Cavaquinho Ukulele

The "cavaquinho" is a small string instrument (like the ukulele) of the European guitar family with four wires or gut strings attached to the lateral wooden pegs in a similar way to the guitar. Beside this designation, this instrument is also called machimbo, machim, machete (Portuguese islands' and Brazilian designation), manchete or marchete, braguinha or braguinho and cavaco.
There are two cavaquinho types that exist in the same category which are presently found in Portugal, each one having some particular characteristics: the Minho’s (northeast Portuguese mainland) and the Lisbon's instrument.

Minho
The cavaquinho appears mainly in Minho as a popular instrument directly linked to the region's specific musical forms.
This particular instrument is one of the most popular musical elements of Minho’s "rusgas" (merry gatherings on their way to local festivals), shared with the traditional brilliant character from which are excluded all other ceremonial uses. Played solo with an harmonic function and, or accompanying voice, the cavaquinhos are usually integrated by several instrumental guitar ensembles or other instrumental groups - such as the guitar, "rabeca", mandolin and harmonica or accordion, along with some of the other typical percussion elements of traditional..drums, "ferrinhos" e "reco-recos").

Caractheristics
This cavaquinho minhoto has a flat scale - similar to the guitar - twelve fret wires with a round or open outlined sound hole. It’s common size doesn’t exceed 52cm in length. The height of the box frequently varies but normally it measures 5cm; in spite of this, there are also lower cavaquinhos producing a louder sound (as the Terras do Basto and Minho’s machinhos). The wood changes according to the quality of each instrument: the best covers are made of Flanders' pine-wood - though currently the more popular ones are also made of lime and poplar, - usually the flanks and bottoms are made of lime, walnut or cherry-tree. Many instruments appear with the superior half of the cover flanks and the bottom designed in black wood, the bridge and pegboard being made of alder and deeply outlined according to different traditional patterns. The borders and sound hole’s instrument are decorated with friezes and the bridge is normally made of black wood - as mentioned in the Regimento para o ofício de violeiro (an oficial .. on guitar making - Guimarães, 1719).
The Minho’s cavaquinhos are historically constructed by a traditional industry mostly centralised on Guimarães and Braga, nowadays extended to the Porto and Braga areas.

Technics and Tuning
The cavaquinho is generally played by using the "rasgado" technique, using the four smaller fingers of the right hand or only its thumb and forefinger, as an harmonic instrument. Nevertheless, a good player may perform the detached aria besides the "rasgado" with the smaller fingers of the left hand pressing the high strings while the other fingers produce the melody accompaniment. The instrument’s tune options change geographically according to the different regions, musical forms and players, though mainly in a collective performance the cavaquinho follows the guitar. Its natural tune seems to be D - G - B - D (from lower to higher pitches) but we may also use G - G - B - D (or A - A - C - E). The Braga’s players even adopt other tune sequences characteristic of some traditional music forms upon which the highest string (D) is alternatively the first or third one: the "varejamento" tune (with the first on higher pitches) corresponding to the one of G - G - B -D mentioned above; the "malhão" and "vira" tune suits the ancient "moda velha" of G - D - E - A also with the first string on higher pitches. In the region of Barcelos cavaquinho’s players usually prefer the Maia tune - G - C - E - A - together with different kinds of "malhão" and "vira" tunes or other ones with the third on higher pitches. Nowadays the Portuguese cavaquinho is also used in "fado" - as it happens to be with several instruments historically integrated in popular festivals - following a specific tune scheme with the first high pitched.
The origins of this Portuguese instrument are not easily found . Gonçalo Sampaio, who explains the survival of Minho’s archaic and Hellenistic patterns by eventual Greek influences upon the ancient calaics of the region, puts an accent on a link between this instrument and those historical tetrachords. The author sustains that the cavaquinho and the guitar may had been introduced in Braga by the "biscaínhos". Actually, in Spain there is a similar instrument to this Portuguese "cavaquinho", belonging to the guitar family - the "requinto"- having four strings, a flat bridge, cover and ten fret wires, which tune is D-A-C sharp-E from low to high pitches. Jorge Dias consider it imported from Spain too, where the "guitarra", "guitarrón" or "guitarrico" are also found along with the Italian "chitarrino", saying: «without fixing the date of its introduction, we have to recognise the remarkable honour that the "cavaquinho" achieved in Minho by reason of people traditional music character, its joyful songs, its lively dances ... The "cavaquinho", as a rhythmic and harmonic instrument with its own vibrating and cheerful sound, is one of the most fited instrument for accompanying "viras","chulas", "males", "canas-verdes", "verdegares", "prins"».

Cavaquinho from Lisboa
The Lisbon type is similar to the Minho’s one by its general dimensions, shape and stringing, essentially differing from it by its bent scale and its seventeen fret wires. This instrument’s bridge is made of a thick piece of wood with an horizontal line engraved in the middle where the string is attached.
Being ocasionally performed by women, the "cavaquinho" seems to be here an urban instrument of students musical groups which bourgeois character was often used by ninetienth century’s dance teachers. Its playing technique is plectrum style - as it happens with other exemplaries of the mandolin family - producing tremolo on each string.

