This is a well-known piece by the Baroque violin virtuoso and composer Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770). Most recorded versions are performed on either violin or cello with piano/harpsichord accompaniment, and that may have been the original instrumentation.
This arrangement for mandolin quartet is from the old Nakano site and was published around 1900 in Florence by V. Billi.
Mandolin 1: 1890s Umberto Ceccherini
Mandolin 2: 1915 Luigi Embergher
Mandola: 1925 Zimmermann waldzither
Guitar: Ozark tenor guitar
The first mandolin plays the original solo violin part, with the other three instruments splitting the keyboard accompaniment between them. Good practice for Baroque trills, and I think the Ceccherini's tone with its built-in reverb from the double soundboard suits the piece!
I first came across the name Tartini in Victor's epic thread here on the Cafe in 2005, when he played and provided a performance diary for all 51 variations in Tartini's "The Art Of Bowing" on mandolin (Link). It's a thread well worth revisiting and the first thread I followed here in the classical forum -- indeed I printed it out in the hope of one day studying these Tartini variations myself. That day hasn't come yet and may never come, as these are hard.
Fortunately, Tartini's Adagio Cantabile is just as lovely, but technically very much easier. It's a good and accessible practice piece for solo mandolin, mandolin/guitar duos or mandolin quartets -- all backing parts are optional and can be added or omitted ad lib. The mandola part is notated in octave treble clef, but never goes below D and therefore can be played on the CGDA instrument (or on waldzither, in my case).
Martin
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