Beethoven - Mandolin, Piano and Violin Works

Beethoven

Mandolin, Piano and Violin Works

Adagio in E flat Major WoO43 No.2 (00:00)
Sonatina in C Major WoO44 No.1 (05:44)
Sonatina in C minor WoO43 No.1 (08:23)

Andante Con Variazioni in D Major WoO44 No.2
I.Andante (13:01) II.Viariation I-VI (14:13)

Six National Airs with Variations Op.105
I.Air Ecossais in G (23:08)
II.AIr Ecossais in C minor (25:56)
III.Air Autrichien in C (28:46)
IV.Air Ecossais in E flat (34:44)
V.Air Ecossais in E flat (37:45)
VI.Air Ecossais in D (39:59)

Six German Dances - Allemandes WoO42 (43:07)

Mandolin : Lajos Mayer
Violin : Béla Bánfalvi
Pianos : Imre Rohmann & Sándor Falvai
Stéréo recording around 1982
Label : Hungaroton

Beethoven composed four pieces for mandolin with harpsichord accompaniment, and, however short they are of good musical value. The mandolin developed in Northern Italy in the 17yh century, as a smaller version of the 16th century instrument of the lute type (listen lute : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxD8F...), the mandola (or mandora), but its golden age came only in the 18th century, when the skill of the Neapolitan instrument makers made it popular throughout Italy, and by the second half of the century in France, Germany, Austria and Britain as well. This ‘’Neapolitan mandolin’’ is a simpler instrument, with four double string, tuned like a violin.

Of the great Baroque masters J.A. Hasse and Vivaldi wrote concertos for the mandolin, but the instrument found its rightful place in 18th century opera as a typical ‘’serenade instrument’’ (Mozart : Don Giovanni; Grétry : L’amant jaloux; Paisiello : Il barbiere di Siviglia). In the 1780s it also became popular in Vienna as a chamber music instrument : Mozart employed it in two of his songs, Hummel wrote a sonata for it, and as this recordings shows, Beethoven experimented with it, too. The four little pieces show that he considered it mainly as an amateur instrument, a delightful, adaptable instrument for collective music-making. Of the four mandolin pieces WoO44 No.2 is the most exacting, and one can feel that it was composed by a master who particularly favoured the variation form..