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

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergove ...

, 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.

References

Alentejo Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Portuguese styles of music Portuguese words and phrases {{Portugal-stub

See also

References