Old-Time mandolin tunes?

[mandogreg2]

I recently bought an old Gibson 1917 A-2. I play mostly fiddle tunes, celtic and waltzes and some bluegrass. I was wondering what kind of music they would have played on the instrument way back in 1917? I imagine they wouldn't have played fiddle tunes and definitely not bluegrass. I imagine they would have played waltzes and sentimetal tunes and would have been used in mandolin orchestras. They probably even played patriotic songs due to WW I. I would like to learn some of the music that was played back then.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks
Greg Rohrer

[OKMike]

www.juneberry78s.com has a lot of tunes from the 20s, maybe something there that would strike your fancy.

Mike

[JEStanek]

Around that time frame the Mandolin Orchestra were the rage. Many towns had their own orchestras and played larger pieces intended for that kind of ensemble. On a smaller scale, back in the teens, more people made their own parlor music with friends and family before popping in the latest DVD on their flat screen tvs.

On the Café we have several people involved with mandolin orchestras like Linda Binder, who leads the Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra (http://www.milmando.org/index.html), and Yvonne Wingard with the Dayton Mandolin Orchestra (http://daytonmandolin.net/Music.html) (I linked to the DMO's page with some sounds of what Mandolin Orchestra's sound like and some of their repertoire. The DMO also has a page linking to other mandolin orchestras around the world (http://daytonmandolin.net/Music.html). Some play more traditional music to the period others mix in pops pieces. Perhaps there's one near you?

Jamie

[Ray Neuman]

I have this burning desire to be a part of a mandolin orchestra! I live 2 hours away from Milwaukee and even considered making the trip weekly just to be part. No idea why its so powerful of a draw, but I just may consider moving to accommodate that! Anyone want to start an orchestra in Green Bay Wi!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?

[Jim Garber]

I have a few scans of sheet music from thje early part of the last century here (http://www.paperclipdesign.com/19ctunes/). Disregard the title that says 19th Century Tunes.

Also John Goodin has been posting and arranging tunes from the same era here (http://www.contratopia.com/mando.htm).

Neither are not necessarily Old Time as we know it, but they are more parlor tunes, some of which do make it into the old time repertoire.

[allenhopkins]

My suggestion is to haunt used bookstores, flea markets etc., and buy a few of the old mandolin books from around 1900-20. There are tons of them available, and cheap. I have a few of my grandfather's books from 1905 or so, and they're full of obscure tunes I've seen nowhere else but in, well, these books of mandolin tunes. Haven't learned any of them yet, but that's on my "bucket list."

[mandogreg2]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! Gives me something to work on.

Sincerely,
Greg

[bluesmandolinman]

someone here at the cafe posted a link to University of Colorado where tons of Ragtimes and other oldtime music is available from that period :

http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/cgi-bin/sheetmusic.pl?Rag&titles&3

they even list the year the song was published.... just if you want a song from the same year as your mando

[300win]

Tunes like "Soldiers Joy", "Liberty", "Mississipi Sawyer", " Arkansas Traveler", "Lost Indian" etc. are some of the most fun tunes to play. They are a real hoot to pick with another mandolin player and do twinning on also. Tunes like those including others are the basis for everything else we do.