Playing the Lisbon Portuguese
Guitarra by Ronald Louis Fernandez (continued)Section15c. Açoreana
Bonita. Words and Chords Shown below. Composed in 1972 by
Artur Gaipo. Released on an 45 rpm EP entitled Uma Guitarra Nos
Açores.
The words and music for this song was composed by Artur Gaipo in
1972 while living in Montreal. He located Adriano Pereira, who had
immigrated from the Azores to sing the song for a professional
recording. Adriano had a wonderful full voice. A local business man
in the Portuguese immigrant community, António Mota, funded a
recording session at RCA Studios in Montreal and then had the
records pressed. This was released in a small quantity by Mil
Records, 4068 Blvd. St. Laurent, Montreal.
Artur Gaipo played the lead melody on a cypress back Lisbon style
Portuguese guitar. Fernando Rocha played a second part on a
Brazilian Rosewood Lisboa style Guitarra. Ronald Fernandez (the
present writer) played the Portuguese viola part on a Miguel
Rodriguez Flamenco Guitar and José Marques played a bass part on a
bass guitar made by Artur Gaipo.
Recently (2022) Rosa Cartwright, originally from Northern Portugal
who had lived in the Azores, helped transcribe the words. She lived
in Montreal when Artur lived and performed there. Daniel Gouveia,
the composer of Fado Daniel, publisher, fine editor and fado scholar
also helped with the transcription. I mention these two people
because they are both native Portuguese speakers and I am not.
Their transcriptions were very close but there were few differences.
I want to thank them both.
Here are a few points about this song.
The title uses an old spelling (Açoreana) of the now standard
Açoriana.
The 2nd line of the 3rd verse may have originally been "De raça
portuguesa" but it could be "De graça portuguesa". I hear it as
graça, but Daniel transcribed it as raça and Rosa seem unsure but
thought graça was prettier. Knowing Artur as I did and understanding
the time he came from I think it might have been raça. I explain all
of this so any singer can make their own decision about this
ambiguity.
While the title means Beautiful Acorean Girl the song is really
about the beauty of the Azores Islands. I like this uncertainty of
the meaning
Here are the words with chord symbols. The verse of the song starts
in the key of A minor and for the chorus modulates to the key of A
Major. There is a nice chromatic chord sequence (A, G#, G, F#) which
is played between the 2nd and 3rd lines of the chorus.
AÇOREANA BONITA
(Verse)
Am Dm
Açoreana bonita
E7
Airosa e catita
Am
De graça serena
Dm
Teus olhos de romã
E
São como uma manhã
E7
A
De sol ou um poema
---------------
( Chorus)
A
Açores
Terra dos meus amores
A G# G F#
Jardins cheios de flores
F#7
Bm F#7 Bm
Nunca te esquecerei
Açores
E7
A
Tantos cravos e rosas
D
Raparigas airosas
E7
A
Terra onde me criei
---------------
(Verse)
Am
Dm
Negros são teus olhos
E7
Com graça aos molhos
Am
Que prendem os meus
Dm
Que loucos desejos
E
Eu tenho ensejos
E7 A
Dos lábios teus
----------------
(Repeat the chorus)
-----------------
(Verse)
Am
Dm
És linda por natureza
E7
De raça (graça) portuguesa
Am
Como tu não há igual
Dm
Só teu nome dá glória
E
Porque estás na História
E7 A
Do nosso Portugal
-----------------------
(Repeat the chorus) To continue Portuguese
Guitarra Lesson, press here
