Understand Fado before you book
Six short editorial pieces about Fado — its history, instruments, traditions and great voices. Enough background to walk into any venue and follow what you're hearing.
What is Fado?
A 19th-century urban song from the taverns of Lisbon, built around saudade — the bittersweet longing that defines the Portuguese soul.
Read →Lisbon vs Coimbra Fado
Two living traditions, two different repertoires. Lisbon Fado is the UNESCO-listed one, sung by both genders. Coimbra Fado is the academic male-student tradition.
Read →Fado on UNESCO's list
In November 2011, UNESCO inscribed Fado on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Here is what that means in practice.
Read →The Portuguese guitar
A pear-shaped, twelve-string guitar with a bright, ringing tone — the instrument that turns a song into a Fado. Plus the classical viola that accompanies it.
Read →The great fadistas
From Amália Rodrigues — who turned Fado into a national identity — to Mariza, Carlos do Carmo and Camané. The voices that shaped the modern repertoire.
Read →Where to listen to Fado
A quick guide to the neighbourhoods where Fado is sung today — Alfama and Mouraria in Lisbon, the Ribeira and Vímara Peres in Porto, and the historic centre of Coimbra.
Read →