[Culturechat] Culture moment: what Fado unlocks
Marilee Taussig
marilee.taussig@untours.com
Tue, 6 May 2003 08:46:16 -0400
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_00EF_01C313AB.F50FE1E0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I promised I would start posting some "culture moments" from my trip to =
Portugal and Spain, before they fade away from my memory, so here goes: =
One of the most potent moments of this trip was during the hosted =
dinner that Idyll offers to Portuguese Untourists. Untourists gather at =
a "fado" club in the heart of Lisbon. Fado is a uniquely Portuguese =
genre music, extremely haunting, almost mournful, yet very spirited. It =
is said to have originated with the sailors and ladies of the night in =
the ports of this seafaring nation. It is very earthy and dramatic; you =
might call it the "poor man's opera". Idyll's dinner is in a good =
quality restaurant in Lisbon --sort of a dinner and floor show kind of =
set up. Nevertheless, to be honest, at the beginning, it felt a little =
too touristy for my taste. Most of the guests at the club were =
obviously tourists (Germans and Japanese,) mostly, in this particular =
case. I usually break out in hives at the mere thought of being in a =
typical tourist locale.=20
As it turned out, I happened to be seated at an angle that made it a =
little awkward to turn and look at the singers (who serenaded us =
throughout the dinner) so instead, when the voices would raise, I would =
just close my eyes and let the music go through me. What I discovered =
was that after 5 - 10 minutes of pure listening, that these "story =
songs" (they seem to all tell stories of lost love, tragedy and a =
yearning for something unattainable) whose language I could not =
understand and whose rhythms and harmony were not my normal taste in =
music, had succeeded in touching something very deep in me.=20
At one point I opened my eyes and saw a stout and sober looking German =
man whose seat happened in my line of vision. He had tears in his eyes. =
=20
The music touched something that transcends individual culture, I =
think. (But now that I consider it, what great music doesn't? ) =
Whether you like fado or not, I believe that if you truly listen to it, =
it has the power to find and surface whatever unnamed longing lies =
buried in you. Seeing this German tourist, whose appearance and =
demeanor would have put him last on my list of people capable of deep =
emotion -- on the surface he looked quite like a "stuffed shirt", to =
put it bluntly -- made me stop and check my own stereotypes at the =
door. Everyone has something that they remember, that they miss, that =
they will always feel the absence of. Fado seems to have the capacity =
to unlock it and let it come up into one's awareness.
So, in the midst of a typical tourist, rather artificial-feeling =
setting, some authentic strand of Portuguese culture remained intact. =
The music of fado showed me that buried in a very unique aspect of one =
particular culture is a direct line to something universal: the sense =
of loss and longing...a feeling that I would bet my bottom dollar is one =
that people in all parts of the planet feel. =20
As you head off to your Untours, don't forget to bring us home those =
moments where a glimpse into someone else's world helps you understand =
your own a little better. Happy travels,=20
Marilee =20
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Untours - Independent Travel With Support!
Tel.: 888-UNTOUR-1 Web: <http://www.untours.com>
Join IdyllChat, an email discussion group on European travel!
Visit: <www.untours.com/idyllchat/>
"Most Generous Company in America, 1999" awarded by Newman's
Own & George magazine. For information on the Idyll Development
Foundation, visit: <www.untours.com/idf>
------=_NextPart_000_00EF_01C313AB.F50FE1E0
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1170" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I promised I would start posting some =
"culture=20
moments" from my trip to Portugal and Spain, before they fade away from =
my=20
memory, so here goes: </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr style=3D"MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>One of the most potent =
moments of this trip=20
was during the hosted dinner that Idyll offers to Portuguese=20
Untourists. Untourists gather at a "<EM>fado</EM>" club in =
the=20
heart of Lisbon. <EM>Fado</EM> is a uniquely Portuguese genre =
music,=20
extremely haunting, almost mournful, yet very spirited. It is =
said to=20
have originated with the sailors and ladies of the night in the ports =
of this=20
seafaring nation. It is very earthy and dramatic; you might =
call it=20
the "poor man's opera". Idyll's dinner is in a good quality =
restaurant=20
in Lisbon --sort of a dinner and floor show kind of set =
up. =20
Nevertheless, to be honest, at the beginning, it felt a little too =
touristy=20
for my taste. Most of the guests at the club were obviously =
tourists=20
(Germans and Japanese,) mostly, in this particular case. I =
usually=20
break out in hives at the mere thought of being in a typical tourist =
locale.=20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>As it turned out, I happened to be =
seated at an=20
angle that made it a little awkward to turn and look at the singers =
(who=20
serenaded us throughout the dinner) so instead, when the voices would =
raise, I=20
would just close my eyes and let the music go through me. What I =
discovered was that after 5 - 10 minutes of pure listening, that these =
"story=20
songs" (they seem to all tell stories of lost love, tragedy and =
a=20
yearning for something unattainable) whose language I could not =
understand and=20
whose rhythms and harmony were not my normal taste in music, had =
succeeded in=20
touching something very deep in me. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>At one point I opened my eyes and saw =
a stout and=20
sober looking German man whose seat happened in my line of =
vision. =20
He had tears in his eyes. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The music touched something that =
transcends=20
individual culture, I think. (But now that I consider it, what =
great=20
music doesn't? ) Whether you like <EM>fado</EM> or not, I =
believe that=20
if you truly listen to it, it has the power to find and surface =
whatever=20
unnamed longing lies buried in you. Seeing this German tourist, =
whose=20
appearance and demeanor would have put him last on my list of people =
capable=20
of deep emotion -- on the surface he looked quite like a =
"stuffed=20
shirt", to put it bluntly -- made me stop and check my own =
stereotypes at the door. Everyone has something that they =
remember, that=20
they miss, that they will always feel the absence of. <EM>Fado=20
</EM>seems to have the capacity to unlock it and let it come up into =
one's=20
awareness.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>So, in the midst of a typical =
tourist, rather=20
artificial-feeling setting, some authentic strand of Portuguese =
culture=20
remained intact. The music of <EM>fado</EM> showed me =
that=20
buried in a very unique aspect of one particular culture is a direct =
line to=20
something universal: the sense of loss and =
longing...a=20
feeling that I would bet my bottom dollar is one that people in =
all parts=20
of the planet feel. </FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>As you head off to your Untours, don't =
forget to=20
bring us home those moments where a glimpse into someone else's world =
helps you=20
understand your own a little better. Happy travels, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Marilee =20
<BR>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D<BR>Untours -=20
Independent Travel With Support!<BR>Tel.: 888-UNTOUR-1 =
Web:=20
<<A =
href=3D"http://www.untours.com">http://www.untours.com</A>></FONT></DI=
V>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Join IdyllChat, an email discussion =
group on=20
European travel!<BR>Visit: <<A=20
href=3D"http://www.untours.com/idyllchat/">www.untours.com/idyllchat/</A>=
></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>"Most Generous Company in America, =
1999" awarded by=20
Newman's<BR>Own & George magazine. For information on the Idyll=20
Development<BR>Foundation, visit: <<A=20
href=3D"http://www.untours.com/idf">www.untours.com/idf</A>></FONT></D=
IV></BODY></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_00EF_01C313AB.F50FE1E0--