Algarve
On the Algarve (Portugal continental southern region) the cavaquinho is mainly known as frequent instrument of student musical groups - «played solo or accompanying mandolins, guitars, or others» - having a similar use to the Lisbon type: with an urban, popular or bourgeois character, typical of portuguese "estudantinas" (crowds of students that sing and play instruments together), serenades,etc.

Madeira's Island
There is also a correspondant type of this string instrument in Madeira island called braguinha, braga, machete de braga or cavaquinho. The braguinha has the same total dimensions, similar strings number, shape and general features of the Lisbon cavaquinho. Its stringing appears to be made of gut, but the popular use happens to change it in wire following an usual tune of D - G - B - D from lower to higher pitches.
The Madeira’s braguinha has a double social rule. We can see it as a really popular character - the vilão’s rythmic and harmonic instrument of accompaniments, being played rasgado - or as an urban instrument of students musical groups having a mainly melodic character, actually being the only known singing element of the island. The braguinha is played "pontiado" and plectrum style or, more desirable, using the rigth hand thumb nail, alternatively producing "rufos" or chords with the ring finger, middle finger and forefinger. Morphologically close, the rural instrument is extremely poor and rustic while the urban and bourgeois one is generally accurate, made of luxury woods and having profuse inlaid works.

Azores's Islands
Ernesto Vieira’s Musical Dictionary and Grove’s Dictionary of Music hints at the cavaquinho’s presence in Azores islands - Prainha do Norte, Ilha do Pico and Faial (Ilha dos Flamengos, near Horta).
The cavaquinho also exists in Brasil as an integrated element in all the regional groups of choros, emboladas, bailes pastoris, sambas, ranchos, chulas, bumbas-meu-boi, cheganças de marujos, cateretês, etc, along with the guitar, violão, mandolin, clarinet, pandeiro,rabecas, guitars, flutes, oficleides, reques-reques, puita, canzá and other popular thus urban instruments.

Brazil
This Brazilian type differs from the Minho’s one, by its bent soundbord, seventeen fret wires and an open sound hole similar to the Lisbon instrument, but with smaller total dimensions. Its mostly known tune follows the Madeira and Minho technique with a C-major reverse position, but there are other usual tune options.
Oneyda Alvarenga, Mário de Andrade, Renato de Almeida and other Brazilian authors refer to the portuguese roots of the local cavaquinho and Câmara Cascudo specially writes about the importance of Madeira island in this particular subject.

Generally, we can say that the old type of flat soundboard with twelve fret wires corresponds the mostly traditional instrument of Minho (with early Coimbra’s origins) played rasgado. Another link exists between the urban and bourgeois instruments of Lisbon, Algarve and Madeira island - played pontiado and having a bent soundboard and seventeen fret wires - eventually influenced by the violão, guitar or mandolin. Despite its popular character, the Brazilian cavaquinho belongs to this second type being mainly used by urban popular social class.

Hawai's Islands
Finally, the Hawaian islands have a similar instrument to the cavaquinho - the ukulele - whom seems to had been exported by Portuguese people.
The Hawaian ukulele has four strings and a similar shape to the portuguese cavaquinho. Several constructors choose the Lisbon, Madeira or Brazil model; but there are many english instruments following the Minho’s instruments.
Its natural tune is G - C - E - A (A - D - F - B or D - G - B - E as mentioned by some english manuals). Carlos Santos and Eduardo Pereira refer the world wide spread of braguinha due to the cinema and touristic influences but, principally, to the exportation and migration from portuguese islands to North and South America, Sandwich Islands, etc.
In fact, the cavaquinho was introduced in Hawaii by João Fernandes - born in Madeira island - who travels to Honolulu by sea through Cape Horn in the boat "Ravenscraft" having an immigrant population purposed to the sugar plantations. Among them stayed the five major names directly linked to the history of cavaquinho’s introduction in Hawaii: two players (João Fernandes and José Luis Correia) and three constructors (Manuel Nunes, Augusto Dias and José do Espírito Santo).
The Ravenscraft arrives to Honolulu in August 23st of 1879 and João Fernandes carried with him the portuguese braguinha he used to play during the trip to entertain the travellers (according to the magazine Paradise of the Pacific - January, 1922). Hawain people, just by the amusing listening of this small instrument’s sound, immediately called it ukulele - or "jumping flea"- figuring its unusual playing technique. João Fernandes rapidily introduced its use in local dances, festivals or popular serenades, and formed a musical ensemble with Augusto Dias and José Luis Correia.
Augusto Dias opened his own workhouse and ukulule’s shop as Manuel Nunes and José do Espírito Santo did, since their arrival in 1884 and 1888. Those three early instrument constructors used local kou and koa local woods achieving truly satisfactory results.

Text: Ernesto Veiga de Oliveira
World Visitor Map Generator. Create your own today!