The classical mandolin

Main page The instruments Buyer's guide Handbook Lessons Message board Links Site map Site last updated . This particular page was created 15/12/2004 and last updated 17/05/2005 Site updates		Picture from Music123 Data: There is no such instrument as a classical mandolin. That is: mandolins have beenpopular since they first appeared during the 17th Century and many well-known classical composers wrote music for it, but there is not one single instrument that can be called the "classical mandolin." Before 1800 the Lombardic mandolin seems to have been the most common mandolin. The Milanese mandolin wasn't invented yet (although it's close enough to the Lombardic it can usually be a perfectly good substitute) while the Neapolitan mandolin usually referred to as "classical mandolin" today slowly started to gain popularity by the end of the 18th Century. During the 19th Century the Neapolitan mandolin became the dominant variant while the Milanese also gained some popularity. At the end of the 19th Century the Roman mandolin was introduced and took over much of the Neapolitan's position in classical music.   The archtop mandolin appeared at about the same time and although it's mostly associated with US folk and popular music it's also been used for classical music with success. Content   Web www.mandolin-player.com