Fado music embraces renaissance

Fado, Portugal's unique musical genre, is experiencing a renaissance. A new generation of "Fadistas", or Fado musicians, is keeping the country's once most popular art form alive.

Strolling through Lisbon's narrow cobbled streets, visitors encounter signs advertising intimate Fado concerts.

Candlelit bars and restaurants, serve as venues for these evenings that are integral to the capital's cultural heritage. Locals even consider Fado the heart of the Portuguese soul.

Legend has it that the music arrived as a dance from Africa in the 19th century.Initially Fado was adopted by the poor of Lisbon's Alfama district.The genre reached its golden era in the first half of the 20th century.

These days a younger generation of musicians is adding its spirt to keep the music alive.

Fado singer Nuno Aramac says he expresses many emotions in his music.

Nuno Aramac, Fado singer, said, "For the majority of our people Fado is a sweet way to express a feeling of sadness. But I see it differently. I can include events from my everyday life in a verse and then try to express it,through one small Fado song."

This can best be described by the Portuguese word of "saudade". "Saudade" translates roughly as longing, or nostalgia for unrealized dreams. And in this word is the essence of Fado: destiny, betrayal in love, death and despair.