The period between the 18th and 19th century is characterised by important musical and structural transformations upon the guitar in France and Italy. From a baroque instrument equipped with five double strings and gut frets, the late 18th century guitar reduced the strings to single courses, before adding the sixth string typical of the romantic guitar. Five-single strings guitars are incredibly rare instruments. In fact, the majority of them were converted into six-single strings guitars or fell into disuse.
Thanks to one of the Italian major collections (MusicMasterpieces, Lugano -CH), which entrusted us two extremely rare original five-single strings guitars, the DUO NOLI-SOATTIN has been exploring and proposing the unjustly forgotten repertoire for guitar during the “Gallant” period.
The original five-single strings guitars presented here are splendid and rare examples of the French manufacture of the second half of the 1700s.