Re: Essay on Mandolin Orchestras
Thanks, Lee, for your work on this fascinating topic and for sharing it here.
I also find the feedback from others to be helpful to my own learning as well.
For me, Robert's point bears repeating:
--p. 3, top. The correlation between mandolin playing in the early 20th century and social class is an example of a topic that needs more research. People often point to the widespread presence of mandolin clubs, etc. in high schools and colleges at the time, but do not recognize that only a tiny fraction of Americans attended college ca. 1900 and, similarly, the fraction attending high school was also very low. On the other hand, how many "factory workers" played mandolin is simply not known (in the sense of a reliable average nationwide, as opposed to an anecdote here or there).
This is certainly very important points to underscore, not as social critique, but as important context.
Associated with this, of course, is the massive production of instruments (and the wide range of quality and 'price-points' to serve this market.)
Did these cheaper HS or collegiate instruments help offset the cost of more expensive or boutique instruments from the makers.
That said, we've seen enough photos of mandolin clubs here where all the members are sporting killer Gibson F4s, mandolas and mandocellos...
But we've also seen photos posted of modest 'orchestras' in less fancy garb and very modest mandolins.
The 'decline' of mandolin orchestras might have have been a contributing factor to the decline of many of the bigger US mandolins makers (Lyon and Healy / Vega / Oscar Schmidt for instance.) That was likely a healthy market for some time for them.
Sheri Mignano's great book "Mandolins Like Salami" offers some insight into another history of mandolin culture in America at this time, but understandably focuses more on the memorable players of the era rather than the unknown player likely playing in family or social club duos and trios....with the duo and trio music made available in the Italo-American music idiom. She does write on some of the important Bay Area orchestras which seem quite different than the collegiate and school groups in age, experience and repetoire.
I'm so glad to see this effort to glean and synthesize information from old sources and continue to advance the overall mandolin knowledge base.
To be honest, I don't enjoy most mandolin orchestra music, or much in the way of 'classical' mandolin.
I've never had any interest in playing in one, but I love mandolins and therefore I love mandolin orchestras. Old and new.
Mick
Ever tried, ever failed? No matter. Try again, fail again. Fail better.--Samuel Beckett
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