Lehigh Valley Folk Music Society
Instruments
Mandolin and Octave Mandolin

The mandolin and octave mandolin are stringed instruments, cousins of the lute, dating back to Italy and the 1700s. They contain four pairs of strings which are tuned to tuned in fifths just like a violin and the strings of each pair are tuned to the same pitch, and it is played with a flat pick. The octave mandolin, as the name implies, is pitched one octave below the mandolin. Today, there are many different kinds of body shapes of mandolins, but the one that was played in Italy is the Neapolitan mandolin with its characteristic deep pear shaped body. Most of the mandolins made before 1900 in America were the standard Neapolitan style but at the turn of the century American ingenuity , particularly the innovations of Orville Gibson, revolutionized the style and sound of the mandolin. Gibson's carved-top, flat-back design quickly became and remains the industry standard today. In America, the mandolin has had a history stemming from an Italian and Irish immigrant instrument, a classical music instrument, and a lead instrument in Bluegrass music. Not surprisingly, however, the strong popularity of the mandolin in American music from the 1890s into the early years of the 20th century coincided with the cultural influence of the large Italian immigration to the United States. The instrument was primarily played in small spaces where it could be heard easily and sometimes accompanied by guitar or piano. For example, the mandolin shared the parlor with zithers, mandolas, and ukuleles and the instrument was primarily used by amateurs seeking simple recreational fun. The mandolin was used to play waltzes, sentimental parlor songs, college songs, light classical music, marches, and ragtime. Because of its adaptability, portability, and the pleasure drawn, the mandolin stood without a rival. After World War I, America's tastes in music changed toward more Jazz and ragtime, and this pushed the mandolin out of the spotlight. However, around the 1930s and 40s, introduced by the father of bluegrass - Mr. Bill Monroe - the mandolin became an essential staple instrument in this new form of American country music. Today, there is a resurgence of interest in the classical mandolin and the instrument is finding its way into many different forms of new music, not to speak of its key role in the traditional Appalachian folk and bluegrass music.
           ......Excerpts from Daniel Coolik "History of the Mandolin in America" November 18, 1998.

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