Women of the resistance
Teresa Paula Brito
Maria Teresa Ramos de Paula Brito
- Born
- 23 October 1944, Lisbon
- Died
- 7 November 2003
A soul, folk and jazz singer who recorded songs by José Afonso and, in 1971, the poems of “Minha Senhora de Mim” (My Lady of Myself), by Maria Teresa Horta. After 25 April she sang “Mulheres Guerrilheiras” (Guerrilla Women), announced as the first Portuguese feminist record.
She was born in Lisbon in 1944.1 RTP remembers her as one of the most versatile voices of the 1960s — soul, gospel, folk, jazz, rock and the worlds of José Afonso — and as a contestant in the Festival RTP da Canção (RTP Song Festival).2 She sang “Vai, Maria Vai” (Go, Maria, Go) on the record Contos Velhos, Rumos Novos (Old Tales, New Paths), by José Afonso, and in 1970 she recorded a whole record of his songs.1
In May 1971 the record Minha Senhora de Mim (My Lady of Myself) was presented together with the book: poems by Maria Teresa Horta set to music by Nuno Filipe, in her voice.3 According to the musicologist Luís Freitas Branco, the record soon disappeared from the shops, and when she sang those songs at the Coliseu she was booed by an audience that found them too sensual.4
After 25 April she recorded “Mulheres Guerrilheiras” (Guerrilla Women), also with a poem by Maria Teresa Horta, which a news item in O Século, quoted on Wikipedia, presented as the “first Portuguese feminist record”, launched at a show by the Women’s Liberation Movement.1 She died on 7 November 2003.1
From the archives
In other archives
These can only be viewed on each archive’s own website.
- RTP Arquivos · Video · broadcast on 18 May 1971 · 36 sLançamento de “Minha Senhora de Mim” de Maria Teresa HortaA news item, made from photographs, on the launch of the book “Minha Senhora de Mim” (My Lady of Myself), by Maria Teresa Horta, and of the record of her poems sung by Teresa Paula Brito. David Mourão-Ferreira and the announcer Nuno Martins were at the launch, and Ana Maria Teodósio read poems.Open in the archive
- RTP Arquivos · Video · broadcast on 10 December 2018 · 3 minTeresa Paula Brito («Gramofone»)On RTP Memória’s “Gramofone”, João Carlos Callixto remembers Teresa Paula Brito, one of the most versatile voices of the 1960s, from soul and jazz to the songs of José Afonso. He recalls her singing “Verdes Anos” (Green Years) on a 1990 programme by Júlio Isidro.Open in the archive
Places
In the timeline
They crossed paths with her
Maria Teresa Horta
1937–2025
A poet and journalist, one of the “Three Marias”. The PIDE seized her “Minha Senhora de Mim” (My Lady of Myself) and three men beat her up in the street; with Maria Isabel Barreno and Maria Velho da Costa she wrote “Novas Cartas Portuguesas” (New Portuguese Letters), which took them to court — and to acquittal, on 7 May 1974.
Adriano Correia de Oliveira
1942–1982
A singer of the Coimbra generation that made song a weapon against the Estado Novo (“New State”). His “Trova do Vento que Passa” (Ballad of the Passing Wind), with a poem by Manuel Alegre, became a student and anti-fascist anthem. He was at the Coliseu in March 1974 and at the airport to welcome the exiles.
Francisco Fanhais
b. 1941
A priest and singer. At the São Domingos vigil, as 1968 turned into 1969, he sang Sophia de Mello Breyner’s “Cantata da Paz” (Cantata of Peace). Barred from being a priest, from teaching and from singing in public, he left for France in 1971 and took part in the recording of “Cantigas do Maio” (Songs of May).
José Mário Branco
1942–2019
A singer, composer and producer. Arrested by the PIDE in 1962, he deserted from the colonial war and spent eleven years in exile in France, where he produced José Afonso’s “Cantigas do Maio” (Songs of May). He returned on 30 April 1974 and was welcomed at the airport with “Grândola”.
Luísa Basto
b. 1947
A singer from the Alentejo. She went underground with her parents at the age of 12 and studied singing in Moscow; her voice reached Portugal through the clandestine radio stations. She was the first to record “Avante Camarada” (Forward, Comrade) and, once freedom had come, “É Para Ti Mulher Esta Canção” (This Song Is for You, Woman), the anthem of the Democratic Women’s Movement.
Maria do Amparo
A singer and songwriter from the Azores. She formed a duo with Carlos Alberto Moniz, wrote and sang “Trevo de Maio” (May Clover) and, in March 1974, was on the stage of the Coliseu singing “Grândola” with José Afonso at the 1st Portuguese Song Meeting (I Encontro da Canção Portuguesa).
Notes on the sources3
- When she sang the songs of “Minha Senhora de Mim” at the Coliseu and was booed: the musicologist Luís Freitas Branco tells the story without a date.
- When “Mulheres Guerrilheiras” came out and when the Women’s Liberation Movement show at the Vasco Santana Theatre took place: Wikipedia dates the record to December 1974, with a doubt.
- The dates of birth and death come only from Wikipedia.
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Sources
- 1Teresa Paula Brito. Wikipédia — consulted on 3 October 2026
- 2João Carlos Callixto, Teresa Paula Brito («Gramofone», 2018). RTP Arquivos (RTP Memória) — consulted on 3 October 2026
- 3Lançamento de «Minha Senhora de Mim» de Maria Teresa Horta («Convergência», 18 de maio de 1971). RTP Arquivos — consulted on 3 October 2026
- 4Ana Monteiro Fernandes, Entrevista. Luís Freitas Branco: «Acreditava-se que a música teria uma capacidade funcional de derrubar a ditadura». Comunidade Cultura e Arte, 2024 — consulted on 3 October 2026