Songs in the shape of Abpril: the 25 of April and music with words for adults and for children

Abstract

One of the main instruments of democratic resistance to the fascist dictatorship of Salazar and Marcello Caetano, in Portugal, was the so-called canto de intervenção (protest songs). Preceded by composers and pioneer works, such as the Heróicas songs, by Lopes-Graça, these protest songs in Portugal are linked to several unavoidable names: José Afonso, Adriano Correia de Oliveira, Luís Cília, José Mário Branco, Sérgio Godinho, Fausto Bordalo Dias and other singers and songwriters. A striking feature of this musical expression of great political-cultural relevance was its connection to the written word, that is, to poetry (Camões, Pessoa, Carlos de Oliveira, Manuel da Fonseca, António Gedeão, Ary dos Santos, Manuel Alegre, Luís Pignatelli…). On the other hand, it can be said that the long and exhilarating days of the April Revolution of 1974, which would become known in history as the Carnation Revolution, were constantly punctuated by these songs of political commitment and criticism, in which the songwriters already mentioned and many others, from the following generation, were involved. The article seeks to describe this dynamic, from a mainly historical perspective, highlighting and characterizing the protagonists of this musical movement and the poets whose poems they set to music. Another aspect emphasized in the text is the fact that some of these singers and composers (Godinho, Barata-Moura, João Lóio and others), in whose music childhood, as a topic, was sometimes present, also made a relevant contribution to musical and literary renewal of the songs for children in Portugal.