Ana Moura has become a leading exponent of this poetic, deeply expressive idiom which personifies the Portuguese psyche as it explores such universal themes as lost love, separation, and longing.
As Ana explains, "It's very special because it's all about emotions and feelings. It needs no translation."
Ana was born in 1980, in Santarém, the bustling capital of the Ribatejo province in the center of Portugal's heartland on the Tejo River northeast of Lisbon.
The city of half a million souls is also one of Portugal's most historic cities -- an ideal place to develop an appreciation for fado. "I've been singing fado since I was little, because grew up listening to it at home," she recalls of her early home life. "My parents sang well, and at family gatherings, we all would sing."
Like young people everywhere, she soon developed an appreciation for other styles of music. The lure of singing fado, however, never waned. In her late teens, while sing pop and rock music with a local band, Ana always included at least one fado in each performance. Then, one night on a whim, about five years ago, she and some friends went to one of Lisbon's storied fado houses -- small performance venues where singers, guitarists and aficionados gather to worship the affecting style that's become Portugal's most important music export.
At the urging of her companions, she sang. "People liked me," she recalls of her first foray into a venerated bastion of the fado culture. Later that year, at a Christmas party that was attended by a lot of fadistas (fado singers) and guitarists, she sang again and, as fate would have it, noted fado vocalist Maria de Fe was in the audience and was duly impressed. "She asked me to sing at her fado house," Ana recalls of the fortuitous moment that launched her career.
"My life changed when I began going to the fado houses," Ana states today. "There's no microphone -- it's very intimate. New singers learn through a kind of apprenticeship, learning the intricacies of the style from the older, more established singers."
Before long, word of Ana's rich contralto, stunning looks and innate affinity for the demanding style spread, winning airtime on local television programs devoted to fado and rave reviews in Lisbon newspapers.
Ana has emerged as a leading voice of traditional fado just as the venerable idiom is enjoying a renaissance of popularity. "Today," she explains, "there's a new generation that sings lyrics related to our time. There are some older fado songs that we, the younger singers, cannot perform, because the lyrics are about a time and themes we don't identify with. We don't feel it, and fado is all about feelings. We must feel what we sing, and there are many older fados that don't belong to our generation. Younger singers use lyrics that speak of today, so young people have begun to get more interested in the music again."
As with jazz and country music in the U.S., tango in Argentina, samba in Brazil, fado sprang from the culture of working class people. And, as with the aforementioned examples, over the years the style evolved from humble origins to win broad appeal. Today, as Ana proudly proclaims, "In Portugal, fado is for everyone."
Like virtually every aspiring fadista, Ana drew early inspiration from the example of Amalia Rodrigues, the revered singer who most personified the style. "It was her soul and her voice," she comments of the late vocalist's singular imprint on the music. "She had everything in her. Some singers have a great voice by no soul, no intensity. Others have feeling but not a suitable voice. She had it all, and, she was a very good improviser."
Improvising is an under-appreciated part of the fado tradition. One technique, which Ana uses to great effect on the song "Lavava no rio lavava" (I Went to the River to Wash), is what the Portuguese term vocalisos -- the expression of words and effects through use of vocal trills. The practice is believed to have been absorbed over centuries of exposure to Spanish flamenco and Moorish styles.
A key track from her album exquisitely sums up the magnetic pull fado has exerted on Ana. "Sou do fado, sou fadista" (I belong to fado, I am a fadista) by her mentor and primary collaborator, guitarist Jorge Fernando, eloquently explains Ana's total surrender to the style:
"I know my soul has surrendered, taken my voice in hand, twisted in my chest and shown it to the world. And I have closed my eyes in a wistful longing to sing, to sing. And a voice sings to me softly, and a voice enchants me softly, I belong to fado, I belong to fado, I am a fadista."
Today, Ana Moura still thinks of how and where it all began, and of the importance of keeping those vital ties alive. "Before," she muses, "I used to sing in the fado house every day. Today, because of my concert schedule and travel, it's impossible. But, when time permits, I like to return. Sometimes I feel that I must go there. I need that."
