Desgarrada | |
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A Desgarrada in Castro Daire, in 2011. | |
Other names | Cantares ao Desafio; Cantigas ao Desafio; Cantigas à Desgarrada |
Stylistic origins | Galician-Portuguese lyric |
Cultural origins | Medieval northern Portugal |
Typical instruments | |
Derivative forms | |
Regional scenes | |
Northern Portugal |
Desgarrada is a popular song from northern Portugal, in which singers improvise, challenge and respond to each other, usually to the sound of a concertina.[1][2] In addition to the name Desgarradas, they are also called Cantares ao Desafio,[3] Cantigas ao Desafio[4] or Cantigas à Desgarrada.[5]
The term is also used to characterise a form of fado interpretation, in this case with Portuguese guitar and viola accompaniment, with well-known interpreters such as Fernando Maurício[6] or Vicente da Câmara .[7] Among the artists who recorded desgarradas we can find names such as Quim Barreiros,[8] Zé Amaro ,[9] Augusto Canário,[10] or even Rosinha or Jorge Ferreira, who visited this genre several times.[11]
Linked to festive occasions, such as romarias, fairs, desfolhadas,[4] or at singer gatherings,[3] desgarradas can eventually be heard all over Portugal,[2] although the traditions are deepest in Trás-os-Montes, Minho provinces, Douro Litoral and Beira Alta.[12]
In desgarradas, for several minutes,[12] themes such as mockery, love, hatred, faith and charity are addressed,[3] improvising the rhymes and responding, preferably in a jocular way, to the other singer. Desgarradas have troubadourian origins.[2]
In 2005, the "cantares ao desafio" and the galician "regueifas" were part of the "Galician-Portuguese oral tradition" application to UNESCO for Intangible Cultural Heritage status,[13] however it was rejected due to the application being deemed as "too broad".[14]