Lisbon Story

Fado Route

Visit typical fado neighbourhoods and discover unforgettable places.

About this route

History of Fado

Attempting to explain fado is pointless. Those who have tried, have tangled themselves up in contradictory references and dates and lost the trail completely. Some say its origins lie in the songs of the Moors, the people who founded the Mouraria quarter in Lisbon after the Christian reconquest. Others believe that it replaced the medieval chanson de geste, while others speculate whether it evolved out of modinha, a popular form of song in the 18th and 19th centuries and the result of a fusion with Angolan lundu.

But does its origin really matter? Why, if its mystique is so appealing? Listen to it, and preferably in its local habitat, the streets of Lisbon’s traditional quarters, and lose yourself in the improvised guitar playing. That’s how you find it.

The word "fado" comes from the Latin for fate. Having something as serious and sobering as fate at its root has marked its character. That is why strong emotions, love and heartbreak, betrayal, jealousy, revenge and tragedy are such frequent themes in its lyrics. But despite what people may say, fado is not always melancholic. Frequently brazen and bohemian, no other music so perfectly depicts the qualities of the people who inspired it: the varinas (fishwives), the sailors, the bohemians, the young girls – all the hubbub of Lisbon, in other words.

The only thing known for sure about the origins of fado is that it emerged in the heart of this city, the product of a cultural melting pot where the Moors mixed with seafarers. And this thus gave rise to the enamoured hold the ancient quarters and their Moorish-style alleyways running down to the riverside continue to have over it.

Though traditionally the music of the people, Lisbon’s fado has also seduced the bohemian aristocracy. Its history includes the myth of the amorous involvement of an aristocrat, the Count of Vimioso, with Maria Severa Onofriana (1820-1846), a prostitute hailed for her talents as a singer. The legend is the source of many fado songs and it has even been the inspiration behind a novel.

The oldest form of fado is "fado do marinheiro", or "mariner’s fado", which formed the basis of all the others. From it, this form of music branched off into various styles, some of which are fado castiço, fado aristocrata, fado corrido and fado boémio.

Until the habit of listening to fado in specific establishments became the norm, it was sung when and wherever its amateur singers took the urge. Only from the 1930s onwards did the casas de fado, or fado houses, rise up in force, above all in Bairro Alto. With this development, some of its improvisation was lost, but not enough to see the tasquinhas, where spontaneous performances take place inspired by the mood of the moment, vanish for good.

The first records produced in Portugal date from the dawn of the 20th century, but the local market at the time was still in its early stages while international listeners were completely unaware of Lisbon’s strange and hypnotic music.

Fado’s golden age began in the 1940s. From that point until the 1960s the number of talented performers multiplied and acknowledged stars, such as Amália, appeared who finally carried fado to every corner of the world and established its place in the pantheons of world music.

More recently, a new generation of fado singers, or fadistas, and instrumentalists have introduced new sounds, creating a fusion that has given it surprising facets without changing its character. In November 2011, fado was added to the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage by Unesco. And, of course, the history of fado doesn’t end here...

Glossary

Amaliano

Relating to Amália Rodrigues, a fado icon.

Casa de fado

Casa de Fado, or "Fado House", is the name given to the restaurants where fado is sung.

Desgarrada

A 'desgarrada de fado' is fado sung as a challenge between several singers.

Destino

In fado, destino, or "fate", is a regular theme, inspiring feelings of nostalgia, a sentiment that is characteristic to this form of music.

Fadinho chorado

Fado that inspires melancholy.

Fadista

A singer of fado.

Fadistagem

The life of a fadista; a group of fadistas.

Fado-canção

The least traditional form of fado which is accompanied by instruments other than just the Portuguese and Spanish guitars.

Fado castiço

Traditional fado from Lisbon's characteristic quarters.

Fado corrido

Happy, care-free fado that can be danced to.

Fado marialva

Happy fado with multiple references to the bullfighting tradition.

