music history

Portugal. It is very popular for its music. Various musical groups such as Madredeus, Da Weasel,
Moonspell, etc. Wraygunn are very famous in the country. However, traditional music and folk
music is also practiced in different parts of the country.

Musical traditions are diverse and dynamic, reflecting multiple historical, cultural and political
processes influenced by non-European cultures from the North and sub-Saharan Africa and Brazil.

Fado

It is a musical genre that can be followed since the 1820s and is characterized by sad melodies and
lyrics about the sea or the life of the poor. Some believe that the origins of Fado is a mixture of
African slaves rhythms with the traditional music of the Portuguese sailors and the Arab influence.

Traditional

The Iberian Peninsula was home to a large number of different peoples and cultures, and although
many of these wanted to influence others, today they still retain personal and unique aspects such
as Portuguese music. Even in the present you can find types of instruments from different places,
such as the bagpipe and the Arabic adufe, which have been part of the Portuguese culture.

From the Miranda de pauliteiros in Miranda de Terra to the Corridinho in the Algarve, the
traditional music and the songs transpire a poetic character that tells the story of a community
with other people and future generations.

Traditional instruments
Bombo: are large and are played vertically. Normally, the musician hits only one side of the skin,
producing a deep, low sound.

Adufe: it's a square of double drum skin. The skins are sewn, often with seeds. It is played with the
thumbs of both hands and the pointer of the right hand, leaving the other fingers free to hit the
instrument.

The sarronca: it is a skin stretched over a jar that will serve as a sounding board. The sound is
emitted when a stick or cane is rubbed against the skin.

Portuguese guitar: The Portuguese guitar is a 12-string instrument from the Middle Ages, based on
the zither and the Oud, the Arabic lute.

The Viola Braga: is an instrument similar to the guitar with five steel strings. It is played with the
five strings at the same time.

Viola de Arame: Very similar to the Braguesa, it has a hole in the shape of two hearts. This type of
guitar is common in Madeira and Azores.

Viola Toeira: Almost extinct. Its sound has a hole of horizontal oval shape and has 12 strings
organized in five orders. See also the viola caipira.

Cavaquinho: is a string instrument of the European guitar family, with four cables or gut strings.

Braguinha: is a species of cavaquinho that is generally found in Madeira.

Bagpipes of Foles: Wind instrument formed by two or more of one or two tubes of cane, the reeds
are vibrated by the wind fed by the pressure of the arm in a cloth or leather bag. The tubes are
held out of the wooden sockets tied to the bag, which is inflated, either by the mouth or by
bellows tied to the body.
The Palheta: is a double-reed wind instrument similar to the oboe.

Concertina: is the name with which the diatonic accordion is known in Portugal. It consists of a
body in two parts, each in general, rectangular in shape, separated by a bellows.

Painting, sculpture and photography

Praia das maçãs, by the Portuguese author José Malhoa.

Portugal also enjoys a rich legacy in terms of painting. The first Portuguese painters of whom the
name is known date back to the 15th century, like Nuno Gonçalves, representative of the period of
Gothic painting. José Malhoa, known for his work Fado, and Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro (who
painted the portraits of Teófilo Braga and Antero de Quental) are two references of naturalist
painting.266

In the 20th century the arrival of modernism was seen and, along with it, that of the most
renowned Portuguese painters: like Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso, who was strongly influenced by
French painters, particularly by Robert Delaunay. Among his most famous works stands out
Canção Popular a Russa e o Fígaro. Another great modernist painter and writer was Almada
Negreiros, a friend of the poet Fernando Pessoa, whom he portrayed. Almada Negreiros was also
deeply influenced by both Cubism and Futurism. Among the important characters within the
current visual arts are painters such as Vieira da Silva, Júlio Pomar and Paula Rego.266

The names of Jorge Vieira, who worked mainly on wood, stand out in the sculpture; Alberto
Carneiro, the «inventor of objects»; Rui Chafes, iron worker and João Cutileiro and Francisco
Simões, who work in marbles of different colors.266

As for artistic photography, it is worth noting the names of Joshua Benoliel, first photojournalist
who left a large collection of images of the last years of the monarchy, the arrival of the Republic
and the beginning of the First World War.266 Currently , highlight the names of Helena Almeida
and Jorge Molder, among others.266