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Mandolin
In 1787, a man named Luigi Bassi stood on a stage in Vienna and played a small, bowl-shaped instrument to serenade a woman in Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. This moment captured the public imagination, turning the mandolin into an obscure symbol of romance in the hands of a Spanish nobleman. Yet, this instrument was far more than a prop for opera; it was the soprano member of a vast family of stringed instruments that evolved from the lutes of Europe. The mandolin, literally meaning small mandola, typically features four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, creating a total of eight strings that produce a bright, piercing sound. Unlike the violin, which sustains a note through the friction of a bow, the mandolin's notes decay rapidly, forcing players to develop the tremolo technique of rapid picking to create a sustained, singing tone. This unique physical limitation shaped the instrument's entire history, driving luthiers to design soundboards capable of withstanding the tension of metal strings that replaced the softer gut strings of earlier centuries.
The Bowl and The Box
The physical construction of the mandolin divides the instrument into two distinct worlds: the Neapolitan bowlback and the American archtop. The Neapolitan style, which spread worldwide, features a deep bottom constructed from strips of wood glued together into a bowl, resembling a pot or a beetle. These instruments, often called potato bugs in the United States, use a movable bridge held in place by string tension and typically feature a scale length of about 33 centimeters. In contrast, the archtop mandolin, also known as the carved-top, emerged at the end of the 19th century in the United States. This style was pioneered by Orville Gibson, a Kalamazoo, Michigan, instrument maker who founded the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Co., Limited in 1902. Gibson's design featured an arched top and a shallower, arched back carved from solid wood, inspired by the violin family. This innovation allowed the instrument to cut through the volume of a band, making it the standard for American bluegrass and folk music. While the bowlback remains the choice for European classical and traditional Andean music, the archtop's ability to project sound made it the dominant force in the American musical landscape.
The Family Tree
The mandolin is merely the soprano voice of a larger family that includes the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello, and mandobass. The mandola, known as the tenor mandola in Britain and Ireland, is tuned a fifth below the mandolin, mirroring the relationship between the viola and the violin. Its scale length is typically about 40 centimeters, and it is tuned C3, G3, D4, A4. Below the mandola sits the octave mandolin, which is tuned an octave lower at G2, D3, A3, E4, and is sometimes called the octave mandola in Europe. This instrument has a variant off the coast of South America in Trinidad known as the bandol, a flat-backed instrument with four courses. At the bottom of the family is the mandocello, classically tuned to an octave plus a fifth below the mandolin, and the rare mandobass, which functions as the bass to the mandolin much like the double bass does to the violin. The mandobass, produced by the Gibson company in the early 20th century, most frequently has four single strings tuned to perfect fourths, E1, A1, D2, G2, though some models were tuned in fifths. These larger instruments were often too cumbersome for orchestras, which preferred to use the ordinary double bass, yet they remain essential to the complete sound of a mandolin orchestra.
Common questions
What is the history of the mandolin and when did it become popular?
The mandolin became popular in 1787 when Luigi Bassi played it in Mozart's opera Don Giovanni in Vienna. It evolved from European lutes and gained global fame through virtuosi like Carlo Curti and Giuseppe Pettine in the early 20th century.
How many strings does a standard mandolin have and how are they tuned?
A standard mandolin features four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, creating a total of eight strings. The tuning typically follows the pattern G3, D4, A4, E4, which is the same as the violin.
What is the difference between the Neapolitan bowlback and the American archtop mandolin?
The Neapolitan bowlback has a deep bottom constructed from strips of wood glued into a bowl shape and a scale length of about 33 centimeters. The American archtop emerged at the end of the 19th century in the United States and features an arched top and shallower back carved from solid wood.
When did the mandolin transition from gut strings to metal strings?
The transition from gut strings to metal strings occurred during the 18th and 19th centuries, fundamentally altering the instrument's construction. Bartolomeo Bortolazzi noted in his 1805 mandolin method that wire-strung mandolins were uncomfortable to play compared to the softer gut strings of earlier centuries.
Which composers wrote significant works for the mandolin in classical music?
Antonio Vivaldi created concertos for mandolinos and orchestra, while Ludwig van Beethoven composed four small pieces for the instrument in 1796. Gustav Mahler used the mandolin in his Symphony No. 7 and Symphony No. 8, and Igor Stravinsky included it in his ballet Agon.
What are mandolin orchestras and where are they most popular today?
Mandolin orchestras, known as Estudiantinas in Italy and Zupforchestern in Germany, consist of sections like first and second mandolins, mandolas, and mandocellos. These ensembles remain especially popular in Japan and Germany, but exist throughout the United States, Europe, and the rest of the world.
