ArtiMusica VA40S "Viola Campaniça" (Guitar)

The "Viola Campaniça" is the biggest of the Portuguese violas (guitars) and features five orders of strings. It was a musical instrument used to accompany "desgarrada" songs, also known as "cantes a despique", at festivals and fairs across the Alentejo region, Portugal.

It is usually played strummed with the thumb only, and the lower strings are usually played loose. Although it is a ten-string instrument, it sometimes had twelve tuners, which suggests that it evolved from the medieval "Vihuela de Mano". This is an old-aged and traditional instrument, to be acquired and played with brilliance and cared for passionately.

The "Cante Alentejano", which has been recognised as Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, is accompanied by this viola that once came very close to disappearing. Times have passed when finding just one 'viola campaniça' was almost an adventure.

ArtiMusica is one of the most renowned Portuguese brands in the Portuguese folk instrument market, using the best materials and applying all the knowledge and experience of its craftsmen to produce instruments preserving the typically Portuguese musical art and tradition.