(Adapted from a text by Cindy Byram)
Os Meus Olhos São Dois Círios
Ana Moura Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dando luz triste ao meu rosto
Marcado pelos martírios
Da saudade e do desgosto
Quando oiço bater trindades
E a tarde já vai no fim
Eu peço às tuas saudades
Mas não sabes fazer preces
Não tens saudade nem pranto
Porque é que tu me aborreces?
Porque é que eu te quero tanto?
Mas para meu desespero
Como as nuvens que andam altas
Todos os dias te espero
Todos os dias me faltas
The lyrics of the song Os Meus Olhos São Dois Círios by Ana Moura describe a feeling of sadness and longing for someone who cannot reciprocate these emotions. The singer's eyes are compared to two candles, giving off a sad light to their face that is marked by sufferings of nostalgia and disappointment. The singer asks for this person's prayers, as they cannot make them for themselves. However, the person does not have the ability to feel nostalgia or sorrow, begging the question of why the singer is still enamored with them. Despite this lack of reciprocation, the singer still awaits this person every day, feeling the pain of their absence.
The lyrics of this song speak volumes to those who have experienced unrequited love. The comparison of the singer's eyes to two candles reflects the idea that their love is burning brightly but not mutual, causing sadness and disappointment. The mention of asking for prayers also suggests a sense of hopelessness, as the singer cannot seem to find resolution for their feelings. The repetition of waiting every day for someone who does not come emphasizes the singer's devoted nature, even though it may not be reciprocated. Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of heartbreak, longing, and unfulfilled love.
Line by Line Meaning
Os meus olhos são dois círios
My eyes are like two candles
Dando luz triste ao meu rosto
Shedding a sad light on my face
Marcado pelos martírios
Scarred by the hardships
Da saudade e do desgosto
Of longing and sorrow
Quando oiço bater trindades
When I hear the trinity bells tolling
E a tarde já vai no fim
And the evening is coming to an end
Eu peço às tuas saudades
I ask your memories
Um Padre-Nosso por mim
To say a Lord's Prayer for me
Mas não sabes fazer preces
But you don't know how to pray
Não tens saudade nem pranto
You have no longing, no tears
Porque é que tu me aborreces?
Why do you annoy me?
Porque é que eu te quero tanto?
Why do I want you so much?
Mas para meu desespero
But to my despair
Como as nuvens que andam altas
Like clouds that wander high
Todos os dias te espero
Every day I wait for you
Todos os dias me faltas
And every day you're absent
Contributed by Zachary H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rita Carmona
Os meus olhos são dois cirios
Dando luz triste ao meu rosto
Marcados pelos martírios
Da saudade e do desgosto
Quando oiço bater Trindades
E a tarde já vai no fim
Eu peço às tuas saudades
Um Padre Nosso por mim
Mas não sabes fazer preces
Não tens saudades nem pranto
Porque é que tu me aborreces?
Porque é que eu te amo tanto?
Mas para meu desespero
Como as nuvens que andam altas
Todos os dias te espero
Todos os dias me faltas.
Mario Moura
Sou descendente de um alferes de Portugal que no século 18 foi viver no Brasil. Ainda hoje levo o nome Moura! Talvez não têm nada a vêr com um e outro mas me encanto com sua voz e o fado de Portugal! Quem sabe, sômos familias distantes mas distante não estou da sua linda voz!
Artemisa Pedro
É uma emoção ao ouvir esta voz genial
Maria Estrela
Tem uma voz maravilhosa BJ🌹
nuno marques
Simplesmente BRILHANTE
Artemisa Pedro
É com grande emoção que.oiço esta voz maravilhosa...
Patricia Azevedo
Lindo demais!
Sempre ouvi fado quando criança. Quem diria agora estou em Portugal e amo fado. Nessa voz então. É uma emoção tamanha!!!!
Humberto Barbosa
Maravilhosamente cantado por Ana Moura. Sublime !
Gucio E
Uma grande artista que celebra Portugal no mundo com o seu canto de fado. Saudações da Polônia.
Slawomir.
Silvia Monteiro
O que posso dizer de tanto talento. Ouvir o Fado é simplismente majestoso. Lindo canto e a voz é de doer na alma. Parabéns a todos pela belíssima apresentação.
Maria Estrela
Grande fadista tem muito para dar uma das grandes vozes que temos no fado adoro ouvir a cantar muitas felicidades 🌹🌹🌹🌹