Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
I had a friend who bought a large stack of Pagani mandolin/guitar sheet music from that store back in the 1960s. I think the store might have still been operating into the 1970s, possibly even later. When it closed an accordion shop in Long Island bought out the stock. I contacted them to see what happened to all the sheet music. They said they had the accordion music but threw out all the mandolin/guitar stuff!!!
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Thanks for the kind comments, Sheri and Mick!
Here is another one I've recorded today -- "Un Sogno Di Una Vergine". This is a waltz, written in 1908 by G. DiStefano and published by his own publishing company in Philadelphia. The tune was recorded in 1927 by "Partipilo's Mandolin Orchestra" and released by RCA Victor (Victor 80368).
It's quite a long waltz, with some nice touches. In the trio section it briefly turns into a German Ländler.
The title translates as "A Dream Of A Virgin". As it doesn't say "The Virgin", I presume it refers to a young girl, rather than the Virgin Mary. Not clear whether the titular virgin is doing the dreaming or whether she is being dreamt of...
Same instrumentation as the Ginetta Mazurka (indeed, same mixing levels, too):
1890s Umberto Ceccherini mandolin
1915 Luigi Embergher mandolin
Ozark tenor guitar
Suzuki MC-815 mandocello
Martin
Here is another recording of one of these tunes. This mazurka is by Onofrio DiBella himself, published by his own company very late in the day for this style, in 1949. By this time, Onofrio appears to have given up thinking of poetically evocative Italian titles for the tunes, and so this pleasant mazurka is simply titled "Mandolin". That was a bit too generic for me, so I've expanded it to "Mandolin Mazurka" for the purposes of my recording. It's a modest little tune, very straightforward to play, but nicely moving along in that ineffable ballo liscio style. The tonality reminds me of DiBella's own "Margaret Polka".
The attached photo shows the composer, Onofrio DiBella, in his shop together with his son. No date, but I would guess sometime in the 1950s.
1890s Umberto Ceccherini mandolin
1915 Luigi Embergher mandolin
Ozark tenor guitar
Suzuki MC-815 mandocello
Martin
The amount of sheet music that has been made available here is dizzying, I don't know where to start. Even if I do not decide to play the music I find the endevour of sifting through the digital pile exciting and educational. Thanks to all the authors of responses, many contain interesting facts about the music.
Great work Sheri-straightforward download. Many thanks. How can I buy a copy of Mandolin Melodies? Can you get a copy to Cambridge England?
Paul
Like so many others, I want to thank you, Sheri, for this fantastic work. I'm also happy to find this small community. I've been interested in this repertoire for years and I'm lucky enough to have some friends locally who are at least willing to indulge my tastes. If you're so inclined, you can find us as "Serenata Mandolin Trio" on Facebook.
Anyway, besides the thanks, I think I might have some material that would fit well into the dropbox, much already in .pdf. What would be the best way to get it to you, Sheri?
Best, and keep playing!
Chris.
Great News! I've just uploaded about 50 new titles into the O. Di Bella folder. I've also updated the Excel spreadsheets with indexes by publisher and by title. There are now roughly 450+ titles. Many of the new titles in di Bella are complete TRIOs and will say so in the archived parts column.
It's been so heartening to receive the appreciation from so many mandolinists. With this archive, it is now possible to share in the joy of this music of these courageous composers. In 1903, My grandparents left a horrible village destroyed by mafia in Sicily along with so many other Italian immigrants to seek a new world. It was that optimism that shines through with each title I've uploaded. I can't say more other than it brings tears to my eyes to know these songs are welcomed by each of you with the hope that the tradition will stay alive in all our hearts. I speak for those who have anonymously donated files as well as my own submitted titles. To preserve the past is to build a future! Thank you, Sheri
Thanks Sheri... Is this the link to the DiBella ones? The only thing I can't figure out is how to just download the new additions without having to download the whole batch another time. Any clues on how to do this?
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Each line in the directory listing is a link to the PDF, so if you want to download individual PDFs, just right-click on the names and use "Save link as...". The choice is to download each new PDF individually, or download the entire folder again using the "download" button and weed out the duplicates after downloaded. I don't think there is an option of a batch download of only the new files.
I see that one of the new tunes is a waltz called "Sogno d'una vergine" by L. Canoro -- a completely different tune from the waltz of the same name by DiStefano that I recorded last week. There clearly was a lot of recycling of tune names!
Martin
Last edited by Martin Jonas; Aug-06-2014 at 11:22am.
New link to the NEW FOLDER FOR newly uploaded di BELLA titles will be posted shortly. please stand by.
NEW LINK--but wait a bit as I'm still uploading. It should be ready by 12N PST.
if you should encounter any trouble, please send a private message to me. Thanks everyone.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gtid1vr7x...2q2ZCAhnC7Nooa
Last edited by Mandophile; Aug-06-2014 at 1:15pm.
Strange... I started to download individual files and I checked and it downloaded html files. That was in Safari (I am on my Mac since I am now jobless and at home). I switched to Firefox and it, at least gave me the option of downloading html or all files and then it worked. But each time I needed to switch to "All Files". I do have a batch downloading program on Firefox and may be able to tell it to filter files by age. I have to check that.
... Nah, that won't work. I think I will wait for Sheri's NEW folder.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
hope you saw the reply with new link to new di Bella.
Yes, I see, Sheri. Thanks again!!
