Desgarrada

Desgarrada is a popular song from northern Portugal, in which singers improvise, challenge and respond to each other, usually to the sound of a concertina. In addition to the name Desgarradas, they are also called Cantares ao Desafio, Cantigas ao Desafio or Cantigas à Desgarrada.

The term is also used to characterise a form of fado interpretation, in this case with Portuguese guitar and viola accompaniment, with well-known interpreters such as Fernando Maurício or Vicente da Câmara. Among the artists who recorded desgarradas we can find names such as Quim Barreiros, Zé Amaro, Augusto Canário, or even Rosinha or Jorge Ferreira, who visited this genre several times.