Pocket mandolins

[mandodebbie]

I bought a huge 1979 edition of The Encylopedia of Music (I forget the author) at my local library's Summmer Book Sale for three dollars. In one of the illustrations of violins, there was a tiny pocket-sized violin that music teachers and students carried around in the 17th Century - I guess to play emergency reels, etc. Anyway, apart from toys, were there ever any tiny pocket sized mandolins crafted at any time in history? If they still make any in this century, I could carry one in my purse! (Senario: Let's see what's in the "Big Black Hole" today....wallet, lipstick, keys, tissues, cellular phone, mandolin, sunglasses....ah! TicTacs at last!) http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[John Flynn]

None other than Antonio Stradivari made pocket mandos and one is in the National Music Museum:
http://www.usd.edu/smm/StradMandolin.html

Lark in the Morning sells one:
http://www.larkinam.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MAN060_A_Pocket+Mandolin_E_

[Paul Hostetter]

The Strad mandolino in Vermilion looks smaller in the photo than it actually is. The body looks really small, but in actuality, the neck is relatively big. It was essentially a soprano lute: gut strings, played with the fingers, and scarcely connected to what we think of as a mandolin today.

The pochettes, or pocket fiddles were either a) a dance teacher's fiddle, or b) an art object, and they were indeed very small. As a functioning instrument, their point was that a dance teacher could either literally pocket the thing or more often hang it and a bow by a cord at their waist so that it could be grabbed and played quickly during a lesson.

There is one minor tradition of diminutive mandolins which is the Venetian gondolier's mandolin, which is very analogous to the pochette. It's the one Lark In The Morning is selling. Again, quick accessibility was the point of them. Normal neck, tiny body, and a tiny sound to match. I have one, and it's not likely to see much action at gigs! Cute, though.


...http://www.larkinam.com/images/350/man060.jpg

[Eugene]

Sorry Johnny, like Paul said, the Stradivari at the Shrine should in no way be considered a "pocket" mandolin. Yes, the body is a little small, but not too different than what was typical of the time. It's similar to a pattern that Stradivari labeled mandolino choristo. I have played a near-exact reproduction built by Dan Larson (http://www.daniellarson.com/). His was an incredible instrument with surprising volume and bass response. Tuning for the original mandolini in five courses was, low to high, b-e'-a'-d"-g".

Also as Paul alluded (and pictured), heaps of mandolin equivalent to pochette were made, Debbie. Most I've seen looked to be rather cheaply made German or Czech instruments, a lesser count from Sicily.

[Paul Hostetter]

The Shrine does have a selection of really nice art-grade pochettes:

http://www.usd.edu/smm/pochettes.jpg

[unclelee]

While visiting a antique store in Hot Springs Arkansas about 25 Years ago I cam accross a small bodied mandolin. I thought at first it was a Ukulele but it had 8 strings and was tuned to a mandolin. the body was guitar shaped and about 8" long and 3 1/2" wide. If i remember it didn't sound too bad. lee

[mandroid]

Leo travel mandolin is along these lines, 13" scale 20" overall slim teardrop, flat top and back, havent seen any other than the one I snapped up [2nd hand]
hauled it on my bicyle travels .

[mandodebbie]

Those are ever cuiooooote! Too bad Meastro Stradivari didn't craft little F-style Bluegrass mando-pochettes! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Eugene]

While visiting a antique store in Hot Springs Arkansas about 25 Years ago I cam accross a small bodied mandolin. I thought at first it was a Ukulele but it had 8 strings and was tuned to a mandolin. the body was guitar shaped and about 8" long and 3 1/2" wide. If i remember it didn't sound too bad.
I'm not entirely sure from your description, Lee, but
i'm guessing you came across what has come to be known as mandolinetto. #Check out Gregg Miner's pages
Mandolinettos (http://www.minermusic.com/mandolinetto.htm)
Howe-Orme mandolins (http://www.minermusic.com/eliashowe.htm)

...as well as Bob Devellis's
Elias Howe Co. (http://bellsouthpwp.net/r/d/rdevelli/The%20Elias%20Howe%20Co.htm).

The Met in New York has a couple dozen pochettes, generally of good quality, in a big drawer back in the stores. I have pictures, but I don't have permission to publish.