# General Mandolin Topics > Mandolin Cafe News Discussions >  Article: The Mandolin in America

## Mandolin Cafe

You can view the page at http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/co...Modern-Revival

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## JeffD

This has got to be a great book. The perfect companion to Graham McDonald's book. 

We are a part of a great and grand tradition and it is, I believe, important to be conversant in its history and details. OK maybe it's not important, but it for me it certainly contributes to the experience of playing. Every time I see my hand picking up a mandolin, I experience the resonance going back so many many years.

It is a lot like fishing, (which I also love) looking on the river and thinking about the age of things and my place in them.

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DSDarr

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## LadysSolo

Just ordered it. Says expected to be released January 2017. Merry late Christmas present to me! (Or Happy New Year present!)

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## August Watters

> We are a part of a great and grand tradition and it is, I believe, important to be conversant in its history and details. OK maybe it's not important, but it for me it certainly contributes to the experience of playing..


I'm with you -- knowing the history of our instrument adds a lot to the experience of playing. And it can open new possibilities, when you understand what has been done, particularly since there were such great achievements that you won't find youtube. I think the next generation of successful mandolin players will need to be, as you say, conversant with the history and literature of our instrument, including the early chapters to be filled out by the upcoming book. IMHO, it's essential for anyone interested in the roots of the American mandolin.

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DavidKOS, 

DSDarr

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## brunello97

> I'm with you -- knowing the history of our instrument adds a lot to the experience of playing. And it can open new possibilities, when you understand what has been done, particularly since there were such great achievements that you won't find youtube. I think the next generation of successful mandolin players will need to be, as you say, conversant with the history and literature of our instrument, including the early chapters to be filled out by the upcoming book. IMHO, it's essential for anyone interested in the roots of the American mandolin.


Looks like a good book.  I enjoy reading these types of things.

Not to nitpick, but I was wondering about the intro blurb on the page linked here.

I had the understanding that the Spanish Students actually played bandurrias on their tour of the US.  I could be wrong about that, but Graham McDonald suggests such as well in his "The Mandolin-A History". 

I've heard a (perhaps apocryphal) follow up story that a group of Italian-American musicians followed in the wake of the Spaniards to capitalize on the success and _they_ actually played mandolins.  

This is not an attempt to discredit Mr. Carter's book, but it does make me wonder a bit if the intro blurb is in conflict with other "histories" about a seminal event.

Mick

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DavidKOS

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## DavidKOS

> I had the understanding that the *Spanish Students actually played bandurrias* on their tour of the US.  I could be wrong about that, but Graham McDonald suggests such as well in his "The Mandolin-A History". 
> 
> I've heard a (perhaps apocryphal) follow up story that a group of Italian-American musicians followed in the wake of the Spaniards to capitalize on the success and _they_ actually played mandolins.  
> k


That's the way I heard it too.

http://www.pittsburghmandolinsociety...ry-of-mandolin

" In 1880, a group of musicians known as the Estudiantina Figaro, or, the "Spanish Students." landed in New York City.  Interestingly enough, they did not play mandolins but Bandurrias, which are small, double-strung instruments from Spain which resemble the mandolin."

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brunello97

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## Bernie Daniel

> That's the way I heard it too.
> 
> http://www.pittsburghmandolinsociety...ry-of-mandolin
> 
> " In 1880, a group of musicians known as the Estudiantina Figaro, or, the "Spanish Students." landed in New York City.  Interestingly enough, they did not play mandolins but Bandurrias, which are small, double-strung instruments from Spain which resemble the mandolin."


Yes as noted MacDonald's book also claims the same thing: 

"Following a very successful season during the Exposition they [the Spanish Students] were booked for an American tour and arrived in New York City on 2 January, 1880, where TheNew York Times reported the arrival of 15 musicians, with nine mandolins (actually bandurrias), five guitars and a violin."

And that is the way I've always heard the story as well and it is why I bought a bandurria while in Spain in 1980.

But sure going to buy a copy of Walter Carters' newest book to stand along side of my copy of "Gibson Guitars: The first 100 yeas of an American Icon".

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## August Watters

> I had the understanding that the Spanish Students actually played bandurrias on their tour of the US.  I could be wrong about that. . .I've heard a (perhaps apocryphal) follow up story that a group of Italian-American musicians followed in the wake of the Spaniards to capitalize on the success and _they_ actually played mandolins.


Not apocryphal. The academic citation for that is in Paul Sparks' book, "The Classical Mandolin." I also included the story in my book, "Exploring Classical Mandolin." Unless there's some new evidence to consider, this is the best information historians have.

But I'm not sure if the introductory blurb about the book is questioning this -- in a sense, the Figaro Spanish Students did introduce the "mandolin" widely to America, even if that's not the instrument they played. That's the word used in the 1880 New York Times article.

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DavidKOS

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## DavidKOS

> -- in a sense, the Figaro Spanish Students did introduce the "mandolin" widely to America, even if that's not the instrument they played. That's the word used in the 1880 New York Times article.


I tend to agree, almost all the imitators used mandolins from the beginning, almost no one used the instruments of the Spanish rondalla. America began making mandolins in great numbers, but not so much bandurrias and lautos!