The history of the mandolin is defined by a shift from gut strings to metal strings, a change that fundamentally altered the instrument's construction and sound. Early instruments were quiet, strung with gut, and plucked with fingers or a quill. The transition to steel strings, which exert significantly more pressure, required the development of a modern soundboard designed to withstand the tension that would have broken earlier instruments. This evolution was not merely a matter of volume; it changed the very character of the instrument. Bartolomeo Bortolazzi, in his 1805 mandolin method, noted that the new wire-strung mandolins were uncomfortable to play and possessed a less pleasing, hard, zither-like tone compared to the softer, full-singing tone of gut strings. Despite this initial resistance, the metal strings became the standard, allowing for the creation of louder, more resonant instruments. This shift also enabled the development of variations like the mandolin-banjo, which paired a mandolin neck with a banjo-style body, and the resonator mandolin, which used metal cones to amplify the sound. The modern mandolin, with its steel strings and reinforced soundboard, is a far cry from the quiet, gut-strung predecessors of the 17th and 18th centuries.
The Global Wanderer
The mandolin's journey took it from the streets of Naples to the concert halls of Vienna, and eventually to the mountains of Peru and the fields of Ireland. Travelling mandolin virtuosi like Carlo Curti, Giuseppe Pettine, Raffaele Calace, and Silvio Ranieri turned the instrument into a fad in the early 20th century, spreading it across Europe and into the Americas. Giuseppe Pettine, an Italian child prodigy, settled in Providence, Rhode Island, and promoted a style where one player combines rhythmic chords and melodic lines. In India, the mandolin found a new home in classical Carnatic music, where the virtuoso U. Srinivas, who died young, was lauded across the world for his skill. The instrument also found a niche in American country, old-time, and bluegrass music, where it became a defining voice of the genre. In the 2000s and 2010s, the mandolin saw renewed popularity within Celtic and British folk traditions, appearing frequently in contemporary Scottish acoustic ensembles. From the Andean music of Peru to the Irish bouzouki, which shares a reasonable resemblance and similar range, the mandolin has adapted to countless cultural contexts, proving its versatility as a global instrument.
The Classical Canon
Despite its reputation as a folk instrument, the mandolin has a rich history in Western European classical music, with significant works written for it by composers like Vivaldi, Beethoven, and Mozart. Antonio Vivaldi created concertos for mandolinos and orchestra, including one for four-chord mandolino and another for two 5-chord mandolinos. Ludwig van Beethoven composed four small pieces for the instrument in 1796, including the Sonatine WoO 43a and the Adagio ma non troppo WoO 43b. Gustav Mahler used the mandolin in his Symphony No. 7 and Symphony No. 8, while Igor Stravinsky included it in his ballet Agon. The instrument also appears in the operas of Mozart, Verdi, and Schoenberg, and in the symphonies of Prokofiev and Webern. Despite this rich repertoire, few large works were composed by the most widely regarded composers, and many of the 18th-century works have been lost or forgotten. The rediscovery of manuscripts like the Gimo collection, collected by Jean Lefebure in 1762, has brought new attention to this neglected corner of the classical canon. Today, classical players like Avi Avital, Carlo Aonzo, and Joseph Brent continue to champion the instrument, ensuring its place in the concert hall.
The Modern Luthier
The art of building mandolins has evolved into a sophisticated craft, with luthiers experimenting with double tops, double backs, and new materials to enhance the instrument's sound. In the early 1900s, mandolinist Ginislao Paris approached Luigi Embergher to build custom mandolins, resulting in the Sistema Ginislao Paris, which used a false back to create a second hollow space within the instrument. Modern players like Joseph Brent and Avi Avital use instruments customized by luthiers such as Brian Dean and Arik Kerman to achieve specific tonal qualities. Brent's mandolin, made by Brian Dean, features a false back that allows the wood to be clearly audible with less metallic sound from the strings. Avital's instrument, made by Kerman, is a variation of the flatback with a double top that encloses a resonating chamber and sound holes on the side. These innovations reflect a ongoing quest to balance the traditional character of the mandolin with the demands of modern performance. From the pressed archtops of the 21st century to the carved-wood tops of the past, the mandolin continues to evolve, driven by the vision of luthiers and the needs of players.
The Orchestra of Strings
Mandolin orchestras, known as Estudiantinas in Italy and Zupforchestern in Germany, have been a cornerstone of the instrument's popularity since the 19th century. These ensembles typically consist of first and second mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, and bass instruments, performing works composed for the mandolin family or re-orchestrations of traditional pieces. The structure of a contemporary traditional mandolin orchestra mirrors that of a string orchestra, with sections dedicated to different ranges of the instrument. Smaller ensembles, such as quartets composed of two mandolins, mandola, and mandocello, are also common. These orchestras remain especially popular in Japan and Germany, but exist throughout the United States, Europe, and the rest of the world. They perform a vast repertoire, from Baroque concertos to contemporary compositions, keeping the mandolin alive as a serious classical instrument. The mandolin orchestra has provided a platform for composers like Raffaele Calace, Giuseppe Anedda, and Eric Gross to create new works, ensuring the instrument's continued relevance in the classical music world.