Spanish Banduria

The bandurria is a plucked string instrument in the lute family, with a small rounded body and twelve strings arranged in six double courses. Its roots stretch back to Renaissance Spain, where earlier cittern-like forms gave way to the high-strung, agile instrument players know today. That bright, silvery tone is no accident: the bandurria was built to cut through an ensemble, and it became the melodic voice of the Spanish rondalla, accompanying serenades and popular celebrations across the Iberian peninsula for centuries. It remains a living tradition, with devoted players and makers around the world carrying it forward on its own terms.