Listen:

4. Porto´s Rabel

The Porto rabel is one of the most distinctive elements of the cultural heritage of Alta Sanabria. Traditionally associated with shepherds and life in the mountain pastures, this bowed string instrument accompanied folk songs, ballads and traditional melodies passed down through generations.

Handcrafted from a single piece of wood, sheepskin and horsehair strings, its deep and resonant sound makes it one of the most unique surviving rabels in the Iberian Peninsula. It was traditionally played in family kitchens during long winter evenings or while tending livestock in the high mountain pastures.

The tradition of the rabel in Porto is closely linked to transhumance and to the shepherds who travelled the ancient drove roads between Sanabria and Extremadura. Through them, the instrument remained alive for centuries and became part of the village’s identity.

Among the most important guardians of this tradition were Amador Bruña, the last great rabel maker of Porto, and Isidro Álvarez, one of its finest performers. Their dedication helped preserve the instrument’s construction techniques, melodies and cultural significance.

The rabel also has deep historical roots. Similar instruments appear in the Cantigas de Santa María commissioned by King Alfonso X and in medieval monuments such as the Cathedrals of León and Santiago de Compostela, demonstrating its importance in Iberian musical heritage.

Today, the rabel remains one of Porto’s most iconic cultural symbols, keeping alive a musical tradition whose origins stretch back to the Middle Ages.