Fado de Lisboa

Fado de Lisboa

This article relates to Theo of Golden

In Allen Levi's novel Theo of Golden, the protagonist moves to a small city in Georgia where he forms friendships with many of the town's residents. Among these are a young man studying the cello at a nearby university and a street musician who plays guitar for tips; the three bond over discussions about music. Theo, who is from Portugal, mentions a musical genre called the fado, and later, a fado written by the local musicians features in an important scene.

Fado de Lisboa—Lisbon fado—evolved in the port town of Lisbon, Portugal, in the early 19th century. Meaning "fate" or "destiny" in English, the fado is a song generally about yearning—pining for lost love or lost youth, sorrow for what might have been, a desire for a better future. Lyrics are often improvised but are almost always set to a melancholy melody. Fado is traditionally sung by a soloist accompanied by a Portuguese guitar (a 12-stringed instrument that's teardrop-shaped like a mandolin or lute), and is sometimes referred to as the Lisbon blues—a song meant to be felt deep in the soul. It's believed that fado arose in Lisbon's working-class neighborhoods as its marginalized residents—sailors, sex workers, impoverished people—used music as an outlet for their sorrows.

Many credit Maria Severa Onofriana (1820-1846) with popularizing the genre. Known as "A Severa," she was born in Lisbon. Her father was of cigano ancestry (a member of the Portuguese Romani community) and her mother (locally called "A Barbuda"—the Bearded Woman) was known as a prostitute. Severa began entertaining at an early age in taverns around Lisbon's Rua do Capelão. Her fans cited her exotic beauty and her dramatic singing style; her specialty was the fado. She became the mistress of the wealthy and influential Count of Vimioso, and as she performed for his guests, her fame increased. The story of her scandalous affair and her tragic early death (thought to have been from tuberculosis) spread across Portugal, and so did the fado.

A second type of fado—the fado de Coimbra—arose in the latter half of the 19th century in the university town of Coimbra, Portugal. Although this fado is sorrowful like the fado de Lisboa, it's usually based on poetry and composed in a much more formal style. It's exclusively sung by men in academic dress—trousers, cassock, and a black cape. (Women who sing the fado de Lisboa often wear a black shawl in honor of Severa.) The fado de Coimbra never gained the popularity of the fado de Lisboa, and when people mention fado, they're almost always referring to the Lisbon version.

In the 20th century, Amália Rodrigues (1920-1999) helped fado become an internationally recognized art form. Known as Rainha do Fado ("Queen of Fado"), Rodrigues debuted as a fadista when she was just 15 years old, with her first professional engagement occurring a mere four years later. By the time she was 25, she was touring internationally and had recorded her first album. She starred in several movies and had 170 albums to her credit at the time of her death. She was considered a cultural icon in Portugal—so much so that three days of national mourning were declared to honor her passing. In this YouTube video, Rodrigues sings "Gaivota," a fado in which she compares her unattainable love to the flight of a gull:

UNESCO created its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008, which was designed to protect "traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts." It's also meant to support communities who are the custodians of such practices, and to promote cultural diversity. Fado was added to this list in 2011.

One can still hear fado performed in Lisbon today, and the genre is more popular there than ever. The song form is considered so much a part of Portuguese culture that tour packages to its larger cities almost always include an evening at a fado house—an intimate restaurant that hosts musical performances as part of the dining experience. For those seeking to hear one in a less touristy environment, fados are also sung in many of Lisbon's out-of-the-way taverns.

The Fado-singer Maria Severa by Francisco Augusto Metrass (1825–1861), via Wikimedia Commons

Filed under Places, Cultures & Identities

This article relates to Theo of Golden. It first ran in the December 10, 2025 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.