Fidibus Canere is a Latin expression which stands for ‘singing with an instrument’, in particular with a string instrument. Indeed, the Latin word ‘fides’ not only means faith, but also string. In classical times, therefore, a string player was called ‘fidicen’, a word obtained by contracting the noun ‘fides’ and the verb ‘canere’ (= to sing).

The exhortation to make the musical instrument sound like the human voice is one of the most recurrent aesthetic ideas in literature on instrumental performance from the appearance of the first tutors in the Middle Ages up to the early twentieth century. In the second decade of the sixteenth century, the birth of the violin family gave further impetus to this concept. The new instruments could finally challenge the superiority of singers by virtue of their combination of sustaining power with agility.

Fidibus Canere is a period-instrument ensemble, made of a varying number of outstanding instrumentalists, specialised in historical performing practices. The group features a variety of string instruments, both plucked and bowed, which are occasionally joined by other expressive media, depending upon the circumstances.

Having performed throughout Italy over the past few years, the ensemble has recently begun to enjoy an international career under the leadership of violinist Alberto Sanna, with whom it has recorded the programme The Italian Violin Legacy, soon to be released by the online label ‘OnClassical’.
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