Hear a 1679 Stradivarius guitar — the Sabionari

Rolf Lislevand plays the Sabionari guitar.YouTube

April 23, 2021

When you hear the name Antonio Stradivari, you most likely think of the finest violins in the world, selling for millions of dollars. However, the legendary luthier also produced a handful of guitars — only one of which remains playable today.

The "Sabionari" guitar was produced by Stradivari in 1679. It was slightly modified around the turn of the nineteenth century (to follow the style of other instruments of the time), but was recently restored to its original Baroque configuration by Daniel Sinier and Francoise de Ridder. The instrument has four double-sets of catgut strings (tuned A-D-G-B) and one single string (tuned to E).

In the video below, Rolf Lislevand performs Santiago de Murcia's Tarentela on the Sabionari. Learn more about the guitar here.