In Portugal, since the 19th century, one has heard of “Tunas Universitárias” or “Tunas Académicas”, which are musical groups formed by students and former university students, characterised by the variety of instruments they use, accompanied by singing.
The musical repertoire of the Tunas is very varied, from adaptations of author’s themes to original compositions, which focus on bohemian student life, through classical and popular music. They wear the academic costume of the institution to which they belong, and in some cases costumes are created specifically for the effect, with some adaptations of ethnographic elements of their region.
The first musical group founded in Portugal was the “Estudantina de Coimbra” which later originated the “Tuna Académica da Universidade de Coimbra”, a musical group formed by boys in 1888, which was inspired by the musical group from Santiago de Compostela (Spain) that visited the city at that time. Since then, all over the country, mainly in the larger academies, more and more musical groups have started to form, firstly masculine, then mixed and feminine.
There are now more than 200 musical groups in Portugal, groups that are able to guarantee the animation and true academic spirit that exists in the Portuguese Academic Institutions.
Did you know that there are 8 university musical groups in the Azores, including 4 mixed, 3 male and 1 female? Stay tuned to our page in the next few days to find out more about these musical groups.
Last modified: 17 de November, 2021
