Vanishing Vinaccias

[Bob A]

Well, it seems odd to me that the family firm that more or less invented the modern mandolin (sorry, Lloyd) seems to have vanished from the face of the planet. Three hundred years of continuity has evaporated, but what's the story?

I've read that the place was a lively, going concern at the turn of the century, with herds of Vinaccias and students cranking out musical boxes for the masses. So where have they gone? We still have Calace instruments being made (by Raffaele, no less), and we know of the Embergher/Cerrone/Pecoraro succession. When were the last of the Vinaccias fallen from the vine? Was it il Duce who derailed the mandolin in the street and sealed the fate of the family? Perhaps no pressing concern to most folks, but of interest to those of us with an interest in the vintage.

Where can one find information (in English, preferably) on the 20th century history of the atelier?

The end of a line is sad enough, but to wither away with no living memory of the passing is worse.

[Jim Garber]

Hi Bob:
That is sort of the same question #I had when I started this thread (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=6;t=13500). I am also curious about the answer.

Jim

[vkioulaphides]

I'm afraid that, once again, I have nothing specific to contribute by way of a definitive answer.

Painting in broader strokes, then, and by my usual recourse to analogy (caveat lector): Il Duce and such other aberrations are initially symptoms, not causes of degeneracy; in time, of course, they engender a whole swarm of evils of their own. So, no, I don't see any light at the end of THAT tunnel. Besides, I assume you bring this up semifacetiously.

It is hard for us, from our current perspective, to imagine the abject misery most Italians lived in at the turn of the century; it is also nearly inconceivable to us that they stooped to unspeakable savagery, especially with the slow-brewing hostilities against the Austrians over northern Italy. For example, as a matter of military routine, both sides caused "artificial avalanches" by plugging a cannonshell in well-chosen plates of hardened snow, thereby essentially erasing from the map entire villages with all their non-combatant population— under the premise that "enemies" were lodged there. Hard, very hard for us to imagine, cultured as we are in tourist brochures about Beautiful Tyrol.

Even later in the century, the Italian Ministry of the Interior reported that in places like Naples and its outskirts, as well as most of southern Italy and Sicily, the standard of living was hardly above that of Calcutta or Bangladesh— so much for the "veneer of civilization" presumed abundant in Europe. With her male population of artisans decimated, Italy was brandishing the banner of her new freedom while nearly starving to death at the same time. And, as well known, such conditions create an audience for aspiring dictators.

So, by a sweeping (and probably shaky) analogy, I would hazard a guess that the same dark forces that just about killed the mandolin, the darling of Greece's Belle Epoque, in the 1920's, also did so in its birthplace. The casualties are innumerable...

[Bob A]

Those of us who've been around long enough to notice are aware that civilisation is a thin veneer indeed, and atrocities spring up wherever those in power feel threatened. Serves to distract the masses from issues of substance, and becomes substantial in itself. Mankind has a long way to go before it can be allowed out to play.

Still, a universe that offers the opportunity to continue to live only be eating other living things is perhaps a rough sort of playground anyway; if we are to continue to survive, it might be best to be the meanest SOBs on the planet.

But personally, I'd sooner play the mandolin. Raise a glass to the last of the Vinaccias, whenever they are, or were.

[Jim Garber]

I suppose there were just some of the children who decided that they did not wnat to go into Dad's (or uncle's) business. I know i decidee that but had my dad made mandolins... who knows.

On the ohter hand what even happened to the Stradivari kids and even the young Gibsons? I am sure that there is an interesting story here.

Jim

[vkioulaphides]

Strad's shop was taken over by the almost equally august Bergonzi family of luthiers. Others simply wasted away until they were torn down by the oblivious, uncultured bureaucrats of the city of Cremona.

Speaking of the uncultured, did you know that Mussolini detested opera? You know, not a manly spectacle, not one good for the public morals. In reference to the tastes and character of the man, I feel almost honored to be in that field, both as a performer and as a composer http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

I also like to believe that the mandolin attracts the finer, gentler spirits among people. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif So, I just can't see rabbid Blackshirt rogues sitting back and picking a tune or two between ransacking adversary newspapers and social institutions. It has also traditionally been a "passtime instrument", and as such incompatible with an era/culture where people were being summoned to some Great Cause— ridiculous as the Second (Roman) Empire may seem in retrospect.

[etbarbaric]

Hi Victor,

You won't like this and it does nothing to recommend our instrument, but I have in fact been told that Mussolini was particularly fond of the mandolin... supposedly in deference to his ancestor Cesare Mussolini who wrote for the instrument (circa 1790). I remember hearing that the more recent Mussolini commissioned lots of mandolin orchestras in small towns and that this was part of the reason for the modern lack of enthusiasm toward that musical form in Italy.

I can't remember where I heard this (Ugo Orlandi?). Can anyone confirm and/or add any details?

The poor Neapolitan mandolin... first headless French aristocrats... then this...

Eric

[Alex Timmerman]

Indeed quite a subject Eric, and yes in fact some very interesting mandolin compositions of importance were dedicated or written to the ´honour´ of Benito Mussolini, Italy´s dictator from 1922 to 1943. #

Most likely things like these (involuntary) "dedications" by artists (writers, composers, painters, etc.) were often done just because it was the only way for them make a living and to be able to keep going with what they did (and for mandolinists to go on with their ensembles and/or Mandolin orchestras) before political changings took place.

Good for us mandolin enthousiasts is the fact that time heals all wounds and that the young generation living now cannot ´hear´ the political ´ballast´ felt at the time the music was composed.

This is perhaps also a reason that the mandolin among the younger people, there where it has it´s roots, is again more and more appreciated and studied.

Let´s hope (and work for) the best possible future of our instrument!


Cheers,

Alex

[vkioulaphides]

No offense at that http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif And some of Benito's other musical tastes, vis a vis for his contemporary Italian composers (e.g. Casella, Petrassi, Mortari) are not too shabby, either: These folks are in fact my immediate "compositional ancestors" via their students, the Santa Cecilia Academy, etc., etc.

After all, when Stravinsky crash-landed in Italy after the Russian Revolution, he actually WORSHIPPED the man (embarrassed about it all as he was, ehm... later), as one who "restored order out of chaos". The Italian (and Italian-American) establishment, both of church and state, echoed much the same lauds for one of the most dangerous, delusional egomaniacs of the century.

And it is true that, while Mussolini disbanded by force any and every organization he had not founded himself (labor unions, fraternal organizations, societies, etc.), he did in fact establish many of his own— sinister, most of them, but also some cultural institutions.

Political/historical digressions aside, I believe the phasing out of the old ateliers had more to do with socioeconomic factors.

[Bob A]

I can't speak to Il Duce's views on the mandolin, but Sparks does mention that both Mussolini and Fritz Kreisler played upon Calace violins.

Let's have no comment on whether he made the metronomes run on time.

Back to the original subject - what was it now? When did the Vinaccias close up shop? Anyone recall the latest dated Vinaccia mandolin they might have seen, or heard about? Someone out there must have some hard facts on the subject. Personally, I don't recall seeing anything much later than the turn of the century, but my experience is absurdly limited. At that time there should have been at least two or three male Vinaccias old enough to be running a shop.

[Dolamon]

I've wondered about the loss of a lot of tradtions and artisans in that epoch. A kind art historian pointed out a historical movement, Futurism, which just barely preceded WWI and a lot of shifts in focus and quantum changes of percieved taste seems to come into perspective.

This is a quote from one of the articles which either explains or villifies this movement: "Futurism was an international art movement founded in Italy in 1909. It was (and is) a refreshing contrast to the weepy sentimentalism of Romanticism. The Futurists loved speed, noise, machines, pollution, and cities; they embraced the exciting new world that was then upon them rather than hypocritically enjoying the modern world’s comforts while loudly denouncing the forces that made them possible. Fearing and attacking technology has become almost second nature to many people today; the Futurist manifestos show us an alternative philosophy.

Too bad they were all Fascists."

One of the precepts was dismissing the "weeping romantacism" in both music and graphic arts. It would seem that the fine ateliers and romantic crafts in Italy and throughout Europe fell by artistic / political design. If it no longer is fashionable to play that "old stuff" then the reason for building the instruments is no longer feasible.

Much more on this disturbing and archaic thought sequence is found Here. (http://www.unknown.nu/futurism/)

[vkioulaphides]

The Fratelli Vinaccia on Lodi's website —whether the instrument is still in their hands or not— is listed as a product of the troubled year 1929. Off-hand only, and with no references at hand, I would hazard a guess of early '30's or so, as regards the demise of the family business.

Now, I certainly was not around in the 1920's, nor in Italy for that matter; (I was, in fact, in Italy but in the mid-80's). Much like the subjects touched on above, it is hard for anyone who has not lived within Italian society to sense the distaste for "all things southern", the discomfort, the palpable aversion one feels gathering in a room when the subjects of Naples or Sicily are brought up. Let me disclaim once again: These are prejudices I am ONLY reporting, NOT espousing, condoning, or sharing with those who harbor them. Could the fascists' brutal treatment of local cultures, their military occupation of Sicily, their nasty rhetoric against all things opposed to central authority, also have stained the public image of the mandolin?

I must say that Alex has shown the needed glimpse of light: Time heals all wounds, the old soldiers of bygone wars are now grandfathers, merrily bouncing their grandchildren on their laps, life goes on... And, as part of that, young people, hardly troubled by the biases of yesterday, may pick the songs of their world on the mandolin! #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[RSW]

Got to jump in, but I believe the Vinaccia clan continued making instruments into the first half of the 1930s. I personally know of two instruments from the late 20s and have seen pictures of others. Neil bought one of these mandolins ages ago. As for Mussolini and music, well many people were trying hard to win his favor and influence during his early years in power. Perfectly normal European situation and one of the reasons people are not to open about their political allegiances, you never know when you have to switch to the other side. As it is, the 'privelege de roi' was catered by none other than Calace himself, his second mandolin concerto (first edition) is dedicated to il Duce. Calace went to see (perhaps invited) to Rome to see Mussolini and was rewarded with, hold your pants, a signed photo of il duce himself. Worth the trip? Well, the second edition removes the infamous dedication. Even Pettine had many clippings about Mussolini and his political movement. At the time, it actually gave hope to a lot of people. Given that musicians have always struggled and especially mandolinists, it is completely understandable how even the educated virtuosi of the past would have given him the better of the doubt. As to the demise of Vinaccia shop, well they lasted a good deal longer than most any other luthier clan in history. Not sure they would be making as good of instruments today as they did back then. Just look at the completely deflated standards of the Calace shop today. I suppose if one isn't striving to be better, you only get worse.

[Bob A]

Perhaps it's all for the best. I imagine that a custom maker like Daniel Larson is putting out instruments that would be the equivalent of a high-end Vinaccia of the best period. In fact, handbuilt instruments of today are probably made the same way that all mandolins were made thru the turn of the century. In that sense, the traditional instrument still lives. (And probably costs no more than a quality instrument of that early period, when everything is factored in).

Certainly prejudice against the South is not unheard of. If I fail to specify the location, it would be difficult to place the generic South in any given country. Still, even though the mandolin may be a visible symbol of a disfavored socioeconomic group, the folks whose family tradition resides therein will continue to play the instrument. Italian Americans did not ditch the instrument when the Gibson Company declared it a dead end.

Futurism perhaps will be laid to rest (along with Western Civ - time will tell) in the next decade or so. In fact, none of us will survive the future for very long, I fear. The things in Pandora's box will do for us all, unless we do for ourselves first; not altogether impossible, alas.

Lord Dunsany was no fan of the Industrial Revolution, and wrote a few stories warning of the machines taking over. While he was right in his fears, he was too late to do much good.. I remember a joke of sorts that was going the rounds, thirty years ago, to the effect that while once we would push a button to summon the machines, soon they would be doing the same to summon us. Well, I now live in that era - my working life is filled with the bells and beeps of robots calling for my attention. Soon they will figure out how to eliminate my inefficient self from the loop entirely. Does anyone believe that I'll be put out to pasture to age gracefully?

Still I take heart from Alex, who seems to be intimating that I might be one of the younger people who provide a place for the mandolin to take root. Don't dis-illusion me on that score.

An autographed photo of Il Duce! Hoots! Patronage is not what it once was, alas. Perhaps we should not have eliminated the aristocracy; I'd prefer to believe that Victor Emmanuel might have been a tinch more gracefully and pecuniously disposed toward a successful composer than the Leader proved to be.

[vkioulaphides]

What a wonderfully philosophical thread! Might I follow up on some of the delightful digressions? C'mon, twist my arm... #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[QUOTE]"Perfectly normal European situation..."

