Classical Mandola

[Explorer]

I must admit, I had never realized that the liuto cantabile was a fifths-tuned instrument. I play a converted Ovation 25.5" scale length 12-string bowlback tuned low-to-high CGDAEB, and am intrigued that there might be repertoire out there beyond the normal repurposed cello, OM and other traditions.

I haven't found much of the Calace material in my recent searches. Where can one buy, or even find online, such pieces? I'm especially intrigued in the idea of solo material.

[margora]

"Bob, the performance of Urban Sketches is really professional. I'm impressed. Good piece too."

Thanks, much appreciated! "Urban Sketches" is published by MundoPlectro in Spain (https://www.mundoplectro.com/epages/...ducts/MP020032). The liuto gets a workout in Frank Wallace's "My Vital Breath" a (rather more) modernist piece from the same concert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLPov68qp0Y). Frank's piece was written for NAME and is published by Trekel.

[margora]

Here is a link to Calace's music scores: http://www.federmandolino.it/wp/spartiti-music-scores/. Calace wrote some 20-odd pieces for solo liuto, including eight preludes. There are a few duets for mandolin and liuto, liuto and piano, several "classical" quartets (which for Calace meant M1, M2, mandola in G, and liuto), and various pieces for mandolin orchestra that have liuto parts.

By the 1910s, the standard configuration for mandolin orchestra music in Italy was M1, M2, mandola in G, classical guitar, mandoloncello, and mandolone (or bass). The mandoloncello parts were interchangeable for liuto, and in bass clef. Modern Japanese is derived heavily from early 20th century Italian, so the standard modern Japanese set up is the same, except that in Japan today, mandocello generally assumes the 4-course instrument.

[margora]

"I haven't found much of the Calace material in my recent searches. Where can one buy, or even find online, such pieces? I'm especially intrigued in the idea of solo material."

See my earlier reply with the link. Calace also wrote a fine method for liuto, using his hybrid octave treble-bass clef notation.

[margora]

"In part, I was assuming that the mandola parts one typically encounters in orchestral scores aren't likely to be too demanding. Cheers, Robert!"

Depends. We have some wicked mandola parts in the NAME repertoire (such as Frank Wallace's "My Vital Breath"). At the CMSA convention in Bloomington-Normal this past November, one of the En Masse pieces was Claudia Mandonico's "Iberia", which has a very demanding mandola part; ditto, at the 2018 convention in Santa Rosa, Takashi Kubota's "Tanz Suite". Wouldn't want to play either mandola part on the liuto if I didn't have to.

[Explorer]

Margora, you've taught me to be more flexible. I had searched for "liuto cantabile" in quotes, while the materials I've now been able to find are just listed as for "liuto."

Thanks!

[Rob MacKillop]

"Bob, the performance of Urban Sketches is really professional. I'm impressed. Good piece too."

Thanks, much appreciated! "Urban Sketches" is published by MundoPlectro in Spain (https://www.mundoplectro.com/epages/...ducts/MP020032). The liuto gets a workout in Frank Wallace's "My Vital Breath" a (rather more) modernist piece from the same concert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLPov68qp0Y). Frank's piece was written for NAME and is published by Trekel.

The Frank Wallace performance was also excellent. You have a world-class ensemble there, Bob. Do you get together often? Are you third from left, or fourth?

[Eugene]

The liuto gets a workout in Frank Wallace's "My Vital Breath" a (rather more) modernist piece from the same concert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLPov68qp0Y). Frank's piece was written for NAME and is published by Trekel.

Frankly, I find Frank's music involving mandolin-family thingies every bit as enjoyable as (perhaps sometimes even more than) his guitar solos. But perhaps my bias is showing. Some of his guitar solos are very fine indeed.

[Eugene]

"In part, I was assuming that the mandola parts one typically encounters in orchestral scores aren't likely to be too demanding. Cheers, Robert!"

Depends.

Here I was more referring to the mass-produced stuff of the popular era. All such bets are off regarding specialist composers who grasp and exploit the limitations of any instrument.

[margora]

"The Frank Wallace performance was also excellent. You have a world-class ensemble there, Bob. Do you get together often? Are you third from left, or fourth?"

Thanks again. I am third from the left. From the left: Mark Davis (mandolin), Bob Asprinio (mandolin), me (Robert Margo, liuto moderno), August Watters (mandola in G), Beverly Davis (classical guitar), Judy Handler (classical guitar), Jim Bates (bass), Mark Levesque (mandolin), David Miller (mandolin).

The current version of NAME is a sextet -- Bates, Miller, and Watters are no longer with the group. Asprinio plays bass. We did a brief UK tour in 2018 with this configuration (Brighton, Bristol, Oxford, London). For obvious reasons we are not getting together at the moment.

[margora]

"Here I was more referring to the mass-produced stuff of the popular era."

Fair enough. NAME specializes in contemporary music. But there are some demanding mandola in G parts even in the early 20th century repertoire, certainly on the Italian side. I wouldn't particularly want to play the mandola in G part in Amadeo Amadei's "Suite Marinaresca" or Salvatore Falbo's "Spagna" (or the Falbo "Quartet") on the liuto if I had an actual mandola in G handy. For that matter, I'd prefer playing the mandoloncello part to "Spagna", written ca. 1920, on the mandoloncello. It has passages in tenor clef. Not what one would be expecting on the liuto.