Why Antonio Stradivari is so important and famous? Surely he was the lutist who knew how to combine the best sounding results to the greater perfection in workmanship and elegance. The instrument made at his shop, in Piazza S. Domenico in Cremona, was quite different to the modern one (as commonly used from 1830 onwards). It differed in some important details like the handle, which was shorter, the vibrating string accordingly shorter, the chain or bar inside the box was slightly different, the bridge was of a different design and of lower height. All this gave the instrument a particular sound, ready and velvety, definitely seductive and of great charm, but without the power and vigor of the modern instruments, designed specifically to be heard in the theaters and the concert halls.