He was the son of Lucília do Carmo (one of the greatest fadistas of the 20th century) and Alfredo de Almeida, (bookseller and later entrepreneur in the hotel business). His parents were also the owners of the famous Lisbon restaurant "O Faia". One might say that Carlos do Carmo was raised in an artistic atmosphere. His parents' house in the old part of the city, Bairro Alto, was a place where intelectuals and artists gathered, some of the more prominent figures of Lisbon society at that time. He studied the hotel business in Switzerland. In 1964, Carlos do Carmo began one of the most solid careers in the artistic panorama of Portugal...
When he returned to Lisbon from Switzerland he entered the hotel business with his parents, and took the reigns of "Casa de Fado" which they had founded, using all of the ideas and techniques that he learned in Switzerland. After the death of his father, Carlos do Carmo became the owner, and thanks to his merits and good luck, made "Casa de Fado" the best in Lisbon. But music was ever present in him, and he recorded one of his mother's songs, "Loucura", at the request of Mário Simões almost on a lark. The success of this experience was so great that the destiny of Carlos do Carmo could not possibly be delayed a minute more. The opportunity to record his first album came quickly, and in 1964 he recorded " Estranha Forma de Vida". His way of singing was different, his personal style unmistakable, he was the one that fado was waiting for to carry on the tradition, and there was a certainty that a new star had been born. From that moment on, success was part of his life, each and every fado that he sang, every album he recorded, every performance he gave, corresponded with yet another hit. All of his albums up to the present day have been cherished and the sales of his television performances are now part of fado history, recognized for their high quality, and for the inovative spirit that each one transmits. "Por morrer uma andorinha", "Duas lágrimas de orvalho", "Bairro Alto", "Gaivota",
"Canoas do Tejo", "Os Putos", "Lisboa Menina e Moça" e "Estrela da Tarde", are some of the biggest hits of his career. Because of a desire to maintain a purely artistic career for such a long time, his artistic references include quite diverse artists as Frank Sinatra, Jaques Brel, Elis Regina and José Afonso. The international circulation of his work was driven, as he always likes to affirm, "By those Portuguese who leave my country in search of a better life, and who have passed my works in to the hands of entrepreneurs and cultural agents of the various countries where they reside".
He has sung on 5 continents, his performances at the "Olympia" in paris, the opera houses of Frankfurt and Wiesbaden, the Canecão in Rio de Janeiro, the "Savoy" in Helsinki, the Auditório Nacional in madrid, the Teatro da Rainha in Haia, the theater of Saint Petersburgh, the "Place des Arts" in Montreal, the Tivoli in Copenhagen, and the Memorial da América latina in São Paulo are some of the finest moments of his career. His performances throughout Portugal at the Mosteiro dos
Jerónimos, the Fundação Gulbenkian, the Coliseu dos Recreios, the Casino do Estoril,
and at the Centro Cultural de Belém make a difference in the cultural level of the country.
The number of honours and awards he has received to this day are innumerable, from being named an honorary citizen of the city of Rio De Janeiro, member of the honor of Claustro Ibero-Americano das Artes, to the diploma accorded him by the senate of Rhode Island in the U.S. for his contribution to the propagation of Portuguese music, to the golden globe. He also figures as a pioneer in the new Portuguese discography, due to his album "Um Homem no País", the first cd to be edited by an artist in Portugal.
Carlos do Carmo knows the importance of family life, he's been married since 1964 having 3 children, as fruit of this union, one daughter and 2 sons, who maintain a close relationship with him. It's not always easy to juggle life as a family man with the life of a world traveling artist. He persues the realization of this dream, because he considers the union of family to be important. He considers himself the first link in a chain of individual connections. He values being with friends, and enjoys making new friends, maintaining an high level of quality in his artistic life.
Carlos do Carmo is an artist who has certainly already attained some of his goals, aiming for a public who holds him in high esteem, great respect, apreciating in him not only his qualities as a musician, but also those of an artist interested in the evolution of the music of his homeland, and who believes in the evolution of man as a creature who can embrace the whole world in it's diversity.
Sonata De Outono
Carlos do Carmo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A sonata que bate no meu peito
Poeta distraído, cão sem dono
Até na própria cama em que me deito
Acordar é a forma de ter sono
O presente, o pretérito imprefeito
Mesmo eu de mim próprio me abandono
Morro de pé, mas morro devagar
A vida é afinal o meu lugar
E só acaba quando eu quiser
Não me deixo ficar... não pode ser
Peço meças ao sol, ao céu, ao mar
Pois viver é também acontecer
The lyrics to Carlos do Carmo's song "Sonata De Outono" describe the feeling of autumn that strikes the poet's heart like a sonata. Like a distracted poet or a stray dog, even in the bed he sleeps in, the poet is absorbed in the music that the autumn season seems to play in his heart. Although it is not yet winter, the poet's heart is filled with the melancholy of autumn, and he struggles to find meaning and purpose in his life.
The poet questions the way he lives his life, confessing that he often abandons himself, unable to respect the strictness that he owes himself. The lines "Morro de pé, mas morro devagar" (I die on my feet, but I die slowly) poetically express the fragility of human life, as the poet reflects on his own mortality. He acknowledges that life is temporary and that it will end one day, but he insists that he will not let himself give up. The poet concludes that life is not just about existing but also about experiencing, urging himself to measure his life against the sun, the sky, and the sea, for living is also happening.
Line by Line Meaning
Inverno não ainda, mas Outono
It's not yet winter, but autumn is here
A sonata que bate no meu peito
The sonata that beats in my chest
Poeta distraído, cão sem dono
Absent-minded poet, like a stray dog
Até na própria cama em que me deito
Even in the bed where I lay down
Acordar é a forma de ter sono
Waking up is a way to sleep
O presente, o pretérito imperfeito
The present, the imperfect past
Mesmo eu de mim próprio me abandono
Even I abandon myself
Se o rigor que me devo, não respeito
If I don't respect the discipline I owe myself
Morro de pé, mas morro devagar
I die standing up, but I die slowly
A vida é afinal o meu lugar
After all, life is my place
E só acaba quando eu quiser
And it only ends when I want it to
Não me deixo ficar... não pode ser
I don't let myself stay... it can't be
Peço meças ao sol, ao céu, ao mar
I measure myself against the sun, the sky, the sea
Pois viver é também acontecer
Because living is also about happening
Contributed by Xavier I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.