{{Short description|Type of bass lute from the 1700s}} {{About|a bass lute after 18th century|a treble lute <!-- denoted Mandora --> since 17th century or before|Mandore (instrument)|other uses}} <gallery mode="packed" heights="240px" style="float:right" caption="Mandora or Gallichon"> File:Mandora MET DP168838.jpg|'''Mandora''' (1726)<!-- <br/>{{smaller|by Gregori Ferdinand Wenger}} --> File:Lute 2, MfM.Uni-Leipzig.jpg|6~9 courses lute ('''Calchedon''', '''Calichon''') (1735)<ref name=MIMO_ULEI_M0000502>{{cite web | title = ULEI:M0000502 Laute, Museum für Musikinstrumente der Universität Leipzig, Inventory number 504 | url = http://www.mimo-db.eu/MIMO/infodoc/ged/View.aspx?eid=OAI_ULEI_M0000502 | work = MIMO (musical instrument museums online) | access-date = 2018-05-14 | archive-date = 2018-05-14 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180514213844/http://www.mimo-db.eu/MIMO/infodoc/ged/View.aspx?eid=OAI_ULEI_M0000502 | url-status = live}}<div style="line-height:110%;">{{smaller|"''1735 von Andreas Ferdinand Mayr in Salzburg hergestellt.''”, “''Andreas Ferdinandus Mayr / Hof- Laut- und Geigenmacher / in Saltzburg. An. 17[h.s.]35''”, “''Gedr. Zettel des Erbauers auf der Innenseite des Rückens''”, “''Der rotbraun lackierte Korpus des ziemlich einfach gearbeiteten Instruments ist aus 9 breiten Spänen von geflammtem Ahornholz zusammengesetzt. Die Rückseite des gewinkelten Kragens ist mit durchbrochenen Schnitzereien im Renaissancestil verziert. Dieses Instrument verfügt im Gegensatz zur Barocklaute nur über sechs bis neun Saitenchöre. Das bevorzugte Dilettanteninstrument bezeichnete man in einigen Quellen auch als "''Calchedon''" oder "''Calichon''".''"}}</div></ref><ref name=Kinsky1912>Georg Kinsky: Musikhistorisches Museum von Wilhelm Heyer in Cöln, Bd. 2, Köln 1912, S. 98.</ref> File:Gallichon, Muzeum Instrumentów Muzycznych w Pradze.jpg|'''Gallichon'''<!-- , exhibited at Czech Museum of Music, Prague --> </gallery> The '''mandora''' or '''gallichon''' is a type of 18th- and early 19th-century lute, with six to nine courses of strings. The terms were interchangeable, with ''mandora'' more commonly used from the mid-18th century onwards.
==History== [[File:cossack-lute.jpg|right|thumb|150px|A Ukrainian Cossack with a Mandora, ''c.''1750]] ''Mandora'' or ''gallichon'' generally refers to a bass lute from the 1700s, with a vibrating string length of 72 centimeters or greater, used in Germany and Bohemia. It could be either single- or double-strung.<ref name=classical2>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lutesandguitars.co.uk/htm/cat08.htm |title=Stephen Barber & Sandi Harris, Lutemakers Catalogue and Price List 2013 |access-date=2006-04-27 |archive-date=2020-02-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213155038/http://www.lutesandguitars.co.uk/htm/cat08.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
James Tyler pointed out in his book ''The Early Mandolin'' that the word '''mandora''' was rarely encountered before the 18th century.<ref name=tyler92p52> {{cite book | title = The Early Mandolin | last = Tyler | first = James | year = 1992 | publisher = Clarendon Press | location = Oxford, England | isbn = 0-19-816302-9 | page = [https://archive.org/details/earlymandolin0000tyle/page/52 52] | url = https://archive.org/details/earlymandolin0000tyle/page/52 }}</ref> Then, it referred to a large bass lute.<ref name=tyler92p52/> The '''gallichone''', as it was better known,<ref name=tyler92p52/> was a type of 6- or 8-course bass lute (possibly a descendant of the guiterne and/or chitarra italiana<ref> {{cite books | last = Meucci | first = Renato | chapter = Da ‘chitarra italiana’ a ‘chitarrone’: una nuova interpretazione | title = Enrico Radesca da Foggia e il suo tempo: Atti del Convegno di studi, Foggia, 7-8 Aprile 2000 | year = 2001 | isbn = 978-887096347-2 | pages = 30–57 }}</ref>) used, mainly for basso continuo, in Germany, Austria and Bohemia particularly during the 18th and early 19th centuries.<ref> Andreas Schlegel "Die Laute in Europa" Basel 2007 </ref> It was also called the '''galizona,''' '''galichon''' or '''caledon'''. Tyler disputed that it was mainly used for continuo, saying it was used "both as a solo and as a continuo instrument".<ref name=tyler92p52/> The instrument was popular in the 18th century and there are various surviving instruments and manuscript sources (see below), mainly from Germany. The mandora often had only 6 courses, resulting in a simpler technique than the complex and difficult 13-course lute, so was more suitable for amateur players. Similar instruments were also in use in northern Italy, although generally referred to as "liuto" (lute) rather than mandora.
