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Thread: Innstück (Martin Allcock), mandolin quartet in 5/4 time

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    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Innstück (Martin Allcock), mandolin quartet in 5/4 time

    I've been hesitating whether this piece is more suitable for the Classical or the Celtic/European Folk forum, but I think by its character it may be of more interest here even though its composer is a well-known English folk musician writing in an Eastern European/Balkan idiom.

    Martin Allcock is a classically-trained bass player but better known as a former member of Fairport Convention and (briefly) Jethro Tull. More relevant for this forum, he is also a former member of Simon Mayor's Mandolin All-Stars and Mandolinquents.

    I first heard his composition "Innstück" on the 1986 Fairport Convention album "Expletive Delighted", but had forgotten about it until recently when I stumbled across the score in the Fairport songbook (edited by Allcock and originally sold through his website here -- unfortunately it sold out some time ago). Looking at the score, it struck me that this is a rather classically-informed composition and musically interesting and enjoyable to play. Three melody/harmony voices, plus a lively chordal accompaniment in 5/4 time (3+2), all sitting very nicely on mandolin family instruments.

    I've played this as a quartet on waldzither and tenor guitar (two parts per instrument). It's a very short piece, so I'm repeating it with the two harmony voices doubled an octave higher on mandolin. I think it would also work rather nicely in a more traditional mandolin quartet configuration, two mandolins, mandola and guitar.

    As this is a recent copyrighted composition, I won't post the score here. The songbook is out of print, so I suggest that anybody who is interested in the score drops Martin Allcock a line through his website -- he is a very friendly and approachable person!

    Apologies to Maart for my amateur efforts -- needless to say, the composer's own playing of this piece is infinitely better than mine.

    MP3 attached:



    Same recording on Youtube:



    Martin
    Attached Files Attached Files

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    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Innstück (Martin Allcock), mandolin quartet in 5/4 time

    I've just revisited this little piece with its tricky 5/4 time signature, which I had previously recorded in 2013. For this new recording I have used the same arrangement (edited by the composer of the tune, the late and much missed Maartin Allcock) but have somewhat re-jigged the parts to make it fit my current method of recording.

    Instruments in the order in which they join in:

    1898 Giuseppe Vinaccia mandolin (alternating lead and first harmony)
    Vintage Viaten tenor guitar (rhythm)
    Garry Probert resonator tenor guitar (alternating lead and first harmony)
    1925 Jul. Heinr. Zimmermann waldzither (second harmony)



    Listening to Fairport's original studio recording (link), it strikes me how much this is a mandolin ensemble piece -- Maart plays the melody on bouzouki, then adding mandolin and mandola harmonies as the piece builds. Towards the end, the sound becomes a bit more generic with the fiddle, percussion and bass, but it's a really fun piece.

    Martin

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