Perhaps a rather overdramatic headline, I admit, but there seems to be a decline of interest in fado amongst the younger Portuguese.

More significant for this post is the possible future of Portugal's largest region, the vast area south of the River Tejo (Tagus in Spain) called the Alentejo (Pronounced Allen-tezhe). Its population density of 65 per square mile is barely one-fifth of Portugal's national average, and its population is significantly older than the national average. Its largely agrarian economy has been hit by declining rainfall, and the demands for water from the more prosperous and tourist-filled Algarve to the south, and the population in its rural east is declining steadily towards unsustainable levels. The use of screwtops and plastic stoppers on wine bottles further harms its economy, as it was a major exporter of cork.

Whether the area can be saved will not be known for many years yet, but current portents are not encouraging.

On to the music. Manuel de Almeida (1922-95), a shoemaker when not singing, performed mainly in Lisbon, as the photograph here clearly shows, at venues such as Tipoia and Lisboa a Noite. He is remembered as a quiet man who recorded far less often than many contemporaries of equal talent.This particular tune is subtitled "Fado of Alentejo".