ETUDE
February 1942
volume LX
number 2
page 135, 139

What the Great Masters Thought of the Mandolin and Guitar

By George C. Krick

IT IS NOT THE PURPOSE of this discussion to present a detailed account of the lives of some of the immortal giants in the history of music, but to mention only their association with the mandolin and the guitar. Players of these instruments should feel proud of the fact that many of the master composers showed sufficient interest in the mandolin and guitar to devote time to their study and to compose original music for them.

Ludwig Van Beethoven needs no introduction to the musical public. When between twenty and thirty years of age, Beethoven met Wenzel Krumpholz, one of the first violinists of the Court Opera in Vienna, who had become well known also as a mandolin virtuoso. The two men came in daily contact with each other, and their acquaintance ripened into a lasting and sincere friendship. According to Ries, Krumpholz gave Beethoven some lessons on the violin, and there is no reason to doubt that this association also accounted for the interest the master took in the mandolin. At this time Beethoven composed a Sonatine for mandolin and piano and again an Adagio for the same instruments. The original autographed copy of the Sonatine can be found in the British Museum in London, and that of the Adagio is in the royal library in Berlin. These compositions show clearly that Beethoven was well aware of the characteristics and artistic possibilities of the mandolin and that he had a thorough knowledge of the fingerboard of the instrument and the mechanism of the plectrum.

In 1796, the master visited Prague and there was introduced to Count Clam Gallas whose wife was an amateur musician, being quite a skillful performer on the mandolin. This lady was a pupil of Kucharz, the Director of Italian Opera in Prague and also a fine mandolinist. During this period, Beethoven wrote a number of pieces for mandolin and piano and dedicated them to the Countess. Most of these remained in manuscript. Beethoven himself was the possessor of a mandolin, and a photograph of this instrument suspended by a ribbon on the wall near his last grand piano was published some years ago in Bonn, his native city.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the immortal genius, evidently became familiar with the mandolin while traveling through Italy, when about fourteen years of age. It was in 1780, when living in Salzburg, that he composed the song, Come Dearest Mandolin, Come, and somewhat later the song, Contentment, both of these with mandolin accompaniment. October 29,1787, saw the first performance of his opera, “Don Giovanni,” and in this opera Mozart wrote for the mandolin the accompaniment to the famous serenade Deh Vieni. At this performance the Italian mandolinist Kucharz played the mandolin part under the great master’s direction. Berlioz, in his treatise on instrumentation, deplores the fact “that the mandolin is not used more frequently in the orchestra, and Mozart quite well knew what he was about when choosing the mandolin for accompanying the amorous lay of his hero.”

Hector Berlioz, one of the most remarkable musicians the world has known, was a keen admirer of the guitar, and it was the only instrument that accompanied him in all his travels. During his early days in Paris, Berlioz was teaching the guitar and composed some music for the instrument; he used it also in the score of his opera “Benvenuto Cellini.” After hearing the guitar virtuoso, Zani de Ferranti, Berlioz expressed himself in the Journal des Debats thus: “We have just heard Zani de Ferranti. Truly it is impossible to imagine the effects which he produces on this noble instrument; under his fingers the guitar dreams and cries. One could pass nights listening to this artist, he rocks you and magnetizes you.” The guitar used by Berlioz was made by Grobert of Mirecourt and first came into the possession of Vuillaume, the violin maker, who lent it to Niccolo Paganini when this illustrious violinist visited Paris. Later Vuillaume generously presented the instrument to Berlioz, and now it may be seen in the museum of the National Conservatory of Music in Paris.

The immortal Franz Schubert was an excellent guitarist and during his early career, before he possessed a piano, the guitar was his constant companion. When singing his own songs within the circle of his musical friends, Schubert invariably used the guitar to accompany himself, and when we examine his vocal compositions we can easily detect the influence of the guitar upon his accompaniments. The “Quartet for Flute, Guitar, Viola and ‘Cello,” is perhaps Schubert’s best contribution to guitar literature; of this beautiful composition we have previously given a detailed account in this column.

Carl Maria Von Weber, one of the greatest operatic composers and often called the founder of German National Opera, was an ardent admirer of the guitar and an accomplished performer on this instrument. His most beautiful songs were written with guitar accompaniment; and these melodies, sung by him with inimitable expression and accompanied on this instrument with the highest degree of skill, were said to be the most complete of anything ever accomplished in this manner. In 1811 Weber composed the one act comic opera, “Abu Hassan,” in which the second aria sung by Hassan is accompanied by two guitars; and later, in his comic opera “Donna Diana,” he introduces a duo for two guitars. Weber was the author of more than ninety songs with guitar accompaniment and in addition many compositions for guitar in combination with other instruments. In “The Life of Carl M. Von Weber,” by his son, Baron Max Von Weber, we find this reference to the songs with guitar: “A rich treasury of songs of this description has been left to the world by Carl M. Von Weber, songs that require just this style of accompaniment, and which not only reject the tone of the piano as antipathic, but when combined with it, entirely lose their character and fineness of feeling.”

George Frederic Handel, composer of numerous operas, and oratorios and much instrumental music, visited Italy in 1706 and while there became acquainted with the mandolin. In 1747 he composed his oratorio, “Alexander Balus” and to the aria, Hark! Hark! Hark! He Strikes the Golden Lyre, the mighty Handel wrote the accompaniment for mandolin, harp violins, violas, violoncello, and other instruments.

Giuseppe Verdi introduced the voices of plectrum instruments into the second act of his opera “Otello” when six mandolinists and four guitarists appear on the stage and play the prelude and then accompany the vocal item Dove Guardi, the words of which are admirably suited to the instrumentation. Verdi manifested an active interest in the advancement of the mandolin and guitar and was honorary member of the Circolo Mandolinisti, Milano. The most highly valued treasures of this society are autographed letters from the Maestro, congratulating the members upon their good work. There are others among the Italian composers of opera who made effective use of mandolins and guitars in their instrumentations.

Nicola Spinelli, in his opera, “A Basso Porto,” introduces a charming intermezzo for mandolin and orchestra. Wolf-Ferrari, in his “Jewels of the Madonna,” composed a serenade to be played by a group of mandolinists; and the voice of the guitar is heard frequently as the opera proceeds.

Niccolo Paganini, the illustrious violin virtuoso and master of the guitar, was the subject of an article appearing in this column a few months ago, so we will not again go into details regarding his connection with the guitar.

Mention must be made also of the names of two pianists who created quite a stir during the early part of the nineteenth century: Johann Nepomuk Hummel and Ignaz Moscheles. Both of these men were virtuoso pianists and gave many concerts in the European music centers, at the same time having many compositions for piano to their credit. When Hummel arrived in Vienna the guitarist, Mauro Giuliani, was at the zenith of his popularity and not long after, we find these two artists giving many joint concerts. Hummel now became so interested in the guitar that he began to compose for this instrument, and during this period he wrote more than ninety compositions for solo guitar, guitar duos, duos for piano and guitar and other combinations. When Hummel left Vienna in 1818, Moscheles joined Giuliani and together with Mayseder, the violinist, and Merk, violoncellist, this group of artists appeared at all the royal functions and musical soirees. Most of the compositions for guitar by Moscheles were duos for guitar and piano and numbered over fifty.