Mandolin

The ancestor of the mandolin and other instruments of the lute family is the Arabic oud, which appeared in the VIII century during the Arab conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, first in Spain, and then, moving eastward, in other countries of Western Europe. On its basis, varieties of instruments began to appear under the names bandola, pandura, pandurina, mandora, mandola and others, formed from the Arabic roots ban, pan, tam, meaning lute-shaped instruments and originating from the Greek pandúra. The name mandolin is a diminutive form of the word mandola, that is, it is a smaller instrument.

One of the earliest types of mandolin of the XVII-XVIII centuries, called the Milan mandolin, is similar to a lute and has 4-6 pairs of vein strings with a quarto or quarto-tertian tuning Gm Nm E1 A1 D2 G2.

In the 1720s and 1730s, the Neapolitan master Antonio Vinaccia created a new type of mandolin, which, after the improvement of Pasquale Vinaccia in 1835, received its finished form. Its innovation was the possibility of installing metal strings, the presence of pegboard mechanics, an increased volume of the resonator body and the length of the instrument, the number of frets increased from 12-13 to 17. A pick for playing the mandolin has been used since the second half of the XVIII century

In the XVII century, dance and song arrangements were created for the Milan mandolin. Together with other stringed plucked instruments, it is used in the orchestra when performing operas, cantatas, oratorios, instrumental music, in the accompanying basso continuo group. In the XVIII century, an aria with mandolin accompaniment became popular in operas and oratorios. Solo performance reaches its peak in concerts and other major works by A. Vivaldi, I.A. Hasse.

For the Neapolitan mandolin in 1761-1783, many collections with mandolin duets, sonatas for mandolin and bass, and vocal works were published in Paris. L.V. Beethoven wrote three pieces: Theme with variations in D Major, Sonatina in C Major, Adagio in E-flat major. In 1963 they were published in an arrangement by V.M. Blok for piano, with a preface by musicologist N.L. Fishman. In 1799, I.N. Gummel created a mandolin concerto. As an instrument to accompany serenades, the mandolin was used in the comic operas The Jealous Lover, the Barber of Seville, Don Juan. The most impressive sound of the instrument in the orchestra is manifested in the mandolin choir, for example, S. Prokofiev used 12 mandolins in the "fool's dance" of the ballet Romeo and Juliet.

The mandolin is an Italian musical instrument with four double metal strings tuned in fifths and plucked with a pick. The long-lasting sound of one note is provided by using a mandolin-specific tremolo technique of rapidly alternating strikes on the string.

The ancestor of the mandolin and other instruments of the lute family is the Arabic oud, which appeared in the VIII century during the Arab conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, first in Spain, and then, moving eastward, in other countries of Western Europe. On its basis, varieties of instruments began to appear under the names bandola, pandura, pandurina, mandora, mandola and others, formed from the Arabic roots ban, pan, tam, meaning lute-shaped instruments and originating from the Greek pandúra. The name mandolin is a diminutive form of the word mandola, that is, it is a smaller instrument.

One of the earliest types of mandolin of the XVII-XVIII centuries, called the Milan mandolin, is similar to a lute and has 4-6 pairs of vein strings with a quarto or quarto-tertian tuning Gm Nm E1 A1 D2 G2.

In the 1720s and 1730s, the Neapolitan master Antonio Vinaccia created a new type of mandolin, which, after the improvement of Pasquale Vinaccia in 1835, received its finished form. Its innovation was the possibility of installing metal strings, the presence of pegboard mechanics, an increased volume of the resonator body and the length of the instrument, the number of frets increased from 12-13 to 17. A pick for playing the mandolin has been used since the second half of the XVIII century

In the XVII century, dance and song arrangements were created for the Milan mandolin. Together with other stringed plucked instruments, it is used in the orchestra when performing operas, cantatas, oratorios, instrumental music, in the accompanying basso continuo group. In the XVIII century, an aria with mandolin accompaniment became popular in operas and oratorios. Solo performance reaches its peak in concerts and other major works by A. Vivaldi, I.A. Hasse.

For the Neapolitan mandolin in 1761-1783, many collections with mandolin duets, sonatas for mandolin and bass, and vocal works were published in Paris. L.V. Beethoven wrote three pieces: Theme with variations in D Major, Sonatina in C Major, Adagio in E-flat major. In 1963 they were published in an arrangement by V.M. Blok for piano, with a preface by musicologist N.L. Fishman. In 1799, I.N. Gummel created a mandolin concerto. As an instrument to accompany serenades, the mandolin was used in the comic operas The Jealous Lover, the Barber of Seville, Don Juan. The most impressive sound of the instrument in the orchestra is manifested in the mandolin choir, for example, S. Prokofiev used 12 mandolins in the "fool's dance" of the ballet Romeo and Juliet.