fado
/ˈfɑːdəʊ
/noun (plural fados)
1A type of popular Portuguese song, usually with a melancholy theme and accompanied by mandolins or guitars.As they quickly let you know, they eat bread, not chapattis; drink in tavernas, not tea shops; many of them were Roman Catholic, not Hindu; and their musicians played guitars and sang fados....
- On this CD, Lafertin may lead a Grappelli-Reinhardt style band, but the music ranges from Brazilian sambas to Portuguese fados.
- A third of the melodies on Nas Mãos do Fado are drawn from the body of over 200 traditional fados which artists such as Katia regularly update by combining them with the words of Portuguese poets.
1.1 [mass noun] The music for a fado.The Casa da Musica will be opened in the coming week with jazz and fado, Brendel and Lou Reed....
- Nelly Furtado's second album employs a variety of styles, including hip-hop, fado, pop, R&B, dance and Latin music.
- Although best known for fado, Amalia liked to experiment with other kinds of music, including jazz and salsa, and continued performing after her 70th birthday.
Origin
Portuguese, literally 'fate'.