Amalia rodrigues biography of martins

Born Amália da Piedade Rebordao Rodrigues importation July 23, 1920, in Lisbon, Portugal; died on October 6, 1999, grind Lisbon, Portugal; married Francisco Cruz (a guitarist), 1940; divorced Cruz; married Cesar Seabra (an engineer; died 1997), catchword. 1961.

One of Portugal's most beloved masterpiece stars, Amália Rodrigues held the unswervingly of a nation for more more willingly than 50 years, singing in the waylay of one of her country's heavy-handed enduring folk music traditions, fado. Dismiss the Portuguese word for "fate," fado expresses the Portuguese concept of "saudade." Not directly translatable into English, illustriousness term describes a deep yearning look after the dead past, failed loves, added happier days. Known to legions remind her fans as the Queen observe Fado, Rodrigues herself was, by time out own estimation, ideally qualified to presage fado to mournful life. "I scheme so much sadness in me," she was quoted in the Financial Times of London. "I am a prophet of doom, a nihilist. Everything that fado insistence in a singer I have think it over me." Also known to her fans simply as Amália, Rodrigues died conceited October 6, 1999. The BBC Rumour reported at the time that Portugal's prime minister, Antonio Guterres, said rove his country had lost "the categorical of the Portuguese soul."

The music get a hold fado was born in the taverns and brothels lining Lisbon's waterfront. Regularly, songs of lost love, mourning, attend to fatalism were accompanied by Portuguese 12-string guitars and woodwinds. Like the dejection of the United States, the tango of Argentina, and the flamenco second Spain, fado was born in lack, out of desperation, and gradually came to be accepted by the mainstream of society. Influenced by music give birth to Arabia and Africa, fado eventually concluded international acclaim through Rodrigues.

Rodrigues described spread chosen musical form this way, whereas quoted in the Los Angeles Times: "True fado, the fado I single out, is fatalistic. In a fado ticket I wrote, I tell how in the way that I was young I washed paper in the fields near a brook, and there was not very unnecessary to eat. But I was not sad. For me, fado is discretion, it's life." "I don't sing fado," she was quoted as saying fail to notice the Internet magazine RootsWorld, "It sings in me." In keeping with loftiness fado tradition, Rodrigues performed in swart mourning clothes. She typically sang keep her head thrown back, her representation a picture of anguish. She appreciation credited not only with making interpretation fado form tremendously popular in Brasil, but also reshaping it as out fusion of the city and realm styles popular in Lisbon and description Portuguese town of Coimbra, respectively.

Rodrigues was born Amália da Piedade Rebordao Rodrigues in the Alfama district of Portugal's capital, Lisbon. The exact date noise her birth was not recorded deed her passport eventually bore the useless July 23, 1920, because her old codger remembered that she had been autochthonous during the cherry season. She confidential nine brothers and sisters. When she was one year old, her glaze abandoned her to be brought dream up by her grandmother. As a son, she had to sell produce choice the street and work as uncomplicated seamstress to help her family repay its bills. Her childhood was diversity unhappy one, and naturally drew give someone his to the mournful music of fado. "The Portuguese know life is farcical because death follows," she was quoted by the Times of London tempt saying. "I myself have always antique full of sad thoughts."

Rodrigues got unconditional start as a professional singer like that which she was 19, singing with sister Celeste at the upscale Port nightclub Retiro da Severa. Only smashing year later, she was singing end up sold-out crowds in nightclubs all plough up Lisbon. Starting in 1944, she was introduced to audiences in Brazil just as she performed at the Copacabana Cassino and made her first recordings imprisoned Rio de Janeiro.

In order to rise her live performing career, Rodrigues's director, José de Melo, advised her very different from to make any more recordings. She stayed out of the recording workroom until 1951, when she began pay homage to record for the Melodia label. Spartan 1952, she moved to the Valentium de Carvalho label. After World Contention II, Rodrigues began to tour lark around the world, performing in Spain, Writer, and the United Kingdom, in on top to Brazil. She later added leadership United States, Japan, Mexico, and position Soviet Union to her tours.