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## brunello97

It still strikes me as "truthiness".  Hard to imagine writing a book on the history of the mandolin without having read Sparks's books as some research / homework.  If you are going to write a couple of new sentences in a new book, why not make them unequivocally accurate?

"....large numbers of students from Spain arrived in New York...."  Hmm.  On scholarship to NYU?  It wasn't a large number of students and there is no telling if the "Spanish Students" were _actually students_ and not members of an Estudiantina who may have long since matriculated.

Garbling actual documented information and passing it along doesn't strike me much as scholarship and actually will spread misinformation.  This will probably sell a lot more copies than Paul Sparks's book. 

Yeah, I guess I am kind of cranky about this kind of stuff. 

Mick

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DavidKOS

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## Graham McDonald

I suspect just an overly enthusiastic blurb writer from Hal Leonard....

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## brunello97

> I suspect just an overly enthusiastic blurb writer from Hal Leonard....


Thanks, Graham.  :Redface:   You're much more generous than I.  I hope you are right....

Mick

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## Explorer

I've known more than one person who really got motivated to buy a Theremin due to one being used on Good Vibrations, from the Beach Boys. 

And, of course, the actual instrument used was a Tannerin, which has a more controllable pitch mechanism than the Theremin. 

It's interesting to see that the mandolin might have benefitted from a similar misattribution.

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## walter carter

> I suspect just an overly enthusiastic blurb writer from Hal Leonard....


Yes, Graham is correct. I never saw the publisher's blurb. 

While I appreciate the advance publicity that forum members are generating, I would also appreciate it if everyone would wait until they've actually read the book before reviewing it. 

To clarify the scope... While this book covers the history of the instruments in America, it does it from a much broader perspective that encompasses the players and the styles of music and how all of that fits into the big picture of America's musical culture. 

There may be some errors, but rest assured, the Spanish Students will be playing bandurrias. 

More to come.

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Bob Buckingham, 

brunello97, 

DSDarr, 

John Soper, 

LadysSolo, 

Mandolin Cafe

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## Mandolin Cafe

Giving this article a bump to remind everyone the book is now on sale directly from Carter Vintage Guitars and is available signed and unsigned

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Woodrow Wilson

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## mando1man

I just got my signed copy today. It looks fantastic. A "must have" for all mandolin 
enthusiasts!!!

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## JeffD

> how all of that fits into the big picture of America's musical culture.


That to me is what I most look forward to. 

I would like to be able to say the mandolin is more than fun, it's important. But I am not knowledgeable enough to defend that argument to the relativists.

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## JeffD

OK. My copy arrived late last week and I finished it. Fantastic book. Will be a reference for years and years to come. Here is everything I think about it.

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SOMorris

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## walter carter

Thanks for the kind and insightful words, Jeff. In the wake of the recent books by Graham McDonald and Paul Fox, I felt the mandolin models and makers had been thoroughly covered, so I was free to explore the musical and cultural history of the instrument, and it proved to be quite an enjoyable journey. 

We share the experience of having a photo of a grandmother in a mandolin orchestra. In my case, the photo is from 1919 - supposedly after the mandolin had died. Obviously it hadn't, and that photo provided some of the inspiration to find out what was really happening with the mandolin through the years. 

Walter

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Benjamin T, 

John Hasbrouck

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## Graham McDonald

My copy arrived yesterday and what a delight it is. I spent the rest of the day reading through it. My main complaint is that there are a whole bunch of recordings I had forgotten about (or didn't know about at all) which I shall now have to track down and listen to!

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## John Hasbrouck

I finished reading my copy of Walter's book last week and am now well into my second reading. It is really splendid. Thank you, Walter!

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## Nathan Kellstadt

When I got Walter's book and, after looking through it (I'm trying to savor it) put it on the shelf next to Graham's book, I thought to myself that it's a great time to play (and love) the mandolin. My thanks to both of you for sharing your fondness & enthusiasm with the rest of the community.

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## Mandolin Cafe

Noting today's anniversary of the publication of this great book.

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## Franc Homier Lieu

Bought this book when it came out and finally got around to reading it. A fantastic book and a great read. I learned so much about instruments, builders, genres, players, and more. Perfect summer reading. Can't wait to dive into Graham's book now.

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## Bob Buckingham

I have this book, it is good, but I'd rather play the mandolin than read about it.

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## Mandolin Cafe

Noting today's 5th anniversary of the publication of this great book. A real must read by Walter Carter.

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## Jim Imhoff

Got the book, along with Sparks, MacDonald and others... doing my homework. I've always been interested in the historical and cultural aspects of musical traditions. I hate it when people say "It's always been that way" about any aspect of music, whether classical, bluegrass, or hip-hop. It might not have obvious implications for actually performing, but knowing about different developments and changes in style over time might influence the way you approach a piece from a different time or culture. 

It's also a matter of respect for the people who built a tradition or system that we enjoy playing in. I thank all the scholars out there who take time to find out how we got where we are.

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## BeanJean

This is a good read.  Lots of information that is new to me.  And Im gaining insight into why so many mandolin players have an attitude about banjos!

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