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
It's so rewarding to hear from so many mando players who are trying out the mazurkas etc and playing them amongst their friends. I'm thrilled to know that these priceless melodies are being sustained by the community of musicians who love and respect the tradition. Please stay tuned as I'm in the process of uploading even more~Pagani and other publishers, including some accordion music. To me there isn't a more satisfying trio than mandolins with musette accordion (most of these publishers expected an accordionist to read from the guitar score anyway!!) The piano accordion was in its infancy when the mandolin trios were soaring to the top in the 1920s, so it took a while for composers to catch on to this great combination--but there it is! soon mando players will be able to invite us ol' geezer-squeezers to share in the fun! Thanks everyone!!
Lots of good music to play , thanks alot
Ibanez 70's 524, 521, 3 511's,2 512's,513,1 514,3 80s 513's, 522
J Bovier F5-T custom shop
Kiso Suzuki V900,
The Loar lm600 Cherryburst
morgan monroe mms-5wc,ovation
Michael Kelly Octave Mandolin
Emandos Northfield octave tele 4, Northfield custom jem octave mandolin 5 octave strat 8
2 Flying v 8, octave 5, Exploryer octave 8 20"
Fender mandostrat 4,3 Epip mandobird 2,4/8, Kentucky. KM300E Eastwood mandocaster
Gold Tone F6,Badaax doubleneck 8/6
Here is another new recording of one of the DiBella tunes -- this is "Dolce Cuore", a waltz from 1921 by Luigi Canoro (best known as the author of "Tra Veglia E Sonno"). It's a sweet melodic waltz, with some dramatic passages which are very effective.
1890s Umberto Ceccherini mandolin
1914 Luigi Embergher mandolin
Ozark tenor guitar
Suzuki MC-815 mandocello
Martin
I have compiled all of the new August DiBella files into a single pdf document, alphabetical order - here is the link
https://www.dropbox.com/s/56p8q8ujrw...02014.pdf?dl=0
Thank you again Sheri! I particularly enjoyed Serenade d'autrefois out of this bunch
That sounds good. Keep in mind that I still have more coming. Right now I'm converting some old Antonio Grauso (mandolin maker and composer) who sold his stuff to Ernie Rossi's in NYC, and later, apparently, Rossi sold it to di Bella. Grauso's mandolins were apparently well suited for the musical styles popular in NYC when he composed (up to about 1930). Lawrence Ferlinghetti brought me the "Guitar Heroes" book from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2010. (Did I loan it to someone out there because I can't find it!) HELP! Well worth buying this book as it has quite a bit on this virtually unknown mandolinist/mandolin maker as well as the Italian bowl back tradition in America. I will be creating a new folder in my Drop Box for GRAUSO even though much of what I have provides a footnote at the bottom of the sheets stating that di Bella may have bought the collection right after E. Rossi bought it in c. 1932. But without any evidence of a 28 year copyright renewal, it's open season. What can you say? It was the depression. You bought something, and then...I suppose...like realtors today...they 'flipped it' and made a profit by selling it to the next guy. It must have been a war of attrition with di Bella surviving it by virtue of its reputation. This little segue reminds us all about how precious the music is and thank goodness I have been given some of this music and accumulated quite a bit before it evaporates into thin air. So, Thank you Morgan, I'm glad you are enjoying it and stay tuned with some really terrific stuff coming...G. Silvestri was in the di Bella stable but he composed for others too and I see in my next batch that we will have a few more compositions by him. Thanks again to everyone for making this a community spirited adventure! Keep on plucking!
I can't get enough of this melody! he was a tunesmith extraordinaire!
Happy Labor Day weekend! Antonio Grauso was a mandolin maker and fairly prolific publisher at the turn of the 20th century in New York City. According to one source, when the Depression hit, he sold his sheet music to E. Rossi's** (still in Little Italy), and another source indicates that di Bella bought what was in the mandolin music catalog. Whatever happened, by 1932 di Bella had the titles transferred to di Bella. As to whether any of these much, much older dances ever maintained a copyright, it is doubtful. I find no evidence to that effect. Today I have created a ANTONIO GRAUSO folder with 65 new titles (actually, one or two are already available with other publishers). One title "Concettina" has gone missing; I will add her as soon as she reappears from my messy desk. In the meantime, new COMBINED INDEXES of all publishers/titles (17+ pp with 516+ titles) and the GRAUSO INDEX are now available. Now, can I go to that BBQ?
** source is Mark Rotella's "That's Amore" published in 2010. If you want to find out more about the Italian-American popular music legacy, this is the book to read.
GRAUSO LINK
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mi4r0fnok...0HRYQMVga?dl=0
Last edited by Mandophile; Aug-28-2014 at 5:09pm.
NOTE: found Concettina; it has been added. Everything from Grauso is uploaded now. Next step will include Pagani publications. Thank you for keeping this music in your repertoires! Best Wishes to everyone on the end of summer weekend! Sheri~
A continuing thanks to you, Sheri!!
Interesting that Grauso has Speranze Perdute but attributes it to P. Bolognese instead of A. Morelli. Same tune but slightly different arrangement.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Yes, the updated Index makes a note that Bolognese's name is probably as an arranger, not composer.
You remain continuously awesome, Sheri!
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
______________________
'05 Cuisinart Toaster
'93 Chuck Taylor lowtops
'12 Stetson Open Road
'06 Bialetti expresso maker
'14 Irish Linen Ramon Puig
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