Portugal

The devastating earthquake of 1755 created a touristic hotspot: the photogenic ruin of the gothic Carmo monastery. Here worked Portugal‘s most renowned baroque composer Manuel Cardoso (1566-1650) from 1588 until his death. Other important composers of that time were Duarte Lobo (1565-1646) and the organist Manuel Rodrigues Coelho (1555-1635), composer of the printed collection Flores de Música. The earthquake erased their traces, including those of Domenico Scarlatti, who worked at the Lisbon court from 1719 until 1728.

Lisbon‘s opera tradition goes back to the 1730s but, as the other theatres, the magnificent Teatro dos Paços de Ribeira was destroyed by the earthquake of 1755, seven months after its opening. Later theatres from 1771 and 1785 were demolished. The present opera theatre was built in 1793 and has 1148 seats; the architect was José de Costa e Silva. After a period of decline it was reopened in 1940. Today it is also used as a concert hall for its choir and the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa.

The 18th century Monteiro-Mor palace houses since 1985 the theatre and dance museum with a collection of decors, costumes, photos etc. and a rich library.

Fine collection of Western musical instruments in a modern ambiance: the atrium of the Metro station Alto dos Moinhos. www.museunacionaldamusica.pt

The Conservatory in 1835 took up the music educational activities of the Seminário Pariarchal (est. in 1713), where the prominent composer João de Sousa Carvalho had worked as teacher from 1767 until his death in 1798. (Its building could not be traced; see engraving.) The first director of the new conservatory was the composer João Domingos Bomtempo (1775-1842), who also had founded the Sociedade Philarmónica in 1822 and thus organised the first public concerts. His portrait is in the concert hall.

Two Bomtempo addresses are given, which however could not be verified: his birthplace at Largo de São Roque 55 and a later house at Rua das Chagas 2.

Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869-1955) was an oil tycoon of Armenian origin who became a great Maecenas, art collector and philanthropist. He died in Lisbon. The Gulbenkian Foundation has its headquarters here, built in 1969; it includes a concert hall with very good acoustics and an own orchestra and chorus. Besides it contains a science institute, a permanent exhibition of Gulbenkian‘s extremely rich art collection and an Armenian Communities Department, aiding Armenia and diasporan Armenians. https://gulbenkian.pt/musica/en

This Culture Centre was built in 1992 (architects Vittorio Gregatti and Manuel Salgado) on the occasion of Portugal‘s presidency of the EU. It contains among others halls for opera, ballet and concerts.

The former pump house of Lisbon‘s waterworks houses since 1998 the museum of the poetic, melancholical song tradition of Lisbon: the Fado. It illustrates its history, legendary performers, instruments. There is also a documentation centre, a Fado school and a restaurant. www.museudofado.pt At nr. 15 in the same street there is the Fado restaurant Taverna d´el Rey, with performances every night from 6pm to 3am. It is one of the fourteen Casas de Fado in Lisbon (ask the tourist office).

The most famous Fado singer was Amalia Rodigues (1920-99). In her house is a museum with personal belongings, souvenirs, recordings and documents from her career.

Grave of Amalia Rodrigues. The 17th century church of Santa Engrácia was in the 20th century converted into the National Pantheon of celebrities, including football player Eusebio.

Amalia‘s male opposite, the more intimate but also famous Alfredo Duarte, alias Marceneiro (carpenter) was born in 1891 in Lisbon and died in this house in 1982.

Grave of João de Sousa Carvalho (1745-98), distinguished composer of opere serie and elaborate church works and the teacher of Marcos Portugal (> 1026) and João Bomtempo.

Bust of Alfredo Keil in an attractive little park from 1882, named after him. Keil (1850-1907) was an extremely versatile man, who excelled in archaeology, command of languages, poetry and especially painting and music. In spite of his German descent, he became a fervent Portuguese nationalist. He composed successful operas and other vocal works and is best known from A Portuguêsa (1890), which became the national anthem of the country in 1911.

Graves of João Domingos Bomtempo, †1842; Alfredo Keil, †1907; Alfredo Duarte Marceneiro, †1982; Luis de Freitas Branco (1890-1955), an eclectic composer of instrumental and vocal works in various styles.

Grave of Marcos António da Fonseca Portugal (1762-1830). He was the prolific and also internationally renowned composer of 56 operas and other vocal works, including over 100 pieces of church music; all in Neapolitan style. In 1800 he became director of the São Carlo theatre, but in 1811 he emigrated to Brazil.

Marcos Portugal was one of the composers who wrote pieces for four to six organs; they can be played only in the church of the enormous royal palace and monastery of Mafra, that indeed is provided with six organs: two in the nave and two in each transept. Three were made by António Xavier Machado (M), three by Joaquin António Peres Fontanes (F) in 1706-07; each instrument has 1 manual and 13 (M), 16 (F+M), 19 (F+M) or 21 (F) stops. In the tower there is an 18th century carillon with 98 bells from Belgium.

The Portuguese instruments, collected by the ethnomusicologist Michel Giacometti, and his library are since 1987 in the Casa Verdades de Faria; in 1995 the estate of the composer Fernando Lopes Graça was added. The beautiful mansion and the garden are anyhow worth visiting.

The first theatre from 1796 of Portugal‘s second city burned down in 1908. The new theatre with 1328 seats by architect José Marques da Silva was opened in 1920 with Aida. In the 1930s and ‘40s it was (also?) a cinema.

The striking modern concert hall was built in 2005; the architect was Rem Koolhaas. There are two halls with 1238 resp. 300 seats.

The conservatory was established in 1917 and is housed since 1975 in the Palacete Pinto Leite. Its orchestra became the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto.

The Biblioteca Joanina is the largest and most important library of the country. Concerning music, it has many manuscripts and prints from the 15th to 18th century, mainly Portuguese. Annex is the Capella de São Miguel with a richly ornamented organ by Manuel Benito Gomez de Herrera, 1737, I/-/23, 2000 pipes. photo: orgelsite simon

The main organ of the Santa Cruz monastery church was made in 1719-24 by Manuel Gomez on the basis of its predecessor by Heitor Lobo from 1530. A reconstruction of the instrument into the state of 1724 was finished in 2008.The disposition is I/-/31. There is a second organ at the balustrade, apparently of older date, of which no specifications could be found. photos: orgelsite simon

In the ‘new‘ cathedral (1554, to distinguish from the old one, built in the 11th c.) is an fine organ from 1780 by an anonymous maker; I/p/17. photo: orgelsite simon

Evora cathedral is the largest medieval church of Portugal. It has two historical organs: the maker of the first one from 1562 is not known, perhaps Heitor Lobo; it has been restored in 1967 into its original state. The choir organ is by Pascal Gaetano Oldovini; 1758, II/p/16.

The Schnitger pupil Joh. Heinrich Hulenkampf, alias João Henriques, made the main organ in 1716. As a result of earthquakes in 1722 and 1755 it had to be moved to its present location and was repaired and extended in 1767 by Pascal Gaetano Oldovini. Restored in 1973; II/p/22. The small organ is also by Oldovini; 1763, I/p/10.

From the music kiosk in the middle of the esplanade in Loulé no live music is heard, it is occupied by a small wind band of stone; a charming monument for music.