Cante Alentejano is a Portuguese
music genre
A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from ''musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are some ...
based on
vocal music
Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with musical instruments, instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which ...
without instrumentation from the
Alentejo
Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo'').
Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...
region. It was inscribed in 2014 in UNESCO's
, one of two
Portuguese music
Portuguese music includes many different styles and genres, as a result of its history. These can be broadly divided into classical music, traditional/folk music and popular music and all of them have produced internationally successful acts, with ...
traditions, the other being
Fado
Fado (; "destiny, fate") is a music genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably has much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar Rui Vieira Nery states that "the only reliable information on the history of fado was ...
.
Its origins come from a similar popular music genre created in the region of
Minde by
campino
A campino () is a cattle herder in the Portuguese region of Ribatejo.
Campinos work on horse-back, using a long pole (a ''pampilho'' or lance) to manage and direct the herd.
Campinos are also known for their distinctive attire, which consists o ...
s. It is said that the habit of singing without instruments was common in bullherding as a means to coordinate efforts among the campinos.
See also
*
Alentejo
Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo'').
Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...
*
Music of Portugal
Portuguese music includes many different styles and genres, as a result of its history. These can be broadly divided into classical music, traditional/folk music and popular music and all of them have produced internationally successful acts, with ...
References
Alentejo
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
Portuguese styles of music
Portuguese words and phrases
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