Wonderful article, Pamela! Thank you for sharing... On Tue, 15 Aug 2023, 05:16 Pamela D'Mello, <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi Vivek, > > Found your column on the Fado de Goa most interesting, since this is > exactly what Delfim Correia da Silva and Sonia Shirsat envisaged with the > project --- a new imagining of the form. As they went about making it > happen, tracked here.... > > > https://scroll.in/magazine/856464/portuguese-fado-songs-about-love-longing-and-the-sea-are-making-a-comeback-in-goa > > Interesting to see it unfold.... > > Best, > Pamela > > On Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 1:42 AM Helga Do Rosario Gomes < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Excellent article, Vivek! >> My dear friend Sonali Salkar from Vasco once sent me a video of her then >> 15 year old daughter singing the fado and your article captures how I felt >> when I heard her sing. >> Yes Madragoa stands out as one of the many creative cultural >> places/events that Goans are creating along with the recent campal >> festival, Victor Hugo’s goa chitra, Serendipity etc. >> I read somewhere that the Portuguese fado scene has also changed a lot >> with younger fado singers changing the style (although I don’t know the >> details) but it always give me joy to hear Mariza, a Mocambiquean >> Portuguese. >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> > On Aug 13, 2023, at 09:52, V M <[email protected]> wrote: >> > >> > https://www.heraldgoa.in/Cafe/Celebrating-The-New-Fado-de-Goa/208865 >> > >> > By now we are accustomed to being blown away by the musical genius of >> > Sonia Shirsat, who has traversed an improbable journey from Ponda and >> > Panjim to become a truly spectacular fado singer, and one of the >> > foremost global ambassadors of this iconic Islamic-African-Iberian art >> > form. But now, even more incredible and unprecedented, an entire >> > generation of new fadistas is developing from India’s smallest state >> > to rewrite the genre in an emergent style all their own. Last weekend >> > at Panjim’s wonderful Madragoa (cipagoa.com/madragoa) – the world’s >> > first casa de fado and mando is itself totally unique – some of these >> > young stars-in-the-making rocked the house with absolutely brilliant >> > style and substance that must be experienced to be believed. >> > >> > Make no mistake: this is no renascença or any kind of nostalgic >> > hangover from the past. Instead, what is happening with fado in Goa is >> > considerably more interesting and important, as post-colonial 21st >> > century Indians have reinvented the musical form in ways that never >> > existed before. It’s the result of almost two decades of selfless >> > dedication by the great diva Sonia, and master instrumentalists Carlos >> > Meneses and Orlando de Noronha along with other notables. Thanks to >> > them – and probably to the surprise of the Portuguese - the venerable >> > SPIC MACAY has confirmed fado as an authentic musical genre of India. >> > >> > Fado de Goa is different in crucial ways which were on display at >> > Madragoa when 27-year-old Nadia Rebelo and 23-year-old Sherwyn Correia >> > took centre-stage in the absence of Sonia (who is travelling). Both >> > singers showed terrific vocal chops when they first emerged some years >> > ago, but no one could have predicted how much they would grow as >> > artists since then – first-rate in each solo, and utterly dazzling in >> > their duet. The audience viscerally understood it was something very >> > special, and when I shared the video on Facebook, that feeling was >> > immediately confirmed from the original home of fado, via Susana >> > Sardo, the acclaimed professor of ethnomusicology at University of >> > Aveiro who is also the Cunha Rivara Chair at Goa University: >> > “Everything is magnificent. It's a beautiful experience to hear fado >> > being performed like this.” >> > >> > Sardo is an outstanding expert on Goan musical culture, who began her >> > research here 36 years ago. Looking back, she says “there were very >> > few venues available for enjoying music, and the tourism industry was >> > also just taking its first steps. Consequently, hotels used to engage >> > the services of the four established musical groups: the Grupo >> > Folclórico de Panjim led by Timóteo Fernandes, Grupo de Fanquito >> > Martins, Goa Cultural Group - under the leadership by Mimoso Gonçalves >> > -, and another group organized by Athos Fernandes. The touristic >> > venues were limited to the Hotel Mandovi (established in 1952), Fort >> > Aguada Beach Resort (established in 1972), Hotel Cidade de Goa >> > (established in 1982), and the touristic boat journey along the >> > Mandovi.” >> > >> > This is important: “back in 1987, the performance of music within >> > domestic settings, such as rituals, family gatherings, and parties, >> > remained quite common, making public performances somewhat >> > unnecessary. However, over the course of the past 36 years, >> > significant changes have occurred. The traditional music that once >> > thrived in domestic contexts (like mando, dulpod, deknni, fugddi, >> > dhalo, etc.) has now become almost marginal, leading to its resurgence >> > in public settings through dynamic processes like festivalization >> > (more than 50 Festivals between September and April), revivification, >> > and revivalism. Concurrently, a multitude of independent musical >> > projects have emerged, covering the jazz scene, popular music, and >> > even Western art music. In the present day, Goa's music scene, >> > although primarily staged, conveys tremendous vibrancy. The query of >> > "why" compels us to embark on a more profound analysis of the >> > situation... yet, this should not be disregarded as a crucial example >> > of how music can instigate transformations within society.” >> > >> > I am grateful to Prof. Sardo for her most generous responses to my >> > emailed inquiries following our mutual delight over the Madragoa >> > performances, including this analysis of our homegrown style: “Goa's >> > interpretation of fado features innovative expressions, such as the >> > captivating experiment of Fado Raga led by Sonia Shirsat, as well as >> > fado performed in Konkani. This interplay between canonical fado and >> > various musical traditions and languages signals a remarkable vitality >> > and serves as a testimony that fado can transcend its colonial >> > origins. Moreover, Fado de Goa now boasts singers from diverse >> > religious backgrounds. The presence of talented Hindu women performing >> > fado is particularly noteworthy and serves as a powerful indication of >> > how music can pave the way for coexistence and social transformation.” >> > >> > This is another important point, which reminded me of a previous fado >> > performance by Hindustani-classical-trained vocalist Anupama >> > Prabhudesai at an event organised by Sonia Shirsat, followed by her >> > daughters Srushti (23) and Swaara (20). Earlier this week, the elder >> > Ms. Prabhudesai told me that “none of us were even aware of this genre >> > of music. I am trained and still continue to train in Hindustani >> > Classical Music (vocals) but when my older daughter was studying in >> > Loyola Higher Secondary School, they had organized the Lusophone >> > festival and that is when we got the opportunity to listen to Sonia >> > Shirsat render very soulful fados. I was so mesmerized by her voice >> > and the melodies. Soon after, we heard that there was going to be a >> > workshop by Sonia, and this was the beginning of our journey. I was >> > drawn to Fado because I found it to be similar to Ghazals. Both are >> > extremely expressive forms of music. Just as Hindustani classical >> > brings peace to my mind and soul, Fado too takes me into a different >> > world. The melodies and the style of singing is what touches my >> > heart.” >> > >> > This testimony is another meaningful reminder of just how important >> > Sonia Shirsat has been, and why she fully deserves the Padma Shri and >> > every other honour that India can award her. Sardo says “she doesn't >> > merely sing fado; she embodies it. However, Sonia is not only an >> > immensely talented performer; she's also a remarkably creative artist >> > with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. She continually seeks to >> > expand her horizons [and] what sets Sonia apart is her willingness to >> > share the fado tradition with others, a remarkable trait. In this >> > pursuit, she established the world's first school of fado. It's >> > intriguing to note that there has never been a formal school of fado >> > in Portugal, making this situation quite peculiar. For those seeking >> > to learn fado, the most promising avenue may well be to journey to >> > Goa!” >> > >> > How often does history take such mind-bending twists? And, what >> > compelled this distinguished Portuguese professor of music to >> > spontaneously exult over a fado performance in farway Panjim? Sardo >> > told me that “I had an immediate reaction to that specific video >> > because I listened for the first time to a fado sung in a polyphonic >> > way. The experience was simply incredible! At Madragoa, we are >> > witnessing highly innovative and significant shifts in both mando and >> > fado. The choired profile of mando sets it apart entirely from other >> > musical traditions in India but now Sonia is taking mando in a new >> > direction, transitioning it into a monodic song, which is fascinating. >> > Yet, when I hear Nadia and Sherwyn harmonizing fado in two voices, I >> > can't help but think: they cannot resign polyphony! This, in a certain >> > way, charts a creative and compelling path towards a decolonialized >> > form of Goan fado.” >> > >> > By happy circumstance at Madragoa, I was sitting in the same row as >> > Goan-American scholar Nicole-Ann Lobo, whose doctoral studies at >> > Princeton University focus on the great Saligao-born artist FN Souza. >> > Last year, she wrote a beautiful essay on the pioneering jazz musician >> > Amancio da Silva, which contains this fine meditation on her identity: >> > “A spirit of cosmopolitan cultural exchange encapsulate[s] the very >> > essence of what it means to be Goan. After all, Goa is almost >> > indisputably one of the most important sites of the East-West >> > confluence in history. Goans have long been described as “cultural >> > brokers,” and though often sidelined to support an alternative >> > narrative to support nationalist impulses, myriads of Goans in the >> > arts are responsible for many of the most cutting-edge developments in >> > “Indian culture” of the twentieth century.” >> > >> > All that was written – and theorized – from afar. Now, with feet >> > firmly on the ground in her ancestral homeland, this sparkling >> > 26-year-old told me that “I am thrilled that a place like Madragoa >> > exists. From the moment I entered, the atmosphere felt jubilant, ripe >> > with anticipation. At our particular moment of cultural >> > homogenization, I understand why art forms often dismissed as outdated >> > or slandered as mere colonial legacies are so intentionally cultivated >> > by the communities to whom they have historically belonged. But I >> > don't think anyone who was at Madragoa could describe the performance >> > or atmosphere as anachronistic. In fact, it felt deeply of our moment >> > - the timelessness of fado and mando given new life.” >> > >> > -- >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. >> > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >> an email to [email protected]. >> > To view this discussion on the web, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAN1wPW6GTbzD6%2B9Lgb%3DZ0yne0muv%2B%2BohSmN95hmpDPjP73aQFA%40mail.gmail.com >> . >> > <113E77C.jpg> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Goa-Research-Net" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion on the web, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/8CF2FCF2-D170-448E-AEBF-D2B70F03E152%40gmail.com >> . >> > > > -- > Pamela D'Mello > https://goajournal.in/ > https://muckrack.com/pamela-dmello-1317087 > http://pameladmello.wordpress.com > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Goa-Research-Net" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CA%2B7dsH9symDFabYGTYavBqroDzr%2B69xA1-jsp4qJbVd%2BSsJA-w%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CA%2B7dsH9symDFabYGTYavBqroDzr%2B69xA1-jsp4qJbVd%2BSsJA-w%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. 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