L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano D elightful man- d o l i n o i s a s y m b o l o f N e a p o l i t a n c u l t u r e a n d music that, outside of Italy, came to symbolize the Bel Paese as a whole. Almost two c e n t u r i e s o f m i g r a t i o n towards all corners of the world, especially of people coming from the southern regions of the country, meant that, to many, a specific local heritage became signifier of Italy as a whole. And so, around the globe, this beautiful little instru- ment typical of Neapolitan tradition is one of our most recognizable symbols, even i f i t s u s e i s n o t c o m m o n e v e r y w h e r e . A t t h e s a m e time, Neapolitan traditio- nal music, of which mando- lin is such important part, is in fact at the root of Italian popular music as a whole and also of that bel canto our c o u n t r y m a d e f a m o u s everywhere: in this sense, t h e n , e a c h e l e m e n t o f Neapolitan music is relevant to our musical culture, to its very development. Our mandolin hasn't had an easy life though, especially in recent decades, when all that was local, traditional a n d p o p u l a r — t h a t i s , coming from the people, in its literal sense — was percei- ved as too "provincial" for a c u l t u r a l w o r l d m o r e a n d more determined to become global and fashionably orien- ted towards the foreign. In times closer to us — truly, in the last 10 to 20 years — we f i n a l l y u n d e r s t o o d t h a t embracing the world doesn't mean rejecting our roots and that, in fact, taking pride in them and keeping them alive and well is the only manner to truly be a cultural citizen of the world: feet solidly pla- ced in our traditions, ready to understand the beauty of others. But even if we look to the mandolin through the lenses of the value of our heritage, its complexity and wealth r e m a i n l a r g e l y u n k n o w n . Behind this small, smooth and round string instrument are a long history of luthiers' craftsmanship, of music and creativity, one that not many know. Most of us, of course, have a very specific image in mind when they think of il mando- l i n o : N a p l e s , M o u n t Vesuvius, Pulcinella, who's often seen playing one. Its v o i c e i s u n m i s t a k a b l e : chirpy, fun, warm, filled with the silvery cheer of laughter, but also replete of pathos, of sorrow, of the tears of decei- ved lovers and migrants who miss their Fatherland. The voice of the mandolin has b e c o m e t h e v o i c e o f Neapolitan music and its the- mes and, in this already, we should recognize a musical instrument able to paint with accuracy the many facets of human emotions and fee- lings. Not many are aware, however, that the mandolin had an enormous success also among classical compo- s e r s , i n c l u d i n g V i v a l d i , Mozart, Händel, Beethoven and Verdi. This is to say: mandolin is more than a folk music instrument. It's not only the richness of its creative language that strikes, though, but also its history, which is in part still steeped in mystery. Its ori- gins are not simple to pin- point, but most historians seem to agree that its fore- father was an oriental instru- ment, the oud, which was already known in pre-roman times. However, it is in 18th century Naples, in its opulen- tly baroque streets, that our mandolin starts becoming famous, thanks to the craft- smanship of the Vinaccia family, able luthiers not only known for the quality, but also for the beauty of their instruments: Vinaccia mandolins had richly carved and decorated bodies and elegant ivory inserts along their necks. In the 19th cen- t u r y , P a s q u a l e V i n a c c i a , luthier to the Queen of Italy, introduced a way to regulate string tension in mandolins w h i c h i s s t i l l i n u s e o n modern instruments. He also used steel strings instead of brass ones, which made the sound of mandolins much clearer. B u t t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n t h e V i n a c c i a f a m i l y a n d m a n d o l i n s goes back to the 18th cen- tury, when they were already known luthiers in the city of Parthenope. We remember G e n n a r o , w h o w o r k e d between 1755 and 1784, his sons Antonio, Vincenzo (who produced mandolins between 1767 and 1802) and Giovanni (particularly acti- ve between 1767 and 1777). Antonio's son, Gaetano, w a s r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e family atelier between 1779 and 1821. To him succeeded Pasquale Vinaccia, whom we mentioned already. While the Vinaccias were u n d o u b t e d l y t h e m o s t famous mandolin makers in N a p l e s , t h e r e w e r e o t h e r luthiers active in the city, especially between 1720 and 1820, a sign of the popularity of the instrument also outsi- de the boundaries of the Kingdom of Naples and of Italy. Indeed, even the Tzars were interested in mando- lins, so much so they sent for a mandolin maker to hire and work for them in Russia: t h e y e v e n t u a l l y c h o s e Eduardo Amurri. Among all the luthier families in Naples, however, the Vinaccias had, perhaps, only one rival, the Fabbricatore Brothers, who didn't only specialize in the production of mandolins and guitars but also in music printing. While today we tend to associate the mandolin to popular music, that perfor- m e d , s o t o s p e a k , i n t h e street, it hasn't always been the case. In fact, especially in the 19th century, the mando- lin was an élite instrument, loved and played especially among Neapolitan nobility. Actually, even Italy's own q u e e n , t h e R e g i n a M a r g h e r i t a — y e s , t h a t R e g i n a M a r g h e r i t a , w h o inspired the homonymous pizza — played it. However, w h e n N e a p o l i t a n m u s i c made of the mandolin its most typical instrument, it became too popular for the VIPs of those times to keep on playing it. In those very years, towards the late 19th c e n t u r y , a n o t h e r f a m o u s family of Neapolitan luthiers emerges, the Calace family. Nicola Calace, who was con- fined to Procida because of political reasons, began pro- d u c i n g m a n d o l i n s o n t h e island and, after his death, his two sons, Antonio and Raffaele, moved to Naples continuing the activity. The Calace brothers, however, w e r e n ' t t o o k e e n o n o n e another, at least professio- nally and so Antonio even- t u a l l y m o v e d t o t h e U S , w h e r e h e c o n t i n u e d h i s luthier's activity along with another Neapolitan immi- g r a n t , N i c o l a T u r t u r r o . Raffaele remained in Naples and became both a famous luthier and composer. Of all the great Neapolitan mandolin makers, the Calace family is the only still active. CHIARA D'ALESSIO LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Playing the mandolin, a symbol of Neapolitan culture (Photo: Sergij Kovalov/Dreamstime) The secret life of the mandolin

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