renaissance music for mandolin

[billkilpatrick]

there's notice on the front page about a new renaissance music cd and booklet set from allan alexander. in addition to the elderly instruments site, information can also be found by contacting him directly at:

www.fluteandguitar.com/medieval.html

i have two of his cd/booklet music sets - one for medieval mandolin and one for renaissance guitar - and they're fabulous. you can quickly increase your repetoire by the 20 or so songs in each collection simply by playing along as you read. the songs are played at an easy pace and written in tablature and notation.

- bill

[mandough]

Is there anywhere that I can listen to some Medievel mandolin music? I haven't heard much but I think I have a mandolin that would sound great playing it. I also would like to play more tunes that aren't bluegrassy. Any ideas of where to find some sound samples?

[Jim Garber]

For samplers of some non-bluegrass mp3s, here is a good place to start.

This thread has some other suggestions for classical recordings.

As far as acxtual renaissance music... others may suggest...

Jim

[John Craton]

As far as acxtual renaissance music... others may suggest...

I used to play in an early music consort (rebec, recorder, viola da gamba, etc., but never mandolin as it isn't a Renaissance instrument), so I have quite a bit of literature in my library if anyone is interested in something specific. There's a lot that is easily played on a mando, and arrangements for mando ensembles would probably sound great.

For starters, I'd recommend the following anthologies:

An Elizabethan Song Book by Noah Greenberg (NY: Doubleday, 1955)

An Anthology of English Medieval and Renaissance Vocal Music by Noah Greenberg (NY: W.W. Norton, 1961)

An English Song Book by Noah Greenberg (NY: Doubleday, 1961)

Anthology of Medieval Music by Richard Hoppin (NY: W.W. Norton, 1978)

Most of these are probably out of print, but copies generally can be found at www.bookfinder.com.

[Martin Jonas]

As John said, Renaissance music as played by Early Music groups doesn't have mandolins, as they are not renaissance instruments. #However, once the "authenticity" aim is ditched, there's a lot of fun to be had from the tunes. #One of my favourite CDs is by Phil Pickett and Richard Thompson: The Bones of all Men (readily available as mid-price CD both on amazon.com and amazon.co.uk). #These are renaissance tunes arranged by Phil Pickett (musical director of both the New London Consort and the Globe Theatre) and Richard Thompson (one of the best guitarists in the world and my favourite musician bar none) for both early music and modern electric instruments. #Works brilliantly for me and is a great source of ideas of how to approach this material differently. #Although Thompson is a great mandolin player (as is Dave Pegg who also plays on the album), I don't think there is much actual mandolin content.

There's additional details here and here.

Martin

[John Craton]

I forgot to mention that I put together a small anthology myself titled Divertissements médiévaux that is for violin (first position) and piano. It contains settings of 16 medieval and Renaissance pieces designed to introduce young vl students to period music. The melody lines are mostly authentic tunes from the era (I provided a short fantasia for "Gabriel fram heven-king"), but the accompaniment employs modern harmonies to make the pieces more accesible to today's young ears. Many of the pieces are also suitable for mandolin and could be played all in first position, but they work much better on mando in 1st-4th positions.

The collection is published by Wolfhead Music, and a list of the contents and MIDIs of the arrangements can be found here.

[mysticfaery]

I just got my copy of reniassance music for mandolin & I'm impressed! The pieces sound great & are easy to play. I'll be noodling with it this morning.

[John Craton]

I just got my copy of reniassance music for mandolin & I'm impressed! The pieces sound great & are easy to play.

There is a collection of medieval music arranged for mandolin listed on eBay. I haven't seen this book to examine it, but I believe it's been on eBay several times. Might be worthwhile checking out. Anyone familiar with it?

[Eric F.]

John, I have that book and CD. I think it's the one Bill mentioned owning, also. I like it. It's got some very haunting tunes on it and they are not hard to play. The seller is very nice and ships promptly.

[John Craton]

John, I have that book and CD. I think it's the one Bill mentioned owning, also.

Same editor, but I believe the one on eBay is a different collection. The contents appear to be more Continental than the Renaissance book. Still, if it's by the same editor and you rate it highly, I would assume this would be a good one too.

[Eugene]

True, there were no mandolins in the renaissance, but there was a very mandolin-like soprano lute, the mandore, that was popular in northern Europe. If curious of the sound in context, I would recommend a couple fine recordings:

The Broadside Band (Jeremy Barlow). 1992 (1980). Popular Tunes in 17th-Century England. Harmonia Mundi, HMA 1901039.
This is all consort music. Much of it features mandore carrying the melody. It's great fun.

Ronn McFarlane. 1990. The Scottish Lute. Dorian Recordings, DOR-90129.
This is mostly lute solos of the Scottish renaissance, but almost half of it is of mandore solos from the ca. 1615 Skene book.

