s Polyphonic music, employing multiple vocal parts in harmony, was developed in the 15th century. The Renaissance fostered a rich output of compositions for solo instruments and ensembles as well as for the voice. The 1960s started a period of expansion and innovation with pop, rock and jazz introduced and evolving, political song developed, the
fado of Lisbon and the Coimbra were revitalized. Music from the former colonies occupied an increasingly important place in the capital's musical life and local styles of rap and hip hop emerged. The modern revival of academic music was primarily work of Luís de Freitas Branco, and continued by Joly Braga Santos. Composers like
António Victorino de Almeida,
Jorge Peixinho, Miguel Azguime, Pedro Amaral, and João Pedro Oliveira are known internationally. Orchestras include the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa and the
Gulbenkian Orchestra.
Porto has had its own symphony orchestra since 1962, when the Chamber Orchestra was set up by the Gulbenkian Foundation. Lisbon also has a metropolitan orchestra, and the
National Theatre of São Carlos in Lisbon, which was built in the late 18th century, has its own orchestra and ballet company. Among notable pianists,
Maria João Pires has won worldwide acclaim. Cultural centres such as the Belém Cultural Centre and the Culturgest, both in Lisbon, have expanded opportunities for major concerts.
Madredeus is among the most successful popular music groups. Singer
Dulce Pontes is also widely admired, and
Carlos Paredes is considered by many to be Portugal's finest guitarist. Folk music and dancing and the traditional fado remain the country's fundamental forms of musical expression.
Traditional or folk music , bagpipe In all the times and all places mankind always showed great ingenuity making sound and music from existing materials in its natural environment. The voice and the clapping of hands can certainly be considered the first instrumental forms used by man. The Iberian Peninsula was home to a lot of different peoples and cultures, so its normal to these cultures to influence the others but still retain a little of their aspects - this happened with the
Portuguese music. Portuguese folk music is the joint of the traditional songs of a community that express through a poetic character their beliefs and tell their history to other people and generations. The danças do vira (Minho), Pauliteiros de Miranda (Miranda), Corridinho do Algarve or Bailinho (Madeira), are some examples of dances created by the sound of folk. Some of the typical instruments used are a guitar, mandolin,
bagpipes, accordion, violin, drums, Portuguese guitar and an enormous variety of wind and percussion instruments. Contemporary bands include Dazkarieh, Cornalusa, Gaitúlia, Strella do Dia etc.
Philharmonic music In the popular culture the philharmonic bands represent each locality and play different types of music, from popular to classical. Lidia Costa, Carlos Marques, Alberto Madurai, José Caminos and Railcar Morays are some of the most important names in philharmonic music.
Fado Fado (translated as
destiny or
fate) is a
music genre which can be traced from the 1820s, but possibly with much earlier origins. It is characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor. The music is usually linked to the
Portuguese word
saudade, a unique word with no accurate translation in any other language. (Home-sickness has an approximate meaning. It is a kind of longing, and conveys a complex mixture of mainly nostalgia, but also sadness, pain, happiness and love). There are two main varieties of fado, namely those of the cities of
Lisbon and
Coimbra. The Lisbon style is the most popular, while Coimbra's is the more refined style. Modern fado is popular in Portugal, and has produced many renowned
musicians. According to tradition, to applaud fado in Lisbon you clap your hands, in Coimbra you cough as if clearing your throat. Mainstream fado performances during the 20th century included only a singer, a
Portuguese guitar player and a classical guitar player but more recent settings range from singer and string quartet to full orchestra. The ingredients of Fado are a shawl, a guitar, a voice and heartfelt emotion. Themes include: destiny, deep-seated feelings, disappointments in love, the sense of sadness and longing for someone who has gone away, misfortune, the ups and downs of life, the sea, the life of sailors and fishermen, and last but not least "Saudade" (one of the main themes used in fado, that means a kind of longing). Fado is probably the oldest urban folk music in the world and represents the heart of the Portuguese soul, and for that matter fado performance is not successful if an audience is not moved to tears.
Classical music Portugal has been an important centre of practice and production of music over the centuries, as the
music history of Portugal expresses. In contemporary classical music, notable Portuguese musicians include the pianists
Artur Pizarro,
Maria João Pires and
Equeira Costa, and the composers:
Fernando Lopes-Graça,
Emmanuel Nunes,
João Pedro Oliveira,
Jorge Peixinho,
Constança Capdeville,
Clotilde Rosa,
Fernando Corrêa de Oliveira,
Cláudio Carneyro,
Frederico de Freitas,
Joly Braga Santos and
Isabel Soveral.
