viola (guitar)

viola (guitar)

The viola (guitar) is a fretted plucked chordophone originating in the Iberian Peninsula and colonial Brazil, combining features of the vihuela and the Baroque guitar within the vernacular of Portuguese and Spanish lutherie. It occupies a niche between the classical guitar and regional folk instruments such as the viola caipira and the bandurria, frequently appearing in traditional ensembles alongside instruments like the mandolin, cavaquinho, charango, and guitar.

History and origins

Early antecedents of the viola (guitar) emerge in 16th- and 17th-century Iberia where the vihuela and the lute coexisted with the evolving Baroque guitar in courts such as those of Philip II of Spain and John IV of Portugal. The instrument's vernacular forms developed across regions including Andalusia, Lisbon, and later colonial centers like Salvador, Bahia and Rio de Janeiro where luthiers adapted European models to local materials and repertoire linked to festivals such as Carnival and genres linked to the Fandango and Choro. 19th-century Romantic-era musical life influenced makers in urban workshops associated with patrons like Dom Pedro II of Brazil, while 20th-century nationalist movements in countries including Portugal and Brazil fostered revival and codification by figures tied to institutions such as the Conservatório de Música de Lisboa and the Conservatório Brasileiro de Música.

Design and construction

The viola (guitar) typically features a narrow-waisted body, a floating or fixed bridge, and multiple courses of strings; luthiers draw on techniques codified by makers from families such as the Fleta family and innovations similar to those of Antonio de Torres Jurado. Soundboards are often spruce or cedar sourced through trade networks connecting ports like Lisbon and Porto; backs and sides can be rosewood, cypress, or local hardwoods processed in workshops influenced by traditions from Seville and Oporto. Construction involves bracing patterns adapted from Antonio de Torres Jurado and contemporaries, pegbox styles recalling the Baroque guitar, and fingerboard treatments that reflect practices seen in instruments associated with makers such as Santos Hernandez and Hermann Hauser Sr.. Decorative elements may include rosettes and inlays referencing iconography found in Manueline architecture and colonial churches in Salvador, Bahia.

Variants and tuning

Variants of the viola (guitar) correspond to regional types: the Brazilian viola caipira family, the Portuguese viola braguesa, and the Azorean and Madeiran local forms, each with distinct string courses and scale lengths influenced by trade and migration between ports like Manaus and Funchal. Tunings vary widely: some employ open tunings used in practices linked to performers from Minas Gerais and São Paulo, while others adopt reentrant courses analogous to tunings documented in collections associated with composers such as Francisco Tárrega and Fernando Sor. Ethnomusicologists working alongside institutions like the Museu da Música and the Instituto de Etnomusicologia have catalogued tunings reflecting repertoires from Alentejo to Pernambuco.

Playing technique and repertoire

Technique for the viola (guitar) blends rasgueado and fingerstyle strokes found in Iberian and Latin American traditions; repertoires draw on forms such as the fandango, modinha, seresta, and urban genres like choro where the instrument functions in accompaniment, solo, and ensemble roles alongside the violão and percussion traditions linked to samba. Pedagogical lineages intersect with conservatory curricula at institutions like the Conservatório de Lisboa and private studios connected to performers who commissioned works from composers in networks that include names associated with the Romantic and Modernism periods. Notation and tablature practices for the instrument appear in archives once maintained by municipal libraries in Lisbon, Porto, and Brazilian centers such as Salvador.

Notable makers and performers

Historically significant makers include workshops influenced by the traditions of families and luthiers connected to Seville, Lisbon, and Rio de Janeiro; modern makers often exhibit continuities traceable to techniques showcased by master builders whose names appear in museum catalogues alongside instruments by Antonio de Torres Jurado and Santos Hernandez. Prominent performers who have championed the instrument in revival contexts and recordings have affiliations with ensembles and festivals in cities like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, Madrid, and Paris, and have collaborated with ethnomusicologists from institutions such as the Museu da Música and the Instituto de Etnomusicologia. Contemporary scholarship and performance initiatives involve partnerships with cultural bodies including the Instituto Camões, FUNARTE, and municipal cultural departments in metropolitan centers such as Porto Alegre and Coimbra.

Category:Plucked string instruments