Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: E. Barbella (1718-1777): Concerto for Mandolin

  1. #1
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    North Wales
    Posts
    6,431

    Default E. Barbella (1718-1777): Concerto for Mandolin

    Emanuele Barbella (1718-1777): Concerto for Mandolin
    II. Andantino

    This is an 18th century late Baroque/early Classical mandolin concerto by the Neapolitan composer Emanuele Barbella. I'm working up my courage to try the two allegro movements, but for now here is my interpretation of the Andantino.

    There are a fair number of recordings of the Andantino on Youtube (compared to only one of the full concerto), none much alike with a fairly wide range of tempo choices. I've taken it fairly briskly, at about the same speed as Jacob Reuven (Link), while the Edinburgh Mandolin Orchestra directed by Nigel Gatherer took it much slower in this recording from the Edinburgh Festival (Link). There is a also this recording with the original instrumentation (basso realised on violoncello and therobo).

    Adapted from the original instrumentation of solo mandolin, two violins and basso to a mandolin quintet (solo nylgut-strung mandolin, two vintage Italian bowlback mandolins, octave mandolin and mandocello). It's a fun piece, and I've tried to just go with the flow and not worry too much about how others have interpreted it -- my reading sounds doesn't much sound like any of the above. This is to me a sprightly and joyful rococo piece, building up to a big climax in the final tutti section.

    "Baroq-ulele" nylgut-strung mandolin
    1890s Umberto Ceccherini mandolin
    1915 Luigi Embergher mandolin
    Mid-Missouri M-111 octave mandolin
    Suzuki MC-815 mandocello

    The paintings I have chosen are mostly by Gaspare Traversi, a contemporary of Barbella in Naples -- from his musical genre paintings I suspect the two knew each other. I've interspersed a few wide open Bellotto city scenes to leaven Traversi's crowded interiors.



    Martin

  2. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Martin Jonas For This Useful Post:


  3. #2
    Registered User Leo37's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Germany, NRW
    Posts
    29

    Default Re: E. Barbella (1718-1777): Concerto for Mandolin

    Wonderful tune and I lovely played. Do you have a link to the scores?

    Leo

  4. #3
    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    North CA
    Posts
    5,020

    Default Re: E. Barbella (1718-1777): Concerto for Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Leo37 View Post
    Wonderful tune and I lovely played. Do you have a link to the scores?

    Leo
    This page has a lot of Barbella.....

    http://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin...ument=Mandolin

    as does this one

    http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Barbella,_Emanuele

    but perhaps not the piece in question. I'm having trouble narrowing it down.....help please?

  5. #4
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    North Wales
    Posts
    6,431

    Default Re: E. Barbella (1718-1777): Concerto for Mandolin

    David/Leo,

    I don't think there is a public domain source for the Concerto online, but there are two modern editions, both available from Trekel, with score and parts sold separately. There is an edition by Ugo Orlandi for the original instrumentation (mandolin, two violins and basso) and another by Daniel Ahlert (but not sold through the Ahlert & Schwab web site) for plucked orchestra or quartet with soloist.

    For what it's worth, a couple of years ago I also recorded Barbella's Sonata a Due Mandolini e Basso (Gimo 18), from the public domain score at Mutopia as linked by David. That was before I bought my mandocello, and I was playing the basso part on OM as written without full realisation. The allegros are also a bit slow -- I think I would play it a touch faster now:



    Martin
    Last edited by Martin Jonas; Mar-31-2015 at 4:36am.

  6. #5
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    North Wales
    Posts
    6,431

    Default Re: E. Barbella (1718-1777): Concerto for Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Martin Jonas View Post
    This is an 18th century late Baroque/early Classical mandolin concerto by the Neapolitan composer Emanuele Barbella. I'm working up my courage to try the two allegro movements, but for now here is my interpretation of the Andantino.
    As promised, here is my recording of the first movement of the Barbella Mandolin Concerto:

    I. Allegro ma non presto

    Same instrumentation as for the Andantino. Tempo in this instance is self-selecting: as fast as I can cleanly play this rapid cascade of percolating rococo semiquavers...

    This was hard work, but lots of fun, first creating the orchestral frame and then bedding the solo mandolin part into it. Again, it's wonderfully evocative of rococo Naples.



    Martin

  7. The following members say thank you to Martin Jonas for this post:


  8. #6
    Registered User Martin Jonas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    North Wales
    Posts
    6,431

    Default Re: E. Barbella (1718-1777): Concerto for Mandolin

    I have now also recorded the third and final movement of the Barbella Mandolin Concerto, the Giga Allegro, and have replaced my original uploads of the first two movements with a single consolidated upload of the entire Concerto. If you want to play individual movements, they start at:

    I. Allegro ma non presto - 0:00
    II. Andantino - 4:05
    III. Giga Allegro - 7:51



    This is a really enjoyable piece of music, very Neapolitan and very Rococo, and I've had great fun working it out. Nothing particularly difficult, but it needs to move at a fair tempo in order to work as intended.

    Martin

  9. The following members say thank you to Martin Jonas for this post:

    derbex 

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •