Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)As a voracious listener of "world" music, few genres have struck me as deeply (both intellectually and emotionally) as Portuguese fado. Though I have access to one of the world's largest library systems in Chicago, there are very few materials on fado available in the English language. This book only dates back to 2010, but due to scarcity and a specialized audience the going rate seems to be around $110- certainly out of reach for most casual readers (I'd love to own a copy but picked it up only through an interlibrary loan).
Where this book shines (as was likely Elliot's intention) is in its thoroughness, credibility and keen eye for interesting detail. Highlights of the book are mostly in the form of excerpts from Elliot's vast research. For example, he devotes a few pages to a discussion of the meaning of "saudade" (fado's defining characteric), citing Svetlana Boym's conclusion that while saudade and similar terms in other languages preserve "the specific rhythms of the language, one is struck by the fact that all these untranslatable words are in fact synonyms; and all share the desire for untranslatability, the longing for uniqueness." Elsewhere in a discussion about forgetting, he cites a Juan Luis Borges character, "To think is to forget differences, generalize, make abstractions." Later, he ponders some of Amalia's lyrics in depth, and describes the colorful character of Alfredo Marceneiro (who reputedly sang blindfolded in the studio to avoid the horror of instrusive recording equipment). The final chapter, "Fado as Local and Global Practice," provides an excellent launching point for exploring modern fado and fado-derived music.
Provided that you already love fado and have the patience for the contemplative nature of scholarly works, Elliot's book is well-conceived, thoughtful, and enjoyable. It's hesitant in drawing concise summaries (e.g. about the cultural and geographic origins of fado, and about the meaning of fado's defining characteric "saudade"), but this is really just a reflection of painstakingly thoughtful research, and nuanced conclusions. If you're just looking for a low-key coffee table book about Fado instead, you might instead want to track down a copy of "Fado: Voices and Shadows."
Click Here to see more reviews about: Fado and the Place of Longing (Ashgate Popular and Folk Music Series)
Fado, often described as 'urban folk music' emerged from the streets of Lisbon in the mid-nineteenth century and went on to become Portugal's 'national' music during the twentieth. It is known for its strong emphasis on loss, memory and nostalgia within its song texts, which often refer to absent people and places. One of the main lyrical themes of fado is the city itself. Fado music has played a significant role in the interlacing of mythology, history, memory and regionalism in Portugal in the second half of the twentieth century. Richard Elliott considers the ways in which fado songs bear witness to the city of Lisbon, in relation to the construction and maintenance of the local. Elliott explores the ways in which fado acts as a cultural product reaffirming local identity via recourse to social memory and an imagined community, while also providing a distinctive cultural export for the dissemination of a 'remembered Portugal' on the global stage.
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