Fado menor

Fado that is melancholic, sad and nostalgic.

Fado vadio

An expression used for fado which is improvised, above all by amateurs and generally not for money.

Guitarra portuguesa

Fundamental to fado, the Portuguese guitar was once called the guitarra mourisca, or \"Moorish guitar\", because it resembled the lute introduced into the Iberian Peninsula by the Arabs in the 7th century. It consists of six pairs of strings and can be tuned in various ways, though the form which has fittingly endured for fado places the sharp strings first.

Mouraria

A traditional Lisbon quarter identified by some scholars as the possible cradle of fado; the place where Severa, a mythical figure in the world of fado, lived and died.

Noturno

A more genteel fado sung in the halls of the aristocracy.

Saudade

A Portuguese word that has no translation and is therefore considered to express a feeling characteristic of the Portuguese people. It is one of the themes that is most commonly sung about in fado.

Severa

Maria Severa Onofriana (1820-46), a prostitute and singer, popularly known as Severa, is considered to be Lisbon's first professional fado singer. Her affair with the Count of Vimioso opened up the doors to the salons of the aristocracy, where she performed on several occasions. She lived and died in Lisbon's Mouraria, considered by many to be the place where fado was born.

Xaile

A xaile, or shawl, is an accessory traditionally worn by female fado singers.

Verbenas

Feasts with nocturnal street parties where fado is often sung.

Artists

Alain Oulman

15 June 1928 - 29 March 1990 (Compositor)

Son of a French couple living in Portugal, Alain Oulman was one of the most important composers in the history of fado. Fascinated by the voice of Amália, he created some of his greatest pieces for her, such as "Gaivota", "Com que Voz" and "Maria Lisboa". During his career, Amália recorded 22 of his compositions over eight albums. Besides his talent, Oulman also introduced Portuguese erudite poetry into fado, creating a precedent that would forever mark its development.

Alberto Janes

13 March 1909 - 23 October 1971 (Composer)

A chemist by profession but a musician by heart, Alberto Janes wrote some of Amália Rodrigues's most successful songs, such as "Foi Deus", "Vou dar de beber à dor" and "É ou não é". Some of the diva's most popular albums consist entirely of songs that he wrote. A musician of rare talent, his legacy continued to be felt in fado, above all during the 1970s and ‘80s.

Ada de Castro

13 August 1937 (Singer)

For Ada de Castro, fado is not what is sung, but what "is in the throat of those who sing" and this fado singer indeed always sang with intense feeling and a distinctive style. During her career, she recorded over 560 songs, amongst which fado and parade music. Included amongst her countless successes are songs like "Rosa caída", "Cigano" and "Deste-me um cravo encarnado".

 

Alfredo Marceneiro

29 February 1920 - 6 October 1999 (Singer and composer)

Alfredo Rodrigo Duarte was commonly known by the name Alfredo Marceneiro due to his profession as a carpenter. He began by singing fado at the folk dances he frequented, still at a very young age, but only dedicated himself exclusively to fado at the age of 48. Marceneiro stood out for his idiosyncratic fado style, singing the lyrics in his own way and appearing before the public with his hands in his pockets and a silk scarf around his neck. He was also a composer and some of the pieces he wrote are today considered classics of the fado genre.

Amália Rodrigues

23 July 1920 - 6 October 1999 (Singer)

With an unmistakable voice and exceptional singing talent, Amália Rodrigues became an icon. She is acknowledged to be fado's most important ambassador, having sung on every continent during a career that began in 1939 and spanned almost 50 years. By adopting more sophisticated compositions and lyricists into her repertoire, Amália also made an important contribution to the modernisation of fado.

Ana Moura

17 September 1979 (Singer)

Like several fado singers of her generation, Ana Moura isn't afraid to incorporate pop music into her fado. Her distinctive timbre and the passion she puts into every note caught the attention of the fado world early on. Her career took off quickly, even internationally. She has sung at Carnegie Hall in New York, has recorded and performed with the Rolling Stones and took part on stage with Prince. She is one of the biggest and most recent fado stars.

