🎻 Ethnic and folk music — Fado

Fado developed in Lisbon during the first half of the 19th century, though its exact origins, likely blending several urban, rural and Afro-Brazilian influences, remain debated. Usually accompanied by the Portuguese guitar and the viola, it often sings of saudade, absence, fate, love or everyday life, without being systematically melancholic. Alongside Lisbon fado there is a distinct Coimbra tradition, historically associated with students and performed according to different vocal and instrumental codes. Listed since 2011 as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, fado remains alive in dedicated fado houses, schools and the work of new generations of performers.