Composers for the gallichon/mandora include Johann Paul Schiffelholz and Telemann, as well as Ruggero Chiesa in the modern era (1933–1993). Chiesa called the instrument the '''colascione''', incorrectly as the colascione is a different instrument. Gottfried Finger suggested that it was used in Boheman musical circles.<ref name=classical2/> The mandora was still in use in the early 19th century, particularly in Vienna and the Bavarian town Eichstätt. The Viennese guitarist Simon Molitor mentions the mandora several times in his early 19th century writings<ref>In the forward to his ''Große Sonate'' op. 7 (1807) and in his method ''Versuch einer vollständigen methodischen Anleitung zum Guitarre-Spielen'' (1812)</ref> and says that by that time mandoras had 8 single strings.
==Construction== The bass type, similarly to the theorbo and other baroque lutes, has a vaulted body (shell) constructed of separate ribs, a flat soundboard with either a carved rose or one which is inset into the soundhole, and a bridge (without a saddle) consisting of a wooden bar acting as a string-holder glued to the soundboard. Unique to this instrument is the neck, which is long enough to allow for 10 to 12 tied gut frets. The pegbox is either straight and set at a sharp angle to the neck (much like a lute pegbox), or gently curving and set at a shallow angle, either case being fitted with laterally-inserted tuning pegs (although sometimes a flat pegboard with sagittal pegs is found). The strings were of gut and are strung either singly or, especially on Italian instruments, in double courses. However, on German-made instruments, the first course (highest in pitch) is usually single (a chanterelle) and often has its own separate raised peg rider/holder attached to the pegbox. The number of courses varies from six to eight. Open string lengths tend to be fairly long (62–72 cm) on German instruments, but shorter (55–65 cm) on late Italian ones, probably because they tended to be tuned to a higher pitch.
Luthiers who produced mandoras in the first half of the 18th century were Gregor Ferdinand Wenger in Augsburg, Jacob Goldt of Hamburg, Jacob Weiss of Salzburg, David Buchstetter of Regensburg and Mattias Greisser of Innsbruck. Italian-style instruments are represented by Martino Hell of Genoa, Enrico Ebar of Venice, David Tecchler of Rome, Antonio Scoti of Milan and, toward the end of the century, Antonio Monzino and Giuseppe Presbler of Milan.
At least 50 original instruments survive in collections around the world. Examples are found in museums in Berlin, Claremont (California), Copenhagen, Edinburgh, The Hague, Leipzig, Milan, Munich and Paris, New York and St. Petersburg. Many of these instruments are found in a more or less unaltered state, and therefore are often used as models for modern reconstructions.
