Women of the resistance
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).
Biography
An Azorean, like Carlos Alberto Moniz, she formed a duo with him in music and in life from the early 1970s to the early 1980s.3 She appeared on the programme Zip-Zip and in 1973 joined him in the group Improviso, which competed in the Grande Prémio TV da Canção (TV Song Grand Prix) with “Cantiga” (Song).4 “Trevo de Maio” (May Clover), which she wrote with Carlos Alberto Moniz and sang solo, won the last edition of the Figueira da Foz festival; the poem is about looking ahead, with hope.4
In March 1974, at the 1st Portuguese Song Meeting (I Encontro da Canção Portuguesa), she was on the stage of the Coliseu when five thousand people rose to their feet to sing “Grândola” with José Afonso, according to the caption in the next day’s Diário de Lisboa.5 In July 1975 RTP broadcast the duo’s music video of “Companheiro Vasco” (Comrade Vasco).6 She later withdrew from artistic life, by choice, without giving up music.7
Places
Dates
People
They crossed paths with her
Francisco Fanhais
b. 1941 · singer
Manuel Freire
b. 1942 · singer
Adriano Correia de Oliveira
1942–1982 · singer and composer
José Afonso (Zeca Afonso)
1929–1987 · singer and composer
Ana Maria Teodósio
b. 1945 · singer and songwriter
José Mário Branco
1942–2019 · singer and composer
Videos
In other archives
These can only be viewed on each archive’s own website.
- RTP Arquivos · Video · broadcast on 8 July 1975 · 3 minCanção «Companheiro Vasco»The music video of the song “Companheiro Vasco” (Comrade Vasco), by Carlos Alberto Moniz and Maria do Amparo, broadcast on the Noticiário Nacional (National News) in July 1975. The images are photographs of Vasco Gonçalves and of political actions.Open in the archive
- RTP Arquivos · Video · broadcast on 23 January 2017 · 4 minCarlos Alberto Moniz e Maria do Amparo («Gramofone»)RTP Memória’s “Gramofone” recalls the Azorean duo that Carlos Alberto Moniz and Maria do Amparo formed, in music and in life, between the early 1970s and the early 1980s. It shows the music video of “Eu Deixei a Minha Terra” (I Left My Land), from 1979.Open in the archive
Notes on the sources1
- O nome completo e as datas da vida de Maria do Amparo: as fontes lidas não os dão (a RTP Memória diz só que nasceu em Angra do Heroísmo).
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Sources7
- 1João Carlos Callixto, Carlos Alberto Moniz e Maria do Amparo («Gramofone»). RTP Memória — consulted on 4 October 2026Ambos «nascidos em Angra do Heroísmo, na Ilha Terceira»; «Trevo de Maio», cantado a solo por Maria do Amparo, «vence o Festival da Canção da Figueira da Foz de 1973».
- 2XIII Festival da Canção da Figueira da Foz. RTP Arquivos, 1973 — consulted on 4 October 2026Registo de 27 de julho de 1973, com Maria do Amparo e Carlos Alberto Moniz entre os intérpretes e a audição de «Trevo de Maio».
- 3João Carlos Callixto, Carlos Alberto Moniz e Maria do Amparo («Gramofone», 2017). RTP Arquivos (RTP Memória) — consulted on 3 October 2026
- 4Jorge Mangorrinha, #44 «Trevo de Maio» (Maria do Amparo – Carlos Alberto Moniz), Carlos Alberto Moniz & Maria do Amparo, 1973 — série «50 canções a chamar Abril». Diário de Notícias, 2024 — consulted on 3 October 2026
- 5Pedro Tadeu, «Fascistas! Fascistas!» gritaram cinco mil pessoas no Coliseu, no mês antes de Abril. Mensagem de Lisboa, 2024 — consulted on 3 October 2026
- 6Canção «Companheiro Vasco» (Noticiário Nacional, julho de 1975). RTP Arquivos — consulted on 3 October 2026
- 7Maria do Amparo («Há Conversa», 2011). RTP Arquivos (RTP Memória) — consulted on 3 October 2026