Most of my writing revolves around my love of the mandolin. The bulk of this work was produced during my five-year tenure as the editor of Mandolin Quarterly from June 1999 to December 2004. Each issue would feature an in-depth interview with the most interesting mandolin player I could find. I would review their careers, try to get a sense of their personalities, and try to find out what their life was like. I would also analyze their style and include a transcription of a new or important work from their repertoire. Dozens of players were featured including: David Grisman, Ricky Skaggs, Ronnie McCoury, Chris Thile, Carlo Aonzo, John Reischman, Andy Statman, and more. Each issue also contained regular columns by Barry Mitterhoff on Bluegrass Mandolin, Marilyn Mair and Paulo Sa both wrote Choro columns, Mick Moloney contributed columns about the Irish Mandolin, and Michael Lampert wrote a regular Jazz Technique column. We also dealt extensively with the history of the mandolin and regular reviewed the careers of past greats like Calace, Munier, Pettine, and Abt. The well-known Mandolin historian Paul Sparks contributed many of these articles. We reviewed the latest CDs, DVDs, books and instructional materials of all types. I hope to re-publish all of my interviews and a few new ones as part of a future publication.
I published several musical works with NL Publications. These include:
Letter To Gorbachev for Mandolin and Guitar,NLP 010 or as a Mandolin Duet, NLP 009
Re-Bach for Mandolin Orchestra, NLP 005
Three Places I’ve Never Been for Mandolin and Soprano, NLP 004
Italian Mandolin, Volume 1, The Most Popular Folk Songs and Arias, NLP 011
Unfortunately, the copyrights for these works are currently in dispute. Once this matter is resolved I will direct you to where you could go to purchase these compositions, formerly published by the now defunct NL Publications.
Here is a review of the Italian Mandolin, Vol. 1 written by Russell Who in Mandolin Journel, October, 2002.
Now That’s Italian!
The year 2002 will undoubtedly be known in classical mandolin history for the
publishing by NL Publications of Terence M. Pender’s “Italian Mandolin, Volume 1.” Terry Pender is a youthful mandolin genius who is becoming famous in the Big Apple as a writer, player, composer, and arranger. He is currently the editor of the prestigious “Mandolin Quarterly” which has made a tremendous forward progress under his direction. (Who renewed his last subscription for three years!) He is also a professor
of music at Columbia University and Manager of the Computer Music Center at that institution. One of his earliest achievements was winning first prize several years ago in a CMSA contest for submitting the “best composition,” a duet for voice and mandolin.
All right, Who, calm down, just what is this magnum opus you’re raving about? It is a collection of fifteen of the most popular Italian songs, arranged for mandolin with guitar accompaniment. The degree of difficulty is beginner to intermediate. The printing is superb, and each song is limited to one double page, mandolin left and guitar right. Pender’s arrangements are not overly simplified but are certainly mandolin-friendly. He also comes to the rescue of the lesser talented (Who-level) guitarist by having the mandolin play “Veni sul Mar” in the traditional key of E-flat while the accompaniment is raised from D to E-flat by using a capo on the first fret of the guitar. (Hearing the term “Capo One” makes Who wonder who is now CapoOne in the NY/NJ area since the demise of John Gotti.) Incidentally, Who’s spelling of the word “Vieni” is derived from a Tin Pan Alley song of the 1930’s called “Vieni, vieni, vieni, vieni, vieni tu sei bella.” Who knows that one Iulio Publio Cesare in his famous treatise on the Gallic wars used the historic expression “Veni, vidi, vici!” but that was Latin, not Italian.
Pender’s anthology is done meticulously and artistically, and that’s Italian! It has an index, an interesting preface, two most enlightening pages of notes on the arrangements, a discography of recommended mando listening, a listing of Pender’s other works, and blurb for Volume II of this series. But by far the best feature of the folio is the selection of its contents, a pleasing mélange of folk, art song, and operatic literature. Included are “O Mio Babbino Caro,” “O Sole Mio,” “Carnival of Venice,” “La Spagnola,” “Ciribiribin,” and eight other all-time Sclager, in Who’s opinion the only song Pender might have included, but didn’t is the lovely mazurka, “Tre Veglio E Sonno;’ but don’t worry, dear readers, it will appear in Volume II of this series.