António Chaínho

27 January 1938 (Guitarist and composer)

António Chaínho learnt to play the guitar from his father and at 13 performed in public for the first time. He has played for the greatest fado singers of various generations and has taken part in international events beside major soloists like Paco De Lucia and John Williams. Besides being a distinguished performer, Chaínho is also a composer and has worked tirelessly to promote the Portuguese guitar.

António Parreira

13 June 1944 (Guitarist and composer)

He began as a musician playing in restaurants in the Alentejo region, where he was born, but it was in Lisbon where he developed a career that saw him play at the top fado houses and accompany great fado singers like Alfredo Marceneiro, Amália Rodrigues, Carlos do Carmo and Tristão da Silva. Besides being an excellent perfomer, he is also a composer and has dozens of fado songs to his name. He is on the teaching staff of the guitar school at the Museum of Fado.

António dos Santos

14 March 1919 - 18 September 1993 (Singer, lyricist and composer)

One of the leading lights of "fado jocoso", during the first half of his career António dos Santos specialised in this type of humorous fado, singing a very distinctive style that he quickly popularised. In the 1960s, he earned the epithet of "the ballad singer of Alfama", a neighbourhood where he lived for almost his entire life and where he ran a very successful fado house. Besides a singer, he was also a distinguished lyricist and composer. "Gaivotas em Terra" and "Partir é Morrer um Pouco" are two of the songs he wrote and which achieved major success. 

António Rocha

20 June 1938 (Singer and lyricist)

His vocation as a fado singer emerged at an early age. At 13, he won his first fado competition and at 18 went professional, under the protective wing of the singer Deolinda Rodrigues. His popularity in the sixties earned him the title of "King of fado". Author of most of the poems he sings, António Rocha has always striven to write his own material. He was the resident artist at several of the most renowned fado houses and a singing teacher at the Portuguese Guitar School at the Museum of Fado.

António Zambujo

19 September 1975 (Singer and composer)

Born in Beja, he grew up listening to a genre of music called cante alentejano (polyphonic singing from Alentejo). Although he began singing fado at a very young age, this influence has never left him and gives his singing and compositions a very distinctive tone. This originality has made him stand out on the musical scene. In 2006, he won the Amália Rodrigues Prize, awarded by the foundation by the same name, for best male singer. With two of his albums awarded the "Top of the World Album" prize in 2008 and 2010 by the British magazine Songlines and his album Guia ranked as one of the top 50 albums of 2010 by the French magazine Mondonix, Zambujo has established himself as one of the leading names in World Music.

Argentina Santos

6 February 1924 (Singer)

Owner of the emblematic restaurant Parreirinha de Alfama, a venue for performances by major names from the world of fado, Argentina Santos never planned on becoming a fado singer. But one day, as a dare, she was challenged to sing. The audience applauded so much that she carried on singing and, without really noticing, her artistic career began. With her own repertoire of songs and lyrics composed by writers who frequented her restaurant, Argentina sang for 50 years beside almost all of the most important fado singers.

Armandinho

11 October 1891 - 21 December 1946 (Guitarist and composer)

A legend within the world of Portuguese guitar, he developed a technique that allowed him to adapt the instrument to the voice and style of the singer he was accompanying. In this way, the singing qualities of the artists he played with were brought to the fore, while also bringing the musicians out of the subordinate role they were generally reduced to. Besides being an excellent perfomer, Armandinho also wrote the lyrics to many fado songs which have survived to this day.

Beatriz da Conceição

21 August 1939 - 26 November 2015 (Singer)

She was born and lived in Porto until the day when, on a visit to Lisbon, she entered one of the most famous fado houses in the city and got up to sing. And she was hired on the spot. Full of energy, her repertoire was very varied, but it is in the more dramatic songs that the power of her voice was most evident.

