Portuguese music is represented by a wide variety of forms. The most renowned Portuguese music is Fado, a form of melancholic music. The word fado means fate in Portuguese, however given the sad nature of the music, we think that the word lament is more appropriate. The fado is Portugal's pride and joy, and the country's national musical treasure. The music is usually linked to the Portuguese guitar and the Portuguese word saudade. Although without an accurate equivalent in English, saudade is describable as a common human feeling, it occurs when one is in love with someone or something yet apart from him, her, or it.
The style conveys a distinct mixture of sadness, pain, nostalgia, happiness and love. Fado origins are probably from a mixture of African slave rhythms with traditional music of Portuguese sailors, with Arabic influence. There are two varieties of Fado, that of Lisbon and that of Coimbra. Lisbon Fado was primarily of popular origins, often performed by women, while Coimbra's had a more literate vein and was often performed by men, both are nowadays seen as ethnic music appreciated abroad. The theme of any fado is usually love, albeit unrequited, but there are fados written in other subjects.
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