with a seasonal tinge—
and fieldwork as resistance to fascism

Our image of Portuguese music is so dominated by fado (see here and here) that it’s easy to forget the abundance of folk traditions in rural communities there.

Until recent decades Portugal was a very poor agricultural society. This useful channel leads to the complete films of Michel Giacometti (1929–90)—whose fieldwork, as Anne Caufriez describes, helped undermine Salazar’s fascist regime. *

The archive (mostly filmed from 1971 to 1974) is on YouTube, as well as a playlist of excerpts. As in China, major themes are work songs (The Land! e.g. 50—not forgetting fishing), solo and a cappella singing, and church festivals; drums and fifes, bagpipes; stick-dances (e.g. 51, from São Martinho de Angueira) recall our much-maligned Morris dancing. Of particular note are the regions of Trás os Montes in the northeast, and the Alentejo. Here’s a compilation of religious music (45):

Mainly from the ritual repertoires, a few highlights:

• In the Alentejo, the village of Venda holds the Festa da Santa Cruz (2–4) in May to celebrate spring (cf. Maggio in Tuscany, under Italy: folk musicking). This introduction refers to major studies by Morais and Fitas.

The group that goes down towards the crossroads is led by the Mordoma, dressed in white and carrying in her hands the Holy Cross, decorated with gold lent by the residents; the group that goes up to the meeting place is led by the Madanela, dressed in black and carrying in her hands a cloth with the face of Christ crowned with thorns. Both comprise a central female figure, two godmothers, four female singers with tambourines, and three male rifle-shooters. After the “meeting” of the Cross and the Cloth, they come together (beijo, “kiss”) to form a single group going up the village. Once at the Casinha da Cruz, Madanela and Mordoma present the Cross together. The next day, the Cross will leave the Casinha, remaining in the Mordoma’s house until the following year.

• Romaria festivals (43), including that of São João no Rosmaninhal on 24th June (35).
• Nativity singers of Alpalhão (23–5); around Portalegre, Castelo Branco, Beja and Faro (30, 31), the cycle of Janeiras and Rios songs for the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany, as well as the choral Oração das Almas in São Bento do Ameixial (9, 10).
• The tamborileiros of Baixo Alentejo (17–22):

• This documentary features a surreal viola (from 3.45):

From the same era is this programme in the Rito y geografia del cante series, featured in my second post on flamenco.

Given the belated economic progress of the last half-century, I suppose this counts as salvage ethnomusicology—some of these traditions were already in decline, but others prove resilient amidst change (cf. Musics lost and found).

* * *

Some audio recordings of note include Musical traditions of Portugal (Smithsonian, 1988), and Tras-os-Montes: chants du Blé et cornemuses de berger (Ocora, 1978)—here’s a track:

See also my post on bagpipes in my unlikely series on Euro 24. In the Trás os Montes region, the bagpipe tradition continues to adapt:

For more leads, try the useful surveys in Songlines and The Rough Guide to world music.

For more European folk traditions on film, see e.g. my flamenco series; cf. Musical cultures of East Europe. See also Calendrical rituals, and The ritual calendar: cycles and seasons.

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* Someone must have pondered this, but I wonder how such fieldwork tangibly helps further the revolution. As in Yellow Earth, it might merely depress the visitor at the enormity of “backward” thinking—not least conservative religious values—among the people they hope to help. See also Taranta: poverty and orientalism.