The Daily Grist:
As her lute doth live or die,
Led by her passion, so must I:
For when of pleasure she doth sing,
My thoughts enjoy a sudden spring,
But if she doth of sorrow speak,
Ev’n from my heart the strings do break.
(Thomas Campion)
All of our traditional bluegrass instruments have very interesting histories including the newest kid on the block, the Dobro (invented by John Dopyera in 1928). Most of these instruments trace their roots back to Europe except for the banjo, but stringed instruments have cross-fertilized across continents since music began. The violins, basses and guitars played in today’s bluegrass bands are very close relatives to the same instruments played in Europe for centuries.
The mandolin however has undergone a more recent evolution to its current form. Bowlback Neapolitan mandolins were developed in Italy as a successor to the lute mentioned by Plutarch many centuries before. The mandolin became a sort of guitarized version of the violin and was even adopted by some classical composers who wrote music specifically for it.
Vivaldi created concertos for mandolins and orchestra. Beethoven composed mandolin music and enjoyed playing the mandolin himself. The opera Don Giovanni by Mozart (1787) includes mandolin parts, including the accompaniment to the famous aria Deh vieni alla finestra.
Gustav Mahler used the mandolin in his Symphony No. 7, Symphony No. 8 and Das Lied von der Erde. Schoenberg, Stravinsky and Prokofiev have also composed music for the mandolin.
So take that all you classically trained violin snobs! The mandolin has some serious street cred too. If you would like to listen to a really good classical mandolinist of today, I would recommend Ari Arital.
In the early 20th century the mandolin became a fad instrument. Mandolin orchestras were all the rage from the turn of the century until about 1930 or so. The sudden popularity of the instrument just at a time when old time music was evolving into bluegrass is fortunate for bluegrass fans. Who can imagine bluegrass without a mandolin? What would have happened if Bill Monroe had not been forced to adopt the lowly mandolin because he was low man on the totem pole in his musical family?
The mandolin is indeed a very versatile instrument. From classical music to bluegrass to jazz, Brazilian chorro, rock and roll, you name it. The mandolin is a noble instrument to be sure. But for my money I have never heard it more expertly played than by a top notch bluegrass master at a live concert.
I hope we can take a breath now after a successful Grass Valley. See you all soon I hope.