Camané

20 December 1966 (Singer)

One of the most renowned figures of his generation, Camané came to attention at the age of 12 when he won the "Grande Noite do Fado" competition. Although he considers himself a fado singer, he likes to diversify into other musical styles. He has performed, with always increasing popularity, in fado houses, on TV programmes, in musicals and even on film, namely the film Fados by the Spanish director Carlos Saura. In 2005, the Fundação Amália Rodrigues awarded him the prize for best male fado singer.

Carlos do Carmo

21 December 1939 (Singer)

The only child of the fado singer Lucília do Carmo, Carlos do Carmo grew up amidst evenings of song and guitar playing. Although familiar with the scene, he hadn’t planned to follow in his mother’s footsteps. But the success achieved singing for groups of friends set his future in train. With a very distinctive style, Carlos do Carmo has established himself as one of the most talented of the current crop of fado singers. In 2014, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy and a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Carlos Paredes

16 February 1925 - 23 July 2004 (Guitarist and composer)

A supreme guitarist, Carlos Paredes was the heir to a long family tradition of guitar players. Deeply influenced by the fado of Coimbra, his home city, he was responsible for renewing and reinventing the sound of the guitar, to the extent that it is possible to speak of a pre- and post-Carlos Paredes sound. Besides being an extraordinary performer, he was one of the most important composers of music for Portuguese guitar of all time.

Carlos Ramos

10 October 1907 - 9 November 1969 (Singer)

Carlos Ramos began his fado career as a guitarist, but it was once he started to sing that he really achieved success. His distinctive voice charmed audiences with successes like "Não Venhas Tarde" and "Canto o Fado". He sang at the most famous fado houses in the 1940s and '50s and eventually became the owner of one of them, A Toca, a fado landmark.

Carlos Conde

22 November 1901 - 13 July 1981 (Lyricist)

A renowned popular poet, Carlos Conde wrote hundreds of poems for fado as a lyricist of repertoires for major singers, describing with talent the lanes and alleyways of Lisbon like nobody else, setting the whole mental imagery of fado to verse. Through his most famous poems, he was on the lips of the world, literally. In 2001, Lisbon paid homage to Carlos Conde by naming one of the city’s streets after him.

Carminho

20 August 1984 (Singer)

One of the most international of Portuguese artists, with a curriculum of chart successes in various countries, including Spain, where she was the first Portuguese singer to reach number 1. In 2009, when she launched her first album Fado, she was described by some in the music press as "the greatest revelation of the last decade", while the British magazine Songlines rated the album as one of the ten best of that year. Alma, her latest album, has catapulted her definitively to international stardom.

Celeste Rodrigues

14 March 1923 (Singer)

Fado runs through the veins of this fado singer, the sister of Amália Rodrigues. She began singing early amongst friends and, one day, a businessman, owner of various typical fado houses, heard her and decided to convince her to go professional. Her talent soon brought her popularity. She has sung at the best fado houses and was once the owner of one, Viela. At the height of her career, with many international tours under her belt, she was invited to record at the BBC in London. She is one of the leading figures of her generation. 

Cidália Moreira

1 January 1944 (Singer)

In Cidália Moreira's case, the word "performance" can be applied in the purest of senses. Owner of a powerful voice, she not only projects it as she sings but performs each lyric with so much emotion that it is impossible not to be touched. In that sense, Cidália is one of the most unique singers within the world of fado, with a style that is unmistakable.

Ercília Costa

3 August 1902 - 16 November 1985 (Singer)

The first fado singer to reach international fame within the Portuguese emigrant communities. Her first recordings date from 1929. She was known as the "saint of fado" due to her habit of singing with her hands pressed together. She popularised songs such as "Amor de Mãe", "o Meu Filho", "Juro" and "Fado da Amargura".

Fernanda Baptista

7 May 1919 - 25 July 2008 (Singer)

Still active at the age of 87, when she was part of the cast of a musical, a field in which she was regularly involved during her career. It was on the stages of vaudeville – a type of musical show that was very popular in Lisbon – that she established herself as a great fado singer with a powerful voice and a charismatic stage presence.

