Veracini (1744): Minuet in E (arr. Silvio Ranieri)

[Martin Jonas]

Francesco Maria Veracini (1690-1768): Sonata in E Major, Op. 2, No. 11
Minuetto Affetuoso
Arranged for mandolin orchestra by Silvio Ranieri, Napoletana No. 28

This lovely minuet is now best known from Volume 8 of the Suzuki Violin method. Suzuki presented it as part of Veracini's "Sonata in E Minor", which isn't quite true: the Sonata in E Minor is No. 8 in Veracini's "Sonate Accademiche" (Op. 2), which Suzuki has combined with parts of the Sonata in E Major, No. 11, from the same collection.

This arrangement for mandolin orchestra is by Silvio Ranieri and predates Suzuki's method by quite a few years. The first mandolin plays Veracini's original violin part, to accompaniment on two mandolins, mandola, mandocello and guitar.

Ranieri's tempo marking is "lento affetuoso". Suzuki performances tend to be rather faster than that. I have split the difference and have gone for a slowish andante.

A nice PDF of the violin part is at:

https://zone1-sfob43yct.netdna-ssl.c...III-Menuet.pdf

I have been using my Embergher for the first mandolin part -- I haven't been playing it enough lately, and had forgotten just how nice it sounds.

1915 Luigi Embergher mandolin
Mid-Missouri M-0W mandolin (x2)
Mid-Missouri M-111 octave mandolin
Vintage Viaten Tenor Guitar
Suzuki MC-815 mandocello



Martin