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Thread: Bellenghi and Weidt mandocello methods

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    Pataphysician Joe Bartl's Avatar
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    Default Bellenghi and Weidt mandocello methods

    Attached are 2 pdf files (Part 1 and Part 2) of the Bellenghi (Giuseppe Bellenghi, Bologna 1847-Florence Oct 17, 1902) mandocello method from 1896. I scanned these at the Library of Congress using an app on my iphone. You will note that many pages are curved. This is because the paper was too brittle to actually bend flat without destroying the piece and so I did the best I could with what I had. In any case, it should be good for a look through ... and more power to you if you can negotiate Italian!

    Also attached is a mandocello method by A.J. Weidt from 1921. I scanned this with my iphone as well, but I could flatten the pages, so the quality will be a little better (I hope). The Library's copy of this included only three of the five parts that make up the whole thing ... so the attached is incomplete. Nevertheless, again, it should be good for a look through ...

    A hearty thanks to Mr. Tichenor for his valuable help getting these large files posted!

    Joe Bartl
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Bellenghi-Part-1.pdf   Bellenghi-Part-2.pdf   Weidt.pdf  

    Last edited by Joe Bartl; Nov-07-2019 at 1:30pm. Reason: Add thanks to Mr. Tichenor

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    Registered User Classicalcomp's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bellenghi and Weidt mandocello methods

    Awesome Joe. Great Job!!
    (I was) my own teacher and pupil, and thanks to the efforts
    of both, they were not discontented with each other. -- Segovia

    Lawrence Smart Stern 2-point Mandolin
    Lawrence Smart Stern 2-point Mandola
    Weber Gallatin Mandocello
    Weber Gallatin Soprano (Piccolo) Mandolin
    Breedlove Prototype Mandolin

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    Default Re: Bellenghi and Weidt mandocello methods

    I was not aware of these in all my reading; wish I had known about them for my CMSA MC Solo/Method Book session. But I just don't understand the publishers and composers problem with clefs. I do know the history, how the "universal clef" thing got started and stuck. But this book doesn't even do that! It uses treble clef and then massive ledger lines as opposed to saying "8ve down" or something. Sorry, but nothing says "bass" like a bass clef! Glad to say the more contemporary compositions by people like John Goodin and August Watters respect that. And if you read treble clef, it is just not that hard to get used to A C E G instead of F A C E .
    jim

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    Registered User meow-n-dolin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bellenghi and Weidt mandocello methods

    Way cool! Thanks!

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    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bellenghi and Weidt mandocello methods

    Thanks a lot for those, Joe -- something to look through at leisure!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Imhoff View Post
    I was not aware of these in all my reading; wish I had known about them for my CMSA MC Solo/Method Book session. But I just don't understand the publishers and composers problem with clefs. I do know the history, how the "universal clef" thing got started and stuck. But this book doesn't even do that! It uses treble clef and then massive ledger lines as opposed to saying "8ve down" or something. Sorry, but nothing says "bass" like a bass clef! Glad to say the more contemporary compositions by people like John Goodin and August Watters respect that. And if you read treble clef, it is just not that hard to get used to A C E G instead of F A C E .
    I think the reason for this is mainly that the Bellenghi isn't a mandocello method at all: it's a liuto moderno method. The subtitle "or mandocello" is misleading as much of it is not readily playable on a four-course mandocello. It's clear from the introductory material that the method is intended for a five-course instrument tuned CGDAE, i.e. the combined range of the mandocello and the octave mandolin. The natural clefs for these are bass clef and octave treble, respectively, so Bellenghi had to make a choice of either using bass clef (meaning lots of ledger lines above for notes on the E string) or octave treble clef (meaning lots of ledger lines below for notes on the C string). He chose the latter, which i can sympathise with.

    In my opinion Bellenghi's notation is at least preferable to Calace's solution to the same problem: his liuto notation looked like a grand staff but wasn't that at all -- he notated all notes on the top four strings (GDAE) on a staff in octave treble clef and the notes on the C string on a separate staff in bass clef. For most pieces, the bass clef staff was largely empty, making for rather space inefficient notation.

    Martin

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