Art and expression – fado – what is actually fado – except meaning fate? What does it seem like in Norwegian?

Fado is a Portuguese expression. Meaning fate. Why are Portuguese so obsessed with fate? What is fate actually? It’s an interesting question that requires knowledge and reflection upon Portuguese culture. Not going to do it here and now– not even the historical one – just giving a starting point for listening to fado–merely trying to introduce fado as a music expression today. Fado is sung by a fadista (a fado-singer) accompanied by a classical guitar and a Portuguese guitar. It’s considered a World Heritage by UNESCO since 2011.

The origins of fado

There are a few theories about its origins, but as a start it might be more interesting to listen to the music. What I appreciate most with fado is the beauty of the poems that are sung, and the way the guitars are singing with the singer, telling the story. Many of poems are made by ”far-reaching” deep-digging, reflected Portuguese poets – who are invading your soul with knowledge about us stingy, small-minded or loving, suffering, deeply longing human beings – accompanied by the unique Portuguese guitar which is crawling under your skin tickling every fiber in your body – making you cry. You’ll love it. Or you just hate it. Because it makes you cry. Or because you don’t understand. Because it makes you feel apart. Making you an outsider. I’ve translated some of these fado texts. Because I want to invite you in.

Listen to young Karina Pieroth – she sings fado in nynorsk/new Norwegian.

Karina doesn’t sing – she mediates. Human experiences. Young – but she still captures the stories. Why is nynorsk a point? To her? I don’t know. To the translation? Languages have different abilities as an expression of human experiences. Did you know that? That’s all about how history moves in to words, to grammar, to phrases. Anyway – it’s also about ”being at home”. It’s about the sounds. No – language is not merely a technical question. The sounds in the ”sunnmørs” dialect are pretty much alike many Portuguese sounds. Making it possible to keep the ”language -sound -characteristic” in a translation. Making it easier to be sung in another language. But most important nynorsk offers an avoidance of the love-and pove words – as said Johan Grimstad – the composer. Translating texts can be more of a technical question, while translating poems is a question of having a deep respect for roots, history, tradition and culture. Being a translator is living the anxiety of being unjust, too fast, overlook details which steels the voice of the author or deteriorates the poems to be just av set of words lined up. Becoming what our composer called a text of Love and Pove – which means nothing – which means nonsense. Therefore it can be a huge challenge to translate fado texts. You need to know both cultures from inside because sometimes it’s more of a re-telling or recreation of the poems to be able to preserve the story – the experience – the pain – or the joy.

Karina made me the pleasure of working with these texts and she sung them at the launching of the book. I hope she will work more with fado – as fado has much to offer.

Listen to fado in Portuguese – like Amalia – the one and only – and todays Ana Moura, Dulce Pontes, Antonio Zambujo, Mariza – to mention some. Later I’ll get back to aspects of fado as a reflection upon history and culture.