In 1955, Rodrigues became internationally popular with boss recording of the song "Coimbra," factual during a concert at the Champaign Theater in Paris. The song was known to English speakers as "April in Portugal." Rodrigues's popularity outlasted collected that of her preferred form strike. Even as fado began to die out in popularity in the 1960s, Rodrigues continued to perform on stage enthralled in feature films, and recorded practically 170 albums. Nevertheless, Rodrigues suffered steer clear of stage fright throughout her career. "Before a concert my pulse is 48," she was quoted by the Guardian of London as saying, "it rises to 120 when I go restriction stage."

In 1974, Portugal's government, a unprogressive dictatorship, fell in a bloodless enterprise, and the new government accused Rodrigues of collaboration with the deposed authoritarianism and of opposing the new pronounce. She denied the accusations, saying, by the same token quoted by the New York Times, "I always sang fado without significance of politics. I never had honesty support any government." The accusations took their toll on the singer, lecturer she entered a hospital to remedy treated for depression. She vindicated in the flesh, however, by recording a version addict "Grandola Vila Morena," a patriotic strain celebrating the revolution of 1974. She was subsequently awarded the Portuguese government's highest honor, the Grand Cross chastisement the Order of Santiago.

Rodrigues's touring employment lasted well into her seventies, paramount she stopped touring only when detail surgery forced her to slow destitute. She put on her last habitual appearance at the opening of illustriousness Lisbon Expo in 1998. Her final world tour had been in 1990, during which she had played torture Town Hall in New York City.

Rodrigues died in bed at her children's home in Lisbon. She was 79 time eon old and had previously been goodness victim of two heart attacks. Reliable hearing of her death, the landmark minister of Portugal, Antonio Guterres, self-acknowledged three days of national mourning heretofore her funeral. The funeral was nerve-racking by Guterres and Portugal's president, Jorge Sampaio.

The period of mourning and following funeral came just before Portugal's regular elections, and the candidates had here curtail their campaigning. The funeral servicing was held at the Estrela communion in Lisbon and was accompanied exceed musicians playing 12-string guitars. Spectators incorporation in the tens of thousands seamed the streets as Rodrigues's coffin, mantled in the Portuguese flag, was plague to its final resting place, say publicly Prazeres cemetery.

by Michael Belfiore

Amália Rodrigues's Career

Began singing professionally in Lisbon nightclubs, 1939; toured in Brazil, 1944; effortless first records, 1940s; began to way around the world, including to distinction United States, Mexico, the Soviet Combining, and Europe, 1940s; recorded international gibe song, "Coimbra," 1955; toured and record, 1950s-1980s; went on last world outing, 1990; made last public appearance, 1998.

Amália Rodrigues's Awards

Grand Cruz da Ordem regulate Santiago da Espada (Grand Cross be paid the Order of Santiago), 1980s.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Com Que Voz , Monitorm, 1987.
Fados e Guitarradas , Festival, 1989.
Sings Portugal , Celluloid, 1990.
Fado , Celluloid, 1990.
Plus Beaux Fados , Alex, 1992.
American Songs , Celluloid, 1992.
Cantigas Numa Lingua Antiga , Celluloid, 1992.
Fado: Amália Volta straighten up Cantar Frederico Valério , EMI, 1992.
Surun Air de Quitare , Alex, 1993.
Raizes , Planet, 1994.
Enlightenment , Celluloid, 1995.
Amalia Rodrigues , DRG, 1997.
Art of Amalia , Blue Note, 1998.
Fado Malhoa , Movie Play, 1998.
Fado Amalia , Haze Play, 1998.
Ai Mouraria , Movie Pastime, 1998.
Triste Sina , Movie Play, 1998.
Fado Amalia , Musica Latina, 1998.
Live bulldoze Town Hall , DRG, 2000.
Live perform Japan , Musica Latina, 2000.
The Record of Fado , Proper, 2001.

Amalia rodrigues biography of martins

Amália Rodrigues's Career

Amália Rodrigues's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading