Gismonti began his formal music studies at the age of six on piano. After studying classical music for 15 years, he went to Paris to study orchestration and analysis with Nadia Boulanger and the composer Jean Barraqué, a disciple of Arnold Schönberg and Anton Webern. After his return to Brazil, Gismonti began to explore other musical genres. He was attracted by Maurice Ravel's approach to orchestration and chord voicings, as well as by choro, a Brazilian instrumental popular music featuring various types of guitars. In order to play this music he learned to play guitar, beginning on the 6-string classical instrument and switching to a ten-stringed guitar in 1973. He spent two years experimenting with different tunings and searching for new sounds. This exploration of timbre is further reflected in his use of kalimbas, shō, voice, bells, etc. By the early '70s, he had laid the groundwork for his current style which incorporated elements drawn from musicians as wide-ranging as Django Reinhardt and Jimi Hendrix. In the 1970s and 1980s he collaborated several times with Naná Vasconcelos recording for ECM. Some best-selling albums such as the Brazilian released eponymous Egberto Gismonti were never officially released in the US.
Memória e fado
Egberto Gismonti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quando o dia amanhecia
No espelho
Vinha um medo desse gosto morto do passado
Mergulhado na memória
Eu não queria que a vida findasse no abismo desse quarto
Amargando amargurada solidão
Na memória do espelho
Como um fado
Teço o fio do meu sonho cheio de mistério
Um rosário de silêncio
E a minha boca fechada com medo das sombras desses anjos
Que se foram e não voltam nunca mais
The lyrics to Egberto Gismonti's song "Memória e fado" discuss the pain of letting go of the past and the fear of facing the unknown future. The singer expresses regret and sadness for the way things have turned out and wishes for life to be different. The dream represents a hope of escaping the monotony of the present and the fear of being stuck in the past. However, each day brings more pain and a reflection of the past which can only compound the fear and regret.
The mirror represents the singer's own self-reflection and how the past continues to haunt them. The taste of the past is like a stale and bitter memory that cannot be forgotten. The singer longs for a life that does not end in a lonely abyss or the depths of a dark room. It is the singer's belief that the hour is being drained by the memories held in the mirror, stealing away the present moment. The fado, a music style popular in Portugal, is a metaphor for the singer's life. Like a fado, life can be full of mysteries and silenced emotions. The singer's fear of shadows and the angels that have long since passed away reveal a longing for a connection to the past but an inability to reconcile with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Por que o sonho terminava
Why did the dream end?
Quando o dia amanhecia
When the day was dawning
No espelho
In the mirror
Vinha um medo desse gosto morto do passado
A fear came of that dead taste of the past
Mergulhado na memória
Immersed in memory
Eu não queria que a vida findasse no abismo desse quarto
I didn't want life to end in the abyss of that room
Amargando amargurada solidão
Bitterly suffering loneliness
Por que a hora se esvazia
Why does the hour empty itself
Na memória do espelho
In the mirror's memory
Como um fado
Like a fado
Teço o fio do meu sonho cheio de mistério
I weave the thread of my dream full of mystery
Um rosário de silêncio
A rosary of silence
E a minha boca fechada com medo das sombras desses anjos
And my mouth closed with fear of the shadows of those angels
Que se foram e não voltam nunca mais
Who have gone and will never return
Writer(s): Egberto Gismonti
Contributed by Jayce W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ирина Белянкина
Очень красиво,! Исполнено замечательно! Спасибо, вам за такую музыку!
Roberto Bernardini
Thanks!!
David Fleuchaus
Beautiful. (Composition & performance)
Have you tried improvising melodies for these chords? I’m just starting to. Difficult. But I think it will be worth it. Perhaps instead I’ll write 2-4 new melody lines. If I do I’ll record it all and post in on YouTube and let you know here! Wish me luck!
Great job. I really enjoyed listening yo your playing. And what a wonderful composition. Egberto. There’s no one like him.
Benji Kaplan
Linda homenagem! sempre adorei essa canção do Egberto
Roberto Bernardini
Muito obrigado!
luthier Sousa Paiva
Linda interpretação
Márcia Braga
Bonita interpretação. Com quem você está tocando?
Roberto Bernardini
Bom dia Márcia obrigado! Gravei todos os dois violões! na minha página você também encontrará a versão para violão solo!
sidney pasquarelli
Splendido!
M. R.
Oui très beau...