[Martin Jonas]

I got my copy of "Renaissance Music for Mandolin" yesterday, and it's really good fun. #Pretty much exactly as Bill said in the first post in this thread: the tunes are catchy, well notated (in standard notation and tabs, no page turning needed), played at an easy pace and can mostly be played sight reading even by as inexperienced a player as me. #Indeed, my first impression was that the tunes were rather too easy -- it's all first position, no tremolo, no decorations, and only one tune even ventures as far as the seventh fret -- but on trying to play them I find that while some of the tunes are just as easy as they look on the page and sound on the CD, others are just that little bit deceptive and require sufficient attention to technique and timing to keep the interest up.

The CD is great as guidance for learning the tunes. #It's also meant to be enjoyable for listening in its own right, which it largely is, although Allen Alexander is no mandolin virtuoso and the tone and phrasing is functional more than impressive. #Does anybody know what mandolin he plays?

For the price I paid ($21.50 including shipping to the UK; arrived in less than a week), I find it well worth it and I might look at his two medieval mandolin books/CDs as well. #Incidently, the link posted above is to a part of Allen's site that is rather far removed from the mandolin bits, this is a better link.

Martin

[Martin Jonas]

Does anybody know what mandolin he plays?

Following up from my previous message on this, I have now ordered Allan Alexander's two Medieval Mandolin books as well and in the process asked him this question. It turns out that the mandolin used for almost all of the tunes on the CDs is a Kentucky KM-380s (that's a carved top A-style with f-holes). I would never have guessed that. It just goes to show that classical (or early) music needn't be played on bowlbacks.

Martin

[Jim Garber]

It just goes to show that classical (or early) music needn't be played on bowlbacks.

My experience coming into classical mandolin by joining an American mandolin orchestra gives me a different perspective. Over here even the classical players play carved top instruments or at least flatbacks. There were no bowlbacks in the new York Mandolin Orchestra. At one point I believe that the conductor insisted that all players play Lyon & healy carved instruments.

It is only been in the last few years that I have become fond of the bowlback.

Jim

[Bob A]

"It is only in the last few years that I have become fond of the bowlback"

Ah yes. Overfond even, perhaps. While L&H instruments certainly approach asymptotically to the bowlback sound, (and are wonderful classical instruments in their own right) the bowl has won my heart and ears. How much of that is due to the inevitable decline of aging, wherein the birdlike treble is able to punch thru the losses at the upper end of the scale, and how much is due to the unrecordable and nearly indescribable charms of the instrument itself, is hard to say.

What can be said, though, is that they typify, in microcosm, the delights of the mandolin in general. I have too many bowlbacks now, up from too few a few years ago, but each is different in sound, feel and construction. And each is pleasing in its own special way. I had amassed a handful of mandolins of different types, and was charmed by the differences; I have to say that the bowlback breed, while remaining true to a single design form, embodies this essential ability to look similar, yet be essentially different one from another.

While it is sadly true that there is way too much firewood out there masquerading as mandolins, it is fair to say that once a player has put his hands to a decent bowlback, it will astound and delight him (or her, of course - damn these pronouns) and open a door the existence of which was never suspected.

Woof. I doubt there's any way to segue into the topic now. Jim's comment just sort of put the spark to some vapours floating around hereabouts. At any rate, the bowlback is overdue for a renaissance on these shores. Would that it might come to pass.

[Eugene]

Aye.

[Jim Garber]

At any rate, the bowlback is overdue for a renaissance on these shores. Would that it might come to pass.

Sshhhhh, Bob.. Let's not let it on. Otherwise we will be playing thru the nose...er... I mean paying thru the nose for these mandolin. Let others envy the scroll, we can envy the bowl. Hmmmm I think I have an idea for the tee shirt.

Jim

[Bob A]

Pithy, Euge.

[Eugene]

Here's an excerpt from Allan's last e-newsletter:

1. Renaissance Music for Mandolin - Renaissance Music for Mandolin is
a blast. If you don't have a mandolin, what's wrong with you? They
are inexpensive and fun to play. A nice "Kentucky" all solid wood
mandolin you can pick up for about $150 on ebay, and they sound
sooooo medieval. The book contains very playable dances for mandolin,
but they also work on the violin of course because the tuning is the
same. One important difference though between the mandolin and the
violin is that I don't have much of a chance of playing the violin.
It's very difficult compared to the mandolin. Not that being a a very
good mandolin player is easy, but let's face it, the Mandolin has
frets. Someone that is a bit familiar with music can pick up the
mandolin and in a short time be having a lot of fun with it. There
are about a million mandolins out there, and most of the music
available for them is bluegrass. Our four mandolin books have had a
very positive response, in fact I just received an order for all four
of them from Austria.