As of March 2019 I have sold out of all of these books and I do not intend to import anymore. I leave this information so players can know what is in each book.

You might be able to purchase these books online from Salao Musical de Lisboa in Portugal (www.salaomusical.com/en/

Fado Songbooks from Melodias de Sempre

Here are 4 songbooks of Portuguese fados. Three of the books feature Fados of Lisbon (Fados de Lisboa) and one book features Fados of Coimbra (Fados de Coimbra). There is another book from this series feauring the songs of Amalia Rodrigues which is described on another of my webpages (see the link at the bottom of the page).

These hard-to-find books are a series from Melodias de Sempre by Manuel Resende. Senhor Resende lives on Madeira Island where for many years he has written out and published hundreds of pieces of Portuguese popular, folklore and fado music. I have known about Manuel Rezende's books for a number of years but only in Spring of 2009 was I able to establish a direct contact with him to purchase his books.

These books include the melody line of the piece, the chord names (in Portuguese) and the original words in Portuguese. The melodies and chords of these transcriptions are accurately transcribed. The pieces collected in these books are among the best known fados ever recorded. Please note that there is some duplication of titles in these books.

These are legal songbook because royalties have been paid through the Society of Portuguese Authors. I mention this because many people think that all fados are part of the public domain and not protected by copyright laws. While there are some very old fados from the 19th century many of the well known fados have been composed since the 1930's. The current law in Portugal protects the composer's copyright for 70 years after the death of the composer.

FADOS Book 30 contains 23 songs: Fado Amália, Coimbra é uma lição de amor (known as April in Portugal in English), Não venhas tarde, Samaritana, Adeus Mouraria, Ó tempo volta p´ra trás, Novo Fado da Severa, Fado Vitória (Povo que lavas no rio), Até que a voz me doa, Nem ás paredes confesso, Júlia Florista, Foi Deus, Fadinho da Tia Maria Benta, Que Deus me perdoe, Tudo isto é fado, Maria se fores ao baile, Canoa do Tejo, Dia de Páscoa, Ai Mouraria, Regresso, Rosina dos limões, Fado Hilário, Balada da despedida.

FADOS Book 33 contains 23 songs: Canção do Mar, Canto o fado, Cartas de Amor, A Tendinha, Lisboa a Noite, Fado da Sina, Fado de Santa Clara, Igreja de Santa Clara, Feiticeira, Fado de Santa Cruz, Alcobaça, Fado das Caldas, Lisboa Antigua, Lisboa menina e moça, Fado do Marialva, Dá-me o braço ana d'aí, Fado Malhoa, Á meia noite ao luar, Confesso, É locura, Maria da Cruz, Vou dar de beber a dor.

FADOS Book 35 contains 23 songs: Fado de Vila Franca, O Fado mora em Lisboa, Cavalo Russo, Canoa do Tejo, Fado corrido, Como é bom gostar d'alguém, Estudantina Portuguesa, Fado do Ciúme, Fado das Caravelas, Mariana, Fado do Ribatejo, Madalena arrependida, Anda comigo, Ando tão triste, Canção das fogueiras, Só a Noitinha, Feia, Meu alentejo, Grão de arroz, Madrogoa, Na minha aldeia, Oiça lá ó senhor vinho.

FADOS de COIMBRA Book 37 contains 20 songs: Coimbra é uma lição de amor, Balada da despedida, Saudades de Coimbra, Um Fado de Coimbra, Amor de estudante, Balada da Velha Sé, Fado de Santa Clara, Maria se fores ao baile, Capa negra rosa negra, A meia noite ao luar, Fado Santa Cruz, Samaritana, Fado da despedida do 6º ano médico de 1961/62, Contos velhinhos, Menina e Moça, Feiriceria, Fado das Praias, O sol anda lá no Ceu, Canto a chorar, Fado para um amor ausente. SOLD OUT