Subject: mandora; guitar-lute
Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 08:40:40 +0100


> "Hi, could it be that this instrument was a reanimation rather than an
> invention of the "Wandervogelbewegung"? What about the single strung
> mandora in that guitarlike tuning, which at least at the beginning of
> the 19th century was still known and even played (see Pietro Prosser's
> lute-bot article or his thesis). The only differences I can see so far
> are the metalfrets and the guitar machine head - well, exept for that
> "jugendstil-styling". Richard Wagner wanted to use a "Laute" in a
> guitartuning in his opera "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" (1861-67). It
> was replaced later with an invention of Wagner, the so called
> "Stahlharfe" (don't ask). Oskar Chilesotti played a "guitarlute" in
> Italy as early as 1889, according to MO
> (http://www.orphee.com/trans/trans.html). Any comments? "

I think, it is correct. I went through many books (German and English),
many descriptions, etc. I think, that what you called guitar-lute (often
Deutsche Laute), is in  fact mandore (or gallichon). That instrument was
used by Hagen, Weiss, Telemann wrote for it. It was most popular,
especially  in XVIII century. It was instrument for amateurs. When lute
was forgotten in XIX century, people still play mandore. There were
several books of notes for that kind of lute. I know only German. It
consist of renaissance lute pieces, and pieces for baroque lute
transcribed into six strings of mandore.
In XIX century there were some invention, so instrument makers equiped
mandore with steel frets and string hold machines (as in guitars from
that time).

To sum up. So called german lute-guitar is mandore with some XIXth
century technical inventions.

All the best

Michal Wycislik, Poland
mandora@op.pl
www.contrabellum.republika.pl