Antonio Stradivari, the most celebrated luthier in history, did not devote his genius solely to bowed string instruments. He also applied the same extraordinary creativity to plucked instruments, although only a very small number of these have survived. For this reason, the exhibition opening on Sunday, June 21 at the Violin Museum of Cremona is an exceptional event, featuring two of the five Stradivari guitars known to exist today: the Sabionari (1679) and the Giustiniani (1684). Enhancing this exploration of Baroque music is also the 1665 ex-Hepton violin by Nicolò Amati, recently restored to a setup considered consistent with those used in the second half of the seventeenth century.

All of these masterpieces belong to private collections and have been temporarily entrusted to the Museum as part of Friends of Stradivari, a widespread and cosmopolitan community of collectors, musicians, scholars, and enthusiasts of classical Cremonese violin making, active since 2009. At the heart of the project is a desire to share knowledge, culture, and creativity. These are values that the Museum naturally promotes through its public and private collections, scientific research conducted in collaboration with the University of Pavia and the Polytechnic University of Milan, and the concert activities hosted in the superb acoustics of the Giovanni Arvedi Auditorium.

The instruments will not only be displayed in the exhibition galleries. On June 14, 20, and 21, the ex-Hepton and the Giustiniani, together with the Carlo IX violin by Andrea Amati—part of a private collection and long featured in the Museum’s permanent route—will take center stage in musical performances as part of the Monteverdi Festival. In addition, research projects and study days scheduled for the autumn will provide opportunities to investigate their characteristics and secrets in greater depth.

Antonio Stradivari Guitar “Giustiniani” (1684)

Built by Antonio Stradivari in 1684, this guitar takes its name from the noble Venetian Giustiniani family, who purchased it directly from the master luthier and retained ownership for a long period. It is displayed together with its original case, also attributable to Stradivari’s renowned workshop and decorated with the family’s coat of arms. Today, it belongs to the Giovanni and Mariella Accornero Foundation.

From both a stylistic and dimensional perspective, Stradivari’s guitars differ from contemporary instruments. They feature a considerably longer vibrating string length and reflect influences from both the Renaissance guitar tradition and the Spanish vihuela.

Antonio Stradivari Guitar “Sabionari” (1679)

This is the oldest of the Stradivari guitars known today. Its history can be continuously traced from the mid-nineteenth century, while documentary sources allow its story to be reconstructed even further back into the previous century, when Giovanni Sabionari acquired it from the descendants of the Stradivari family.

In the second half of the 1930s, in Bologna, it was purchased by the family of its current owners, brothers Roberto and Ruggero Domenichini. On December 5, 1948, during the Tenth Guitar Convention held in the Emilia-Romagna capital, the instrument was presented to Andrés Segovia, the world-renowned guitarist and admirer of Baroque music. Upon seeing it, he immediately exclaimed, “Original!” When asked to sign the inside of the guitar body, he not only added his signature but also wrote a dedication to Stradivari in a mixture of Italian and Spanish: “Due secoli più tarde – Bologna 1948” (“Two centuries later – Bologna 1948”).

Nicolò Amati Violin “ex-Hepton” (1665)

The 1665 Nicolò Amati ex-Hepton violin is once again on display in Cremona, nearly ninety years after its presentation at the major exhibition organized in 1937 for the bicentenary celebrations of Stradivari’s death.

It returns with a new appearance, having recently been restored to a Baroque setup that extensive research has deemed consistent with the period in which it was built. The instrument now features a shorter fingerboard and plain gut strings. It has been entrusted to the Violin Museum by the Bambarone Art Foundation.

IN TONO ANTICO

As part of the Monteverdi Festival, the Violin Museum’s historic concert series in the Giovanni Arvedi Auditorium is being renewed under the banner of sustainability and historically informed performance through “In Tono Antico” (“In an Ancient Tone”), a series of three exclusive recitals on historic instruments, all displayed within the Friends of Stradivari network.

The title is intended to encourage reflection on the sound of historical instruments. Although modern organology has rightly reduced its value as strict historical evidence, that sound remains a defining aesthetic characteristic and today possesses a powerful evocative quality.

On Sunday, June 14, at noon, audiences will hear one of the oldest violins in the world, built by Andrea Amati around 1566 for the French king Charles IX. Today it is preserved in a “transitional” setup, capable of supporting performances ranging from the mature Baroque style of Vivaldi to the galant style of Tartini, both represented in the program performed by Alessandro Faraci.

On Saturday, June 20, Davide Rebuffa will perform on the exceptionally rare Giustiniani guitar by Antonio Stradivari. A musician and researcher specializing in medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque plucked-instrument performance practice, he will present a program centered—without rigid boundaries—on the seventeenth century, featuring works by Granata, Le Cocq, Valdambrini, and Kapsberger.

Finally, on Sunday, June 21, the 1665 ex-Hepton violin will be entrusted to Lena Yokoyama. The program, notable for its broad formal scope, will guide listeners through the nuances and expressive dynamics of the great solo violin repertoire of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

These short recitals will offer audiences the opportunity to appreciate the beauty and value of live performance, where one can come close to the tono antico—the ancient sound that has never truly been lost, only transformed—of living objects that continue to evolve. What remains unchanged, today as in the past, is the ability of these masterpieces to merge with the performer and convey emotion through music.