Paganini on the mandolin

[John Zimm]

Tonight when I get home, unwind for a few minutes, and grab my mandolin, I have every intention (snicker-we know the currncy we can put on intentions) of trying to play a little Paganini on the mandolin. Anyone out there tried this before? I love Paganini and I imagine his pieces for violin will be fun and challenging.

-John.

[JimD]

Are you aware that Paganini played the mandolin himself and wrote a number of pieces for mandolin and guitar?

Jim

[Plamen Ivanov]

Hello!

Yes, Paganini has some pieces originaly written for mandolin. And he started with the mandolin playing in fact, when he was at the age of 5, before starting the violin playing. But it was a Mandolino Genovese, which has the same tuning as the guitar just one octave higher. Other Paganini`s pieces - are also suitable to be performed on the mandolin. I personaly has performed his first and third Sonatas for violin and guitar from the "Centone di Sonate" series in public. If you want to hear a master performance of the fourth Sonata you could buy this CD. That`s a great CD at all!

Good luck!

[carolynbeth]

Butch Baldassari does a nice version of Paganini's Cantabile for mandolin and guitar (on his CD of the same name). Not sure if the piece was written for those instruments originally, but it's lovely.

Carolyn

[Eugene]

The Cantabile is one of Paganini's nicest works originally for violin and guitar. As Plami rightly says, Paganini cut his musical teeth on the mandolino Genovese. Paganini left three works for this instrument: the two-movement Serenata in G with guitar accompaniment, the two-movement Sonata "per Rovene" in E with guitar accompaniment, and the three-movement Menuet/sonata in E for solo mandolino Genovese. I play these on Neapolitan mandolin, they are good fun, and none of them are particularly difficult. Unfortunately, the best work of this lot, the Sonata per Rovene, has never been published.

[Plamen Ivanov]

[QUOTE]"As Plami rightly says, Paganini cut his musical teeth on the mandolino Genovese."

I must say, that I learned this thanks to you and Mr. Walz.

Regards,
Plamen