Estudiantina Bergamasca

[vkioulaphides]

Dear mandolinist friends around the world,

as summer slowly turns into autumn, I am delighted to share with you news that is both good and seasonally fruitful: I have just delivered a short composition, titled The Song Inside and written for use by the younger cohort of contestants at the Estudiantina Bergamasca competition that will take place next spring in Bergamo, Italy.

I made a conscious choice to write for that 11-13 age group as that is truly the future of the mandolin, the next generation of artists that will further the cause of the mandolin as a concert instrument. The composition itself is nothing extraordinary, just a free fantasy on a French traditional song, showcasing the mandolin’s ability to sing and resonate across its four courses.

For now, the score is "confidential", so to speak, intended to be disseminated by the organizers only among the young mandolinists who will have to learn it in preparation for the competition. After the event, I will be happy to share this score with all of you as freely as always; perhaps you or your friends or your own students may also enjoy it. As in all cases, music is to be shared...

Wishing you all health and happiness for the new season,

Cheers,

Victor

[Bill Clements]

Victor, thanks for enriching the lives of mandolinists, both young and old, with your beautiful music.

[vkioulaphides]

Very kind of you to say, Bill. I certainly try... Writing for musicians who are, oh... one fifth one's age is always more an act of blind faith than of solid knowledge. Who knows what rocks their boat? I sure hope they enjoy it.

This is not what you would call a “difficult” piece; yet it hopefully has something to teach young mandolinists. I have found that many mandolinists— and not only the young ones, and I am guilty of this myself— have acquired over time a habit of playing everything secco, with each note sounding in isolation, plink-plink-plink. That is not very musical playing, I’m sorry to say with all due respect. So, with this little piece, I wanted to inspire young mandolinists to use the full sonority of the mandolin, to let it sing all across its four courses, to get the resonance that harpists and guitarists do when they allow their instruments to ring freely. That will be the challenge that the adjudicating committee will be holding the young contestants up to.

Cheers to all mandolinists, young and old!

Victor