If Pender’s future volumes of Italian mandolin music match Volume I, he has found a career with a steady stream of cool arrangements of music such as Don Giovanni’s “Deh Vieni alla Finestra,” all the “greatest hits” of Caruso and Pavorotti plus the songs composed or made famous by Italo-Americans Sousa, Pettine, Russ Columbo, Perry Como, Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Connie Francis, Mario Lanza, Dean Martin, Toni Nigrelli, Mike Marshall, Jerome Baldassari, Madonna, etc.
While playing through the album and coming to Paisiello’s “Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento,” Who was reminded of a mandolin lesson he had in 1930 when his teacher used this arietta to demonstrate how to play 32nd and 16th notes. When asked by his teacher why he was having trouble (it’s only andantino young man,”) Who replied that when his mother was enceinte with Who she was shaken up by a semi/demiquaver. Incidentally, the intorduction to this piece is strongly reminiscent of Vivaldi’s “Sonata in D for Solo Lute,” (often transcribed for either guitar or mandolin) and best known in America for its sensational performances on the mandolin by Domrajo Leonardo at his annual Sylvesterfests in Alexandria, VA.
But every beautiful face has to have a “beauty spot” (think of actresses Crawford-Joan and Cindy- for example) and Italian Mandolin has a beaut! On pages 1 and 10 “Ciribiribin” is spelled with out the penultimate “i,” making it look like a phonetic rendition of “Cheery Bourbon;’ and believe him, this reviewer would never find fault with any kind of bourbon, let alone “cheery.” One other minuscule comment: Who wishes that Pender had a less offensive translation of “L Donna Mobile.” Where does one obtain this must-have book? It is distributed by Plucked String, Inc. Box 2696, Kensington, MD 20891. The price is reasonable.
The Brooklyn Waltz is a simple etude modeled on Bela Bartok’s Mikrokosmos, and is designed to introduce the concept og changing meters. The composition is in two parts, each dealing with the variation of a basic motive. The first section is a playful, off-kilter waltz, while the second section features more vigorous, highly ornamented writing. The Brooklyn Waltz is published by Mel Bay: Mel Bay Presents 2000 Mandolin, Featuring solos by the world’s finest mandolinists! MB98372BCD, $29.95. Mel Bay Publications, Inc., #4 Industrial Drive, Pacific, MO 63069-3611, www.melbay.com
I am currently working Volume 2 of my Italian Mandolin Series. This volume will feature note-for-note transcriptions of the best Italian-American mandolinists. Transcribed from old 78s this collection features both mandolin and guitar parts on standard notation and tablature and includes such classics as: Migliavacca, Tre Veglia e Sonne, Idilio Primaverile, Costumi Siciliani, Bells of the Night, etc. Learn to play these great tunes the way the masters did.
I am collaborating on a book of transcriptions of Irish mandolin music as played by Mick Moloney. The founding father of the Irish mandolin is also a professor in the Irish Studies program at New York University. I’ve been dropping by to see Mick and record his versions of a core group of traditional Irish tunes arranged especially to played on the mandolin or the Tenor Banjo. These meetings formed the basis of Mick’s Irish Mandolin Workshop column as featured in the last few issues of Mandolin Quarterly.
So far we’ve worked through: The Kerfunken Jig, The Boyne Hunt, O’Carolan’s Draught, and Ed Reavey’s tune, Lad O’Beirne’s Favorite.
I have also released or been featured on several recordings over the years. Including David Jaffe’s The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Mandolin X4 by Terry Pender and Amy Duggins, Barry Mitterhoff, Neil Gladd, and Charlie Rappaport.
Minus Ted’s Really, Really