Well, dunno... We in our family have always been liberal Republicans, "Venizelos" Republicans —as per Bob A's favorite morning coffee #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif — since the turn of the LAST century: Joined Garibaldi (the family members from Crete) both in Italy and later in Greece, did NOT join the National (read: Fascist) Youth of the Metaxás dictatorship in the '30's, followed the British Army out of Greece in '42 and fought alongside Monty in El Alamein (father's side), sheltered two Sephardic brothers in our cellar (mother's side) during the Nazi occupation of Athens, did NOT join the post-WWII dictatorship(s) or the lame monarchies of the times, DID join the "Centrist Union" of the '50's (my mando-picking godfather was once Minister of the Interior during a brief hiatus between two dictatorships)...

In my book, the sit-on-the-fence, wait-and-see, maybe-pro-maybe-con citizenry only enabled some of the worst leadership Europe (or the world) has ever seen. The next time around, count me out of those ranks.

Oh, the aristoc'... little faith in those. Victor Emmanuel knew full well Mussolini's involvement in the Matteotti affair and countless other crimes perpetrated by fascist thugs; HIS own version of "wait-and-see" cost him his throne and his only chance to do good for the people he was sworn to serve. Don't forget: In his time the constitution modified the gratiae Dei clause and properly named him "King by Grace of God AND per volontà del popolo". Say, namesake, how about actually e-a-r-n-i-n-g the will that put you and kept you in that cushy, embroidered armchair? You sure don't do that by catering to someone with a professed (and applied) contempt towards democracy.

As for the arts... Yes, we all have had to work with/against difficult patrons, some more atrocious than others. When in Italy, I always made it a point to rent a room and live with a flesh-and-bones Italian family, not in some impersonal hostel. Most of my landlords had in fact come back to the great Sea of Rubble after service (?) on the Albanian front or elsewhere. In their view (and mine), the country they had left behind as young lads in khaki never came out of it alive. In sad summary: 1910's, 1930-something, 1940-something: Different countries, but stamped on the same spot of the map.

Poor mandolin...

[RSW]

Victor, sorry if I was over generalizing. I've been too long in France and their meoptic view of the rest of Europe encourages such generalizations. Couldn't agree with you more and, had I been your neighbor in Greece, would have surely worn the same political colours. Anyway, Italy has had it's national leaders come and go but what seems true today as then, their allegiance has been mainly to their families, village and, on the grandest scale, their particular region. The indifference to 'Italia' #allowed Mussolini to come into existence and Victor Emmanuel to flounder. The only real unifying factor would be for an Italian European or World Cup in football.

[vkioulaphides]

[QUOTE]"their allegiance has been mainly to their families"

How true! One of my stays in Italy, my room was facing a cul-de-sac; on the three walls available for graffiti, there were three, wildly incongruous signs: the usual hammer-and-sickle of the Communists, the circle-and-cross of the neo-fascist Ordine Nuovo, and a religious banner with Gesù salva of some Catholic-revival, "charismatic" group.

So, I asked my landlord how such people could stand each other, sit around the same table, walk the same streets... "Ah, Italians", he said; "the people who put those signs up are probably cousins!" #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif So, yes, you have hit the nail on the head: Family far supercedes political allegiance in Italian society— as well it SHOULD, I would add!

In retrospect, I regret getting so darn carried away in my previous digression and apologize to one and all for the scant mando-content. And yet there IS mando-content in my rampage and tedious blabber about my kin. The long and the short of it, my friends, is this: We who play the (Neapolitan) mandolin are inescapably, inevitably revivalists-of-sorts—#I attach no laudatory or pejorative connotation to the term. Just my take on the matter...

Today is my birthday and as such a time for philosophical reflection— as if I did not dabble in idle thought on the OTHER 364/5 days! #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif At the same time, my last remaining great-uncle (my grandmother's junior brother, and the last one before me to ever hold a mandolin in his hands) is lying in his deathbed. After him, the deluge... Or, in my awkward, unskilled, infantile way, ME. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif #In my heart of hearts, revivalism is a reality, not a "trend". But I call on no disciples.

Was it Foscolo who wrote (?) :

Fra 'l riso e il pianto trascorre la vita
e chi non l'ha amata, non l'ha mai capita.

Translated, versified but inexact into:

Life flows like a river 'twixt laughter and tears,
And who has not loved it, has wasted his years.

Pick on, friends...

[Jim Garber]

Not that I will get into the details of the political and historical discussion (which i do find interesting, but not knowledgeable) may I take the opportunity to wish you, Victor, a very happy and likely musical birthday playing away on your newly strung baby.

Jim

[Eugene]

Hey, happy birthday, Victor!

[vkioulaphides]

Thank you both.

[QUOTE]"and likely musical birthday"

Oh, yes! SEVEN hours of rehersals: St. Matthew Passion (for a Good Friday performance). What king would not envy such a bejeweled day on HIS birthday?

And, as I get home around 11:00 p.m. for a late, late dinner, I will sip a glass of wine to your health, too, friends!

[Bob A]

Continuity of life - we're all links in the DNA chain, the means by which it reproduces itself. And in so doing, it makes possible the transmission of mandolins as well. A bit miraculous, a bit sloppy, and spiced with pain and joy. Such are the mysteries attendant upon our being encapsulated in meat.

While mankind may yet realise that groupings beyond the tribe do not work so well, our electric tribe endures. A hundred years ago this grouping would have been impossible; a hundred years ago, it probably wouldn't have been necessary. Still, occasionally Progress actually progresses. Amazing.

Victor, I give you joy of your natality. It has been a pleasure associating, however loosely, with you, and youall. (Being in Maryland, I can say youall without blushing). We all celebrate your existence, your vocation and your love of the mandolin. And, I hardly need add, your taste for digression, without which this would be a drier, less civilised place to meet.

Thank you.

[pklima]

Yeah, happy birthday!

[Tony R.]

Happy Birthday Victor,
Seven hours of St. Matthew, you are lucky!
Do enjoy rending the veil of the Temple in two! (Rip that Bass!)
Best Wishes, http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Alex Timmerman]

Happy birthday, Victor!

All the best to you and your family,

Alex

[vkioulaphides]

Thank you all!

Morning-after, fingertips sore, head abuzz...

Imagine that, prior to some more, ehm... mature adjustment, I also had slated a three-hour rehearsal at the opera BEFORE the seven at the church gig. But, upon reflection, I thought it wiser to suggest to the contractor that she hire a sub for that opera service. Stripped of all other connotations, birthdays ARE indeed a reminder of our aging. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[vkioulaphides]

If I can be permitted yet one more, outrightly outrageous digression: The concertmaster for St. Matthew was Robert Zubrycki, who only recently returned from a tour with the ABACA String Band, on which they were joined by our own Neil Gladd!

It's a small world after all... (repeat ad lib in 137 different languages) http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Alekos]

KALOI XPONIA, VICTOR #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif All the best to you and your family.

[vkioulaphides]

Kalo Pascha to you,too, Aleko!

By the way, I am writing to you from my aunts' country home, where I have located the book with the blueprints and designs (with detailed dimensions, etc.) for Greek folk instruments, including the Cretan lyra your friend in the Czech Republic was interested in. Please e-mail me his address and I will make photocopies and send them to him on Monday or Tuesday.

Best wishes for Easter!

[Alekos]

Thank you very much Victor, I will contact you via the mail(on the earthlink.net)! A friend of mine will be very pleased!

[vkioulaphides]

And, to return to the topic (a thought uncommon to yours truly) all is not lost: With craftsmen of Mr. Larson's caliber, the Vinaccia lineage lives on. Yes, the family business is no more, but what of that? As RSW points out, would their hypothetical, current products match (or exceed) in quality the ones that made the family name in the first place? We'll never know...

Artistry, however, like culture in general, is suprapersonal. If Larson or anyone else (Tumiati, perhaps?) is keeping the flame burning, we all have reason to rejoice. Or rummage in eBay's nether regions. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Bob A]

More vanishing Vinaccias: I'd been watching a Gaetano Vinaccia violin dated 1831 on ebay. I don't neede a fiddle, but you know how it is. Anyway, it was sold yesterday for $910. Went to our favorite oldmandolinman, Carlo Mazzacara. Well, I can't buy everything, you know.

[vkioulaphides]

And occasional MC-contributor Jan Houston plays a lovely Calace violin. Now, wait: My daughter plays the violin! Oh, nooooooooooooooooooo... #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

But she (my critter, not Jan) just moved up from 1/8 to 1/4 size violin. I do, however, anticipate (with good reason) vicarious VAS in due time— if you know what I mean. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

In my ramble on "the spirit of Vinaccia", I realize I was echoing a notion self-evident in Roman metaphysics: It was commonly accepted, for example, that "the spirit of Alexander (the Great)" lived on in a real, tangible, irrefutable sense in Julius Caesar— not in the clueless offspring Alex (the Promiscuous) had fathered with this and that Persian princess on The Big Trek. Ah, cultural flashbacks... But there IS some truth there, vis a vis Vinaccia and the modern followers of his creative spirit.

