Santa Lucia and O Sole Mio - on a Martin 1904 Style 4 Bowlback
Bello!! How do you hold on to that bowlback?
It rests on my ample bello
In my mind, I can actually see that gondoliere, majestically rowing his long black gondola along the Liffey, passing under the Ha'Penny Bridge, while his mandolin rings out through the foggy dew... I give you extra credit for holding a bowlback sitting upright. Sometimes I see music students, wedging it between torso and thighs in a cramped-looking fetal position like skeletons in prehistoric graves - maybe that's the answer archaeologists have been looking for: these people all died playing their bowlbacks. Bertram
i see checkered table cloths, mustachioed waiters in waistcoats and floor length aprons, chianti bottle candle holders and "lady and the tramp" ... bravissimo! - fits
Well. Here's my try...
Eddie and Chris - nice tremolo! Out of curiosity, Eddie, how many mandolins DO you have? At least one for every music style, and a few extras for variety?
I participate in the catch and release program... trying to keep the intrinsic value of my collection reasonably constant.. right now I have a few "releases" in the Classifieds....
Very nicely done Chris. I wish I could have heard you play it before I did mine. I played it by ear ans just had the basic melody. It was taught to me as a song when I was about 10 years of age in school. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the words of the song were in the Irish language (Gaeilge). Now every time I play it the Irish words run through my mind... "Solas na ghealaí mhín..."
thats like me hearing Elvis going "it`s noooow or neveeer" when you play O sole mio aaw, that italian sound has a really nice romantic feel to it
Thanks Eddie! When I play it, I hear Barney Fife from "The Andy Griffith Show" singing it at the top of his lungs. Such a funny guy!
Following on from my binge last week, I have just recorded another batch of 17 tunes during the kids' afternoon nap on Good Friday. This time mostly Italian and classical tunes played on my wonderful 1915 Luigi Embergher bowlback. It's the bowlback equivalent of my Ajr -- a bare-bones entry level mandolin by the single most prestigious of all bowlback luthiers. So, here's my take on Santa Lucia -- we play this occasionally with our informal mandolin ensemble; this is the first mandolin part from our ensemble arrangement, which works just fine as a solo arrangement, too. Martin
