in the early nineteenth century in the city's old working-class districts near the port, such as Alfama, Mouraria and Bairro Alto. Its name probably comes from the Latin fatum, fate. A solo singer is usually accompanied by a classical guitar and the twelve-string Portuguese guitar.

Fado

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The story behind the card

It was first sung among sailors, dock workers and the poor of the port districts. UNESCO describes fado as a blend of Afro-Brazilian sung dances, local song and dance, rural traditions brought to Lisbon by migrants, and the city songs of the early nineteenth century. Its lyrics range over love, loss, fate and everyday city life. Saudade, a hard-to-translate longing for someone, somewhere or some time that is gone, runs through much of it, though not every song. Fado is still sung in concert halls, small fado houses and neighbourhood associations, and joined UNESCO's list of humanity's intangible heritage in 2011.

Türkçe oku
Fado, 19. yüzyılın başlarında Lizbon'un limana yakın eski mahallelerinde, Alfama, Mouraria ve Bairro Alto'da gelişen bir şarkı geleneğidir. Adı büyük olasılıkla Latincede “kader” anlamına gelen fatum sözcüğünden gelir. Tek bir şarkıcıya genellikle bir klasik gitar ile on iki telli, armut biçimli Portekiz gitarı eşlik eder.

Fado ilk olarak liman mahallelerinde denizciler, liman işçileri ve kentin yoksulları arasında söylendi. UNESCO'ya göre fado; Afro-Brezilya kökenli şarkılı dansların, yerel şarkı ve dansların, göçmenlerin kırsaldan Lizbon'a getirdiği geleneklerin ve 19. yüzyıl başının kent şarkılarının kaynaşmasından doğdu. Şarkılar aşkı, ayrılığı, kaderi ve kentin gündelik hayatını anlatır. Pek çoğuna, kaybedilmiş bir insana, bir yere ya da bir zamana duyulan özlem olan saudade siner; bu duygu bizdeki hasrete yakındır, ama her fadonun konusu değildir. Fado bugün de konser salonlarında, küçük fado evlerinde ve mahalle derneklerinde söyleniyor; 2011'de UNESCO'nun İnsanlığın Somut Olmayan Kültürel Mirası Temsili Listesi'ne girdi.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Fado
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