[Bob A]

Yep, Stuff Acquisition Syndrome is the rot at the root of western civ, that, like the stuff that infests the noble grape, actually enhances the organism that it infects. From where I sit, it is the Surplus Stuff and Time that enables us to produce mandolins, music, literature etc. If it weren't for rampant consumerism, we'd all be in the savannah still, eating off the occasional termite mound, and grooming each other.

My granddaughter is in a 4/4 fiddle now, and doesn't like to let her compeer know she can play a violin - too cool to deal with a "geek" label. But she does like to play, and she does like to get better, so it's just a matter of keeping her motivated for a few more years, until she learns how to become herself.

The transient spirit also lodges, I'm convinced, in the instrument. I've had instruments that have taught me to play differently, because they were played that way in past. Genius Loci? In some sense, no doubt.

[Jim Garber]

The transient spirit also lodges, I'm convinced, in the instrument. I've had instruments that have taught me to play differently, because they were played that way in past. Genius Loci? In some sense, no doubt.
Ah, that is why i love all you folks.... great gutters run in the same minds #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

That is why i have a veritable closetful of 8 string instruments. Who needs them all? I tell you, each speaks to me... my Lyon & Healy I know was owned by a person who played a bunch of tarantellas and mazurkas etc (there was a set list in the case).

I took out my old Bacon today and played a few tunes on it. Each of these old folks has stories to tell.

Jim

[vkioulaphides]

[QUOTE]"The transient spirit also lodges, I'm convinced, in the instrument. I've had instruments that have taught me to play differently, because they were played that way in past. Genius Loci? In some sense, no doubt. "

Of course, Bob. As far as I am concerned, the cartesian dichotomy between the res cogitans and the res extensa (roughly "animate" and "INanimate" matter) was a major wrong turn in intellectual development.

Now, I would not suggest that one discard Descartes altogether; still, ol' René just missed the point. Perhaps his problem was too much Bacon— or bacon... who knows? (Another vile, nature-hating rascal, THAT one...)

I'd rather stick with the entheon sympan notion: The "godful universe", for lack of a better translation of the impossible-to-translate Greek phrase is, if nothing else, a better, happier, more hopeful world to live in. My $0.02

P.S. Oh, Jim: We were apparently typing simultaneously. I meant, of course, FRANCIS Bacon #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Alex Timmerman]

Talking about vanishing Vinaccia...


Cheers!

Alex

Kling-Pling

[Jim Garber]

Alex:
yes, when we all finally meet we can share shots of that stuff. Oh wait! Is that acquavitae or vinegar? -- it is hard to tell from the photo. And what is that floating in it? Vinaccia mandolin strings? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Is this related to anything that Victor noted in another Vinaccia thread:

To make things worse (especially for you, web-savants), vinaccia in Italian is the matter left over after the compression of grapes for vinification, skins, seeds, occasional stems and all; commonly subclassified into vinaccia dolce, i.e. UNfermented, with residual sugar intact, and the other, spicier stuff used to inject a bit of tang into pastries/deserts (the latter after filtration, after it has fermented in and with the liquid part for stain/tannins, etc.)


Jim

[vkioulaphides]

Yes, Jim, that's exactly what my previous digression on (lower-case) vinaccia was about; but no, I would not do shots of this stuff! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Jim Garber]

In an effort to keep this thread from going away, I am posting here. I wonder if there have been any further development sin unearthing Vinaccia history.

Jim

[vkioulaphides]

In wedding this with the "Other Calace instruments" thread, I can report that I accidentally came across a Vinaccia double bass!!!

Most strinkingly, it belongs to a former schoolmate of mine, currently principal bass of the Columbus (OH) Symphony. Eugene, are you ready for an eyewitness report? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Eugene]

Hmmm...Unfortunately, I seldom happen by our symphony concerts, opting for the off-the-beaten-path stuff. Still, I may have to find an appealingly quirky program just for the sake of this bass.

[vkioulaphides]

Eugene, the gentleman I mentioned is Mark Morton; he uses the Vinaccia (which is a small-ish instrument) on solo recitals and in chamber music; I believe he uses a larger instrument in the orchestra. But I am sure he is active in and around the area, so there must be some opportunity to see and hear this mysterious bass somewhere around Columbus.

[Eugene]

I will make an effort to see if I can find him on some program somewhere. Sounds fun.