Portuguese rock guitarist The Portuguese rock started to be noted in 1980 with the release of Ar de Rock by
Rui Veloso, which was the first popular Portuguese rock song, other Portuguese bands and singers such as
Sétima Legião, , Jafumega,
Mão Morta,
Taxi, Peste e Sida, were popular too. Before that, Portugal had a vibrant underground progressive rock scene in the 1970s like Tantra,
Quarteto 1111,
José Cid and others in 1950 and 1960 rock and roll scene with bands like Os Conchas and Os Sheiks. Among the numerous bands and artists which followed its genesis, are
Xutos & Pontapés,
GNR,
Quinta do Bill,
UHF,
The Gift and
Moonspell.
Popular music The 1980s and 1990s were marked by the search for a new musical discourse in urban popular music, the increase,
commodification and industrialization of musical production, and the mediatization and expansion of music consumption. The boom in Portuguese musical production was accompanied by both the diversification of the musical domains and styles produced and consumed in Portugal and the emergence of new styles which are increasingly taking the global market into account. The denominated Pop music uses melodies easily to memorize, becoming very popular and commercial; it's also characterized by the amount of publicity made (through videos, magazines, appealing clothing, etc.). It is possible to note two stylistic tendencies in the popular music of the 1980s and 1990s: • A musical discourse created by Portuguese musicians that is integrated within the major international developments experienced by commercial popular music; • A new musical style that vindicates its Portugueseness by both drawing upon various musical elements which musicians and audiences alike identify as Portuguese and emphasizing the Portuguese language.
Canções de intervenção (political songs) Political songs () played an important part in
the protests against the
totalitarian regime that ruled Portugal from 1926 up to the
1974 revolution. Once it was created as an object to criticize what was wrong, mainly in a political point of view. One of its main protagonists was
José (Zeca) Afonso (1929–1987) but others also contributed to its development, for example
Adriano Correia de Oliveira,
José Mário Branco, , ,
José Jorge Letria,
José Barata Moura and
Sérgio Godinho. They traced a new course for urban popular music and influenced a further generation of musicians, some of whom also participated in the protest movement and are still active, including
Fausto,
Vitorino, and Júlio Pereira, among others. This musical style reflects a confluence of influences from traditional music, French urban
popular songs of the 1960s, African music and
Brazilian popular music. By the late 1970s the revolutionary climate had subsided and the need to express political militancy through song was no longer felt by poets, composers and singers, who subsequently redefined both their role and their creative contribution.
Hip hop Hip hop has been important since the 1980s with areas like
Amadora,
Cacém and the South Bank of the Tagus are considered to be the cradle of
Hip Hop Tuga. The compilation called "Rapublica" released in 1994, which featured young rising artists and groups such as Black Company and
Boss AC, is responsible for establishing hip hop in Portugal. The refrain from a song called "Não sabe nadar, yo" ("Can't swim, yo!") was used by the president of Portugal,
Mário Soares in a speech about the cave painting in Foz Côa saying that "As gravuras não sabem nadar, yo!" ("The engravings can't swim, yo!"). Apart from
Lisbon, other urban centers also established vibrant hip hop scenes during the early nineties, especially
Porto, that gave birth to important groups such as
Mind Da Gap. More recently other local scenes have also developed on other urban centers, such as
Coimbra and
Faro. There are two major showcase events,
Flowfest and
Hip Hop Porto.
Flowfest, in Coimbra, started in 2005.
Hip Hop Porto is a free event held at Casa da Música, in September. It features mainly the northern hip hop names as headliners, drawing a very local audience. Its first edition in 2005 carded Rodney P, NBC, Blackmastah, Bomberjack, Rui Miguel Abreu, etc. Usually the event is held outdoors, but in 2006 the heavy rains made the event relocate to the parking lot of the building, causing a really "underground" look.
Students festivals group Festivals organised by students of several higher education institutions, take place every year across the country. The '
Queima das Fitas' in
Coimbra and
Porto and 'Enterro da Gata' in Minho. Summer festivals include
Vilar de Mouros Festival,
Festival Sudoeste,
Rock in Rio Lisboa,
Super Bock Super Rock,
Festival de Paredes de Coura,
Boom Festival,
Ilha do Ermal Festival, etc. ==Painting==