José António Cardoso: “The Master builder of the wire violas”
There 8 years that José Cardoso, joined a small group of wire violin builders. The first instrument he built was a classical guitar, but, his passion is the violas campaniças.
Name: José António Cardoso, Age: 59 year old
Profession: Musical Instrument Builder
Naturalness: Ribeira de Pena (Behind-the-hills), Residence: Trinity / Beja
“Building bell violas, one of the so-called wire violas, it was the way I decided to pay tribute to the Alentejo and leave a legacy to a people that so well received a Trás-os-Montes ”, revealed in a choked voice, José António Cardoso, one of the Masters of building regional instruments.
In 1985, destined for the Infantry Regiment 3, come 600 kilometers, from Ribeira de Pena, the homeland, to Beja, where you would end up living, after 2012 having finished his military career as a sergeant major. "With 50 was a kid and I decided not to die sitting. With the help of my son I built a classical guitar, that it took me a year to do, but, I never stopped ”, recalls José Cardoso.
And arrived here, is in the small village of Trindade, in Beja county, that together with his son Paulo, that José created his studio, called Luthier Cardoso. “Luthier why ?. It's a French word that means: craftsman who manufactures or repairs resonance string instruments. It is what I do ”, justified.
The passion for wood has always existed and recalls the abegões that in Ribeira de Pena used to make props for farming. And noble woods like oak, brown, walnut and cherry, the most appropriate for the manufacture of violas, have always been part of his imagination and José Cardoso reveals a secret: “Only the part of the tree facing east, it is the only one that works for instruments and music ”, justified.
At Luthier Cardoso, violas of strings are built and repaired, bells, classic, amarantinas, braguesas, ukuleles, ukuleles, but also portuguese guitars, Lisbon and Coimbra. But the Trás-os-Montes have a dream: “I would like to build a Madeiran raja, instrument that I never made and only an Azorean friend makes it ”, ends.
José Cardoso has already lost the tale of the number of instruments he made during the eight years of activity. In the year, it's already eight, five of which were campaniola violas and with the pandemic more work appeared. “As the musicians were stopped, a lot of people appeared to review their instruments and a good instrument teaches a lot to those who notice”, justified.
“There was a cherry tree in Ribeira de Pena that“died”For cherries, but gained a new life. With its wood built six bell violas and a few more classical and acoustic guitars ”, happy account Mestre Cardoso.
A musician or lover of string instruments that demands the village of Trindade knows what he is going for and what awaits him. “From ordering to delivery of the guitar it takes five months, including the five weeks in its construction. The cost of a bell ? Depending on the wood 400 to 750 euros”, brings out.
Of those who have already demanded the studio, besides the Alentejo José Emídio and Paulo Colaço, dos Adiafa, recalls Marco Vieira, the former North Pole bassist, “I have no customers, I have musicians who want a personalized instrument ”, I made José Cardoso radiant.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
