Then Aldina was invited to sing nightly in a Fado venue; it was as if she had passed a tough entrance exam into a Fado school. She respected and maintained the rituals she had always found distinctive and beautiful about Fado: a black shawl, a black dress, silence, diffuse lighting. Everything she had ever loved about Fado. Her success led to invitations to sing in other Fado venues, to guest in concerts. One day she was invited to sing abroad, in the Piccolo Teatro of Milan; to sing Fado in a play about poet Fernando Pessoa, written by novelist and essayist Antonio Tabucchi and directed by lead actor Giancarlo Dettori, director Lamberto Puggelli and the Master, Giorgio Strehler. The experience helped shape what was to become her attitude towards Fado, leading her to be more careful about what she sang, and how she sang it. Besides singing professionally at the Senhor Vinho venue, Aldina has worked in the the Portuguese Cinemathèque - Cinema Museum and is currently a researcher at EMI Music Portugal where she is organizing the company's immense archives of Portuguese music - much of which is made up of Fado recordings. Beginning 2004, Aldina Duarte released her debut album “Apenas o Amor”. Since then she has been performing concerts in Portugal, Spain, France, Morocco, Italy, Belgium, Austria and The Netherlands. “Apenas o Amor” since its release has been referred as one of the best albums of 2004 by the Portuguese press. Her second cd "Crua" was released in January of 2006.The album was produced by João Monge who was also responsible for writing the lyrics... And now, 2008, the third album "Mulheres ao Espelho"...
Apenas O Vento
Aldina Duarte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Já nem sei de quanto fiz
Se foi Deus ou se fui eu
Deu-me alegrias e pranto
Mas esta voz com que canto
Foi o vento que me deu
Deu-me tudo, deu-me tanto
Foi o vento que me deu
Foi o rio e suas águas
Que me ensinou estas mágoas
A saudade, foi o mar
Mas meu canto, meu sustento
Foi o vento, foi com o vento
Que eu aprendi a cantar
Mas meu canto, meu sustento
Foi o vento, foi o vento
Que me ensinou a cantar
O vento passa por mim
Por isso é que eu canto assim
Mas, meu Deus, faça o que eu faça
Quer seja brisa ou levante
Que eu saiba, sempre que cante
Ser voz do vento que passa
Hei-de ser brisa e levante
Hei-de ser, sempre que cante,
Apenas o vento que passa.
The lyrics to Aldina Duarte's song Apenas O Vento are filled with a deep sense of gratitude for all that life has given her. She acknowledges that God has given her everything she ever wanted but is unsure whether it was God or her own self that made things possible for her. The joys and sorrows that life has brought her have molded her voice and given it the power to convey complex emotions. However, the voice with which she sings is not solely hers; it is the voice of the wind that has gifted her this unique ability.
She goes on to say that it is the river and its waters that have taught her sadness, the sound of the waves that have taught her longing, but it is the wind that has taught her how to sing. For Aldina, her voice is not just her craft, it is the wind's gift, and when she sings, it is as if the wind is passing through her. She accepts that no matter what kind of wind it is, a gentle breeze or a strong gust, she will always be the voice of the wind that passes by. The themes of gratitude, humility, and a sense of being part of something bigger than oneself are all underlined in these lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Deu-me Deus tudo o que quis
God gave me everything I wanted
Já nem sei de quanto fiz
I don't even know how much I did
Se foi Deus ou se fui eu
Whether it was God or me
Deu-me alegrias e pranto
He gave me joys and sorrows
Mas esta voz com que canto
But this voice with which I sing
Foi o vento que me deu
Was given to me by the wind
Deu-me tudo, deu-me tanto
He gave me everything, gave me so much
Foi o rio e suas águas
It was the river and its waters
Que me ensinou estas mágoas
That taught me these sorrows
A saudade, foi o mar
Nostalgia, it was the sea
Mas meu canto, meu sustento
But my singing, my sustenance
Foi o vento, foi com o vento
Was the wind, was with the wind
Que eu aprendi a cantar
That I learned to sing
O vento passa por mim
The wind passes by me
Por isso é que eu canto assim
That's why I sing like this
Mas, meu Deus, faça o que eu faça
But, my God, no matter what I do
Quer seja brisa ou levante
Whether it's a breeze or a gale
Que eu saiba, sempre que cante
May I always know when I sing
Ser voz do vento que passa
To be the voice of the passing wind
Hei-de ser brisa e levante
I will be breeze and gale
Apenas o vento que passa.
Just the wind that passes.
Contributed by London L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pedro Teixeira da Mota
Bela letra e voz, ainda que algo triste...
webeurope35
Bella voz y sentimiento que conmueve. Nostalgias de esa voz y esas guitarras escuchadas el año 2015 en la "Usina del Arte " en Buenos Aires.
Levino simões do viso
Aldina Duarte, cantora espetacular.Dona de uma voz que encanta.Gostaria que postassem a "musica: Contos de fados" na voz de Aldina.
Júlia Henriques
Aldina nunca me esquecerei de ti.