Fernanda Maria

6 February 1937 (Singer)

She inherited a love of fado from her father. Listening to him sing, as an amateur, for his friends, she picked up the gift and took the first steps in a career that saw her perform at the main venues of the world of fado. In 1964, she opened one of the most famous fado houses, Lisboa à Noite, where some of the genre’s greatest perfomers appeared. She possesses an unmistakable voice.

Fernando Alvim

6 November 1934 - 27 February 2015 (Classical and Portuguese guitar player)

One of the most remarkable Portuguese musicians who for three decades performed alongside the sublime guitarist Carlos Paredes. Their combined work constitutes a milestone in the history of Portuguese music. Alvim explored several musical genres, namely jazz and bossa nova, but it is in fado that he remains a figure of major importance. As a classical guitar player he accompanied various generations of fado singers.

Fernando Farinha

20 December 1928 - 12 February 1988 (Singer, lyricist and composer)

A resident of the Bica neighbourhood in Lisbon as a child, Fernando Farinha started singing fado at such a young age – just 9 years old – that he became known as the "kid from Bica". As he lost his father at the age of 11, he obtained a special licence to work as a professional fado singer and thus help to support his family with his earnings. Besides singing and charming audiences with his voice and performances, during his career he also wrote and composed various songs for fado. A street in Lisbon was named after him.

Fernando Maurício

21 November 1933 - 15 July 2003 (Singer)

He was born in Rua do Capelão, where the mythical Severa also lived. He grew up listening to and singing fado in the heart of Mouraria. At 13, he began his professional career. Gifted with one of the most original voices in fado, Fernando Maurício earned the title of "king of fado and Mouraria" during his life. He had a brilliant career, recognised by the public and his peers.

Fontes Rocha

20 September 1926 - 15 August 2011 (Guitarist and composer)

A distinguished performer and composer, Fontes Rocha introduced a number of improvements to the sound of the Portuguese guitar, a feat for which his huge talent was universally acknowledged. In the 1960s, he played for Amália Rodrigues, with whom he toured all around the world. He was responsible for the musical arrangements and for the sound of Amália’s album "Com que Voz", one of the diva’s most acclaimed fado recordings.

Frederico de Brito

1894 - 1977 (Composer and lyricist)

Poet and composer of some of the most performed fado songs, Frederico de Brito became one of the most in-demand lyricists of his generation. He also wrote and composed for theatre and the Lisbon folk parades, and it is believed that, by the end of his long life, he had written over a thousand lyrics and several hundred songs. "Fado do Britinho", "Janela Virada para o Mar" and "Canoas do Tejo" are some of his most famous creations.

Frederico Valério

11 June 1913 - 29 May 1982 (Composer)

Frederico Valério composed an enormous number of songs that became classics of the fado genre. At the beginning of the 1940s, he began to work professionally with Amália, for whom he composed some of her greatest successes, such as "Ai Mouraria" and "Fado Malhoa". After establishing himself in Portugal, he went to America in the late '40s and managed to get one of his songs onto the hit parade and composed two musicals for Broadway. During his international career, he recorded music that achieved success in Brazil, America, Germany, France and Britain. 

Gisela João

6 November 1983 (Singer)

Is it possible to be born a fado singer? Gisela João is proof that it is. Born and raised in Barcelos, in the north of Portugal, she later moved to Porto, far from the world of fado. As a very young girl, however, she started to hum the songs she heard on the radio and before she knew it was singing at a fado house in Porto, before repeating the feat in Lisbon. Wherever she goes, she charms audiences. And when she recorded her first album, it was immediately acclaimed as a landmark in the history of fado. Some say fado is split between what came before and what came after Gisela João...

Hermínia Silva

23 October 1907 - 13 June 1993 (Singer)

Extremely popular, she was known for her gift for improvisation and good-humour. Multi-talented, besides being a fado singer she also worked in musical theatre and cinema. As a singer, she always had an unmistakable approach, both in the way she performed fado and in her stage presence. She was one of the most emblematic figures in "fado castiço", or pure fado.

João Braga

15 April 1945 (Singer)

As a teenager he had a passion for bossa-nova, jazz and rock'n'roll, which he never lost throughout his life. But fado became so intrinsic that it ended up defining his career, something that was not planned. All of these musical influences have made João Braga a demanding fado singer. His repertoire includes the best composers and poets such as Fernando Pessoa and Manuel Alegre. He is one of the main influences behind the drive to modernise fado by encouraging new talent.

João Linhares Barbosa

15 July 1893 - 19 August 1965 (Lyricist)

He wrote the lyrics for over 3,000 songs, all of a quality that would earn him the status of "major figure in the history of fado". Besides being a talented poet, he was a major advocate of the fado singer's career. In 1922, he founded the newspaper "Guitarra de Portugal", a periodical that became one of the most iconic publications in the specialist press.

Joel Pina

17 February 1920 (Classical guitar player)

Joel Pina is a central figure in the history of fado for his virtuoso talent as a musician and for his key role in incorporating the viola baixo, or acoustic bass guitar, into its sound. Though not an instrument commonly used to accompany fado, in the 1950s Joel Pina began to introduce it. He played in the Raul Nery guitar quartet and played alongside fado singers of the first category such as Maria Teresa de Noronha and Amália, with whom he toured all around the world.

José Carlos Ary dos Santos

7 December 1937 - 18 January 1984 (Lyricist)

A hugely talented poet responsible for some of the most beautiful lyrics ever sung in fado. With the lyrical quality of his poetry he combined a creative freedom that gave Lisbon’s traditional music a breath of fresh air. The greatest example of his influence can be seen in the record "Um Homem na Cidade" by Carlos do Carmo for which he wrote all the words and which marked the history of fado. Although he was particularly prominent in Portuguese light music, helping to introduce new influences, the legacy he left in fado is incalculable.  

Lucília do Carmo

4 November 1919 - 19 November 1998 (Singer)

She was 17 years old when she got her professional licence. Though born in the Alentejo region, fado infused her soul from an early age and established her as one of the greatest fado singers of her generation. "Maria Madalena", "Travessa da Palha" and "Loucura" are a few of her greatest successes. She was the owner and main act at one of the most famous fado houses in Bairro Alto, Faia, and mother of the great fado singer Carlos do Carmo.

Manuel de Almeida

27 April 1922 - 31 December 1995 (Singer)

He was born in the Bica quarter. At the age of ten, he would already visit the fado houses, fascinated with the atmosphere, the sound of the guitars and, above all, the air of the singers. As a teenager, he sang as an amateur, but his professional career took off one night when he dared to sing at Tipóia, one of the most acclaimed fado houses in the 1950s. He sang two songs and was hired on the spot, after which he never stopped, dedicating himself to "fado castiço", or pure fado.

Maria da Fé

25 May 1942 (Singer)

She began singing as a child at amateur events and joined the cast of singers at one of the most famous fado houses, Adega Machado, while she was still very young and where she began her professional career. In 1975, she opened her own house, Senhor Vinho, with her husband. She is the singer of songs as emblematic as "Cantarei até que a voz me doa" and "Valeu a Pena" and has a powerful and unmistakable voice.

Mariza

16 December 1973 (Singer)

Mariza has shared the stage with musicians from all over the world, singing with famous voices such as Sting and Tito Paris. She sings fado but mixes it with jazz, flamenco and Cape Verdean morna rhythms because she likes to take risks and to create new sounds. One of the biggest names in the new generation of fado singers, she was chosen to act as ambassador for fado's inclusion on the Unesco list of intangible human heritage. After consolidating her international career, she was described by the British newspaper The Guardian as the "diva of world music". 

Maria Teresa de Noronha

7 September 1919 - 5 July 1993 (Singer)

An aristocrat by birth, Maria Teresa de Noronha began singing within the closed circle of family parties at a very young age, but her obvious talent set her on a career that chiefly developed on the radio. For 23 consecutive years, she sang live on a radio programme until the day she decided to retire, in 1962. She became an iconic figure within a genre of fado which became known as "fado aristocrático", or aristocratic fado.

Mário Moniz Pereira

11 February 1921 - 31 July 2016 (Composer and lyricist)

A confessed lover of fado, he was a notable composer and lyricist. During his long career, he wrote over 130 songs, performed and recorded by various generations of artists. "Fado Varina" and "Valeu a Pena" are examples of some of these which have entered directly into fado's musical and poetic pantheon.  

Mário Pacheco

9 April 1953 (Guitarist and composer)

Considered one of the most brilliant and talented guitarists performing today. Son of the guitarist António Pacheco, who accompanied the major voices of fado, he followed in his footsteps as a performer but has also achieved success as a composer. "Um Outro Olhar", his first album, released in 1992, lives up to its title, taking a highly personal approach to fado. Years later, the specialist British magazine Songlines described his album "A Música e a Guitarra" as one of the best world music albums of 2007. 

Mísia

18 June 1955 (Singer)

Daughter of a Portuguese father and Spanish mother, she spent most of her childhood in Spain. She became familiar with fado through her mother, who listened to it at home. When she returned to Portugal in 1990, she recorded an album, "Mísia", which presented her to a Portuguese audience, revealing a strong personality and an approach to fado that falls outside the traditional canon. She enjoys singing the words of the erudite poets, a preference that has earned her the epithet of the "intellectual fado singer". She has an established international career, above all in Spain, France, Britain, Argentina and Japan. 

Raul Nery

10 January 1921 (Guitarist)

He played guitar in public for the first time at the age of 9 and by the age of 18 was already performing beside established musicians. He accompanied Amália on various tours around the world, as well as other important figures from fado. At the end of the 1950s, he formed the Raul Nery Guitar Group composed by four exceptional musicians: Raul Nery, José Fontes Rocha, Júlio Gomes and Joel Pina. He is unanimously considered to be one of the finest ever players of the Portuguese guitar.

Raquel Tavares

11 January 1985 (Singer)

She began frequenting fado evenings at an early age and, although not born in Alfama, it was to this neighbourhood that she moved as soon as she was old enough. She recorded her first album in 2006, which earned her the "Amália Rodrigues" prize for new talent. Though considered a traditional singer of fado, her style has a freshness that brings something new with every new verse she sings. 

Severa

26 July 1820 - 30 November 1846 (Singer)

Maria Severa Onofriana is a mythical figure within fado. She earned fame under the name of Severa and is considered to be the first fado singer for which records exist. Her affair with an aristocrat, the Count of Vimioso, also contributed to her fame. Born into the bosom of a humble family living in the Madragoa quarter, Severa supported herself by working as a prostitute and singer. The house where she lived and later died in Rua do Capelão, in the Mouraria neighbourhood, is today marked with a plaque to her memory.

Tristão da Silva

18 July 1927 - 10 January 1978 (Singer)

He was only 9 years old when he was paid to sing for the first time. And from that moment he never stopped pursuing his dream to become a professional fado singer, which he achieved at the age of 27 when two songs brought him stardom: "Nem às Paredes Confesso" and "Maria Morena". Throughout his career, he took part in various radio programmes and sang at the most famous fado houses. His deep and romantic voice captivated millions.

Vicente da Câmara

7 May 1929 - 28 May 2016 (Singer and composer)

An aristocrat by birth, Vicente da Câmara, like other members of his family, helped to prolong the tradition of the aristocratic fado singer. He had a great uncle and an aunt who were fado singers and one of their children, José da Câmara, also had the same vocation. Besides being an excellent singer, he was also a notable lyricist. He achieved his greatest success with "A Moda das Tranças Pretas".

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