Traditional and folk music
The Azores' traditional music is an omnipresent soundscape, contributing greatly to the beauty of the region. In the vocal realm, cantigas ao desafio or repentes are popular forms of expression at many festivals. A sort of jousting of sung and improvised dialogues, they deal with everyday life, often in a very caustic way. Social problems are discussed, injustices denounced, island values celebrated, history and religion evoked. Most of the singers are from the grassroots, their language simple and direct, but not without criticism of a formal society that often denies them a voice. Very often, these judgments are declaimed in a satirical tone, forcing the repentista (the singer of repente) to have a great capacity for improvisation to give wit to his words.
Cantigas ao desafio are particularly popular during theDivino Espírito Santo (Holy Spirit) celebrations, which take place on Sundays from Easter to Trinity and are full of color and music, as well as during the Sanjoaninas (St. John) celebrations. Lasting ten days in June, the latter is one of the archipelago's biggest secular festivals, and takes place on the island of Terceira. It's an opportunity to admire processions, popular marches, exhibitions, musical performances and many other events - including the famous touradas a corda.
Still on the purely vocal front, Terceira's velhas ("old ladies") are heard making fun of the elderly and their late-night romances; like the repentes, they are highly improvised and staged at popular festivals. Finally, it is also important to underline the influence of Gregorian chants in the musical expression of the Azores.
It's impossible to discuss the music of the Azores without mentioning its traditional instrument, the viola de arame, more commonly known as the viola da terra. Almost the symbol of the archipelago - it can be found on all nine islands - this typical guitar can be recognized by the two hearts that often adorn it. With its 21 frets and 12 strings, some made of steel and others of brass, this little instrument emits a sound that is uniquely its own. It's played on any occasion, for pleasure or work. In Terceira, there's even a special version with 12, 15 or 18 strings. Other instruments are also very present in Azorean folklore, such as the violin, banjo, mandolin or cavaquinho (small guitar), drums or tambourines(pandeiro), testos (cymbals) or the more rare or circumstantial ferrinhos (metal triangles).
From the 1950s onwards, folk artists and groups began to collect, perform and promote great folk tunes, ensuring their transmission and contributing to the survival of the Azorean musical identity. Among the most important are Myrica Faya, a group from Terceira, and Carlos Moniz, whose album Temas Populares dos Açores is an excellent overview of local music.
Popular music
Over the generations, the archipelago has seen the birth of many artists who have become popular in Portuguese song. Starting with Zeca Medeiros, whose compositions are strongly influenced by his island of birth (São Miguel) and his work as a film director; friend and collaborator of the latter, Luís Alberto Bettencourt, who became famous for mixing jazz and traditional music, as well as composing soundtracks for the cinema; and another star much appreciated by the Portuguese diaspora, Jorge Ferreira, who now lives in the United States and has been appointed ambassador of Portuguese music in Atlantic City.
The Fado
Although far from the mainland, the Azores are nonetheless a region of Portugal in their own right, where, as in the rest of the country, fado is played and listened to. Originating in the Portuguese metropolis - especially Lisbon and Coimbra - fado expresses that uniquely Portuguese feeling known as saudade. Steeped in melancholy, nostalgia and hope (the essence of saudade), fado has made a place for itself in the archipelago, adapting to the soul of the place. One of the great Azorean fado performers is Fernando Machado Soares (1930-2014). Poet, singer and composer, he exported Fado to the United States in the 1960s - accompanying the Orfeon Académico de Coimbra on tour - and in 2006 was awarded the Amália Rodrigues prize "for the excellence of his artistic career and his dedication to others".
If serendipity often proves the best guide to finding Fado (as in Lisbon), it is common to hear it live in some of the archipelago's restaurants, such as Casa do Bacalhau or Café Canto do Caís in São Miguel, and dedicated venues such as the Taberna do Fado in Angra do Heroísmo.
Classical music
All Portuguese heritage aside, there is no scholarly musical tradition specific to the Azores. That said, it is important to mention two great figures linked to the island. The first is Francisco de Lacerda (1869-1934). A great conductor, he left behind a large body of work, including the symphonic Almourol e Álcacer and a series of pieces for voice and piano, the Trovas, inspired by Portuguese popular music, and more specifically that of the Azores. One of the most emblematic figures of Portuguese music and culture of his time, he achieved international recognition. The second is Maurício Bensaúde, a Portuguese operatic baritone with an international career that has taken him to the stages of Rome, Milan, New York, London, Berlin and Paris.
The archipelago has a number of interesting venues for music lovers, including Ponta Delgada's Coliseu Micaelense, considered to be São Miguel's "Opera House". This superb building, dating back to 1917 and beautifully renovated, hosts a number of often grandiose performances by internationally renowned artists. Terceira also owes its reputation as a "cultural" island - as well as a party island - to its numerous philharmonic orchestras, such as the Sociedade Filarmónica União Católica da Serra da Ribeirinha and the Sociedade Philharmonic Recreio dos Lavradores da Ribeirinha, both located in Angra and quite dynamic.
The dance
In the Azores, there are many traditional dances, performed differently depending on the key, such as the charamba, the Azorean dance par excellence, or the mangericão, sapateia, chamarrita (a kind of fusion of fandango and waltz, still very popular), pezinho (one of the oldest in the archipelago), tanchão, tirana (characteristic of the central and western islands), rema, etc. Most follow a slow rhythm, very specific to the archipelago, denoting religious and mystical influences. Most of them follow a slow, archipelago-specific rhythm, reflecting religious and mystical influences. Sometimes reinterpreted for a younger audience, these dances can gain in liveliness. Most Azorean dances originated on the mainland, with substantial modifications. For example, the mané chiné is a typical 19th-century Algarve dance that has become a Flores tradition.
Danças de Entrudo, Terceira's Mardi Gras, is a particularly impressive event, and the Carnival of Graciosa, on the island of the same name, is a popular and colorful celebration.