==Works== There are about 55 sources of mandora music in tablature, all in manuscript (none printed) and nearly all of Germanic origin. These contain solos, duets, song accompaniments, and chamber music. Few studies have appeared, and very little of the music has been transcribed and published: critical editions are especially rare. Many have no composers attributed but in recent years studies of concordances are beginning to uncover music by composers such as Silvius Leopold Weiss and Johann Anton Logy. The sources do mention some composers' names; Duke Clement of Bavaria, {{ill|Placidus von Camerloher|de|Placidus von Camerloher}}, Johann Paul Schiffelholz, Joseph (Josef) Michael Zink, Andrea Mayr, Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello and others. Other composers include Georg Philipp Telemann who wrote 6 concerti for flute, gallichon and strings, Johann Friedrich Daube and Johann Albrechtsberger, whose three concertinos for ‘mandora’, ‘crembalum’ (jaw harp) and strings have been performed and recorded. Today there are various modern lutenists who play the mandora and some of these historical works have been recorded. The mandora has also been used in contemporary music; the British lutenist and composer Chris Hirst uses the mandora extensively in his works, often in combination with diverse instruments like the cello, cor anglais and melodica.<ref>This contemporary use of the mandora by Chris Hirst can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moHvD38PFeY&list=PLUDMbaBFXpFy6F7zKHv2KW_e_emTKCy2D {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250820104249/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moHvD38PFeY&list=PLUDMbaBFXpFy6F7zKHv2KW_e_emTKCy2D |date=2025-08-20 }}</ref>
==See also== * Kobza — Ukrainian lute family instrument relating to Mandora. * Lute guitar — German guitar family instrument setup on a lute bowl, sometimes converted from lute.<ref> {{cite web | title = 89.2.157: Lute (1596), Sixtus Rauchwolff (German, Augsburg 1556-1619) | url = http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/180012286?rpp=60&pg=3&ft=guitar&pos=131 | publisher = Metropolitan Museum of Art | quote = {{smaller|''<!-- The back of this Renaissance lute is constructed of twenty-five ebony or rosewood ribs with ivory spacers, and its top is Alpine spruce. -->... It was probably originally made for seven or eight courses (pairs) of strings, but in the seventeenth century the neck, bridge, and pegbox were replaced or modified to give the instrument a Baroque configuration. In the nineteenth century, the neck was reduced, fixed frets were added, and the instrument was changed to six-strings, like on a guitar. ...<!-- Sixtus Rauchwolff had an excellent reputation in his day and was a maker of lutes for the prominent Fugger family and the court orchestra in Stuttgart. A label inside the instrument identifies him as the maker and 1596 as the date of the lute. The name of Matthias Hummel, who probably made the Baroque alterations to the instrument, also appears. -->''}} }} <br/>An example of Renaissance lute which was once modified to Baroque lute in the 17th century, then again modified to lute guitar in the 19th century. </ref>
==Sources== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== *E.G. Baron: Historisch-theoretisch und practische Untersuchung des Instruments der Lauten (Nuremberg, 1727/R; Eng. trans., 1976) *C. Sachs: Real-Lexikon der Musikinstrumente (Berlin, 1913/R, enlarged 2/1964) *A. Koczirz: ‘Zur Geschichte der Mandorlaute’, Die Gitarre, ii (1920–21), 21–36 *R. Lück: ‘Zur Geschichte der Basslauten-Instrumente Colascione und Calichon’, DJbM, v (1960), 67–75 *J. Klima: ‘Gitarre und Mandora, die Lauteninstrumente der Volksmusik’, ÖMz, xviii (1963), 72–7 *R. Lück: ‘Zwei unbekannte Basslauten-Instrumente: der italienische Colascione und der deutsche Calichon’, NZM, cxxvi (1965), 10–13 *E. Pohlmann: Laute, Theorbe, Chitarrone (Bremen, 1968, enlarged 5/1982) *M. Hodgson: ‘The Identity of 18th Century 6 Course “Lutes”’, FoMRHI Quarterly, no.14 (1979), 25–7 *M. Hodgson: ‘The Development of the Callachon’, FoMRHI Quarterly, no.15 (1979), 35–7 *D. Gill: ‘Mandore and Calachon’, FoMRHI Quarterly, no.19 (1980), 61–3 *J. Tyler: The Early Guitar (London, 1980) *D. Gill: ‘Mandores and Colachons’, GSJ, xxxiv (1981), 130–41 *D. Gill: ‘Alternative Lutes: the Identity of 18th-Century Mandores and Gallichones’, The Lute, xxvi (1986), 51–62 *P. Prosser: ‘Uno sconosciuto metodo manoscritto (1756) Considerazioni sull'identificazione della mandora nell XVIII secolo’, Strumenti per Mozart, ed. M. Tiella and R. Romano (Rovereto, 1991), 293–335 {{in lang|it}} *D. Kirsch and L. Meierott, eds: Berliner Lautentabulaturen in Krakau (Mainz, 1992) *D. Kirsch: ‘Musik für Mandora in der Universitätsbibliothek Eichstätt’, Sammelblatt Historischer Verein Eichstätt, liiivi (1993), 14–19 {{in lang|de}} *D. Kirsch: ‘Die Mandora in Österreich zur Bestimmung eines Lautentyps des 18. Jahrhunderts’, Vom Pasqualatihaus, iv (1994), 63–81 {{in lang|de}} *P. Prosser: Calichon e mandora nel Settecento: Con un catalogo tematico del repertorio solistico (diss., U. of Pavia, 1996) *D. Rebuffa: Mandora e Calichon, in "Il Liuto", L'Epos, Palermo 2012, pp. 397–423. *D. Rebuffa: Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello,"Partite e Sinfonie per gallichone solo"(ca. 1740), World premiere recording with an original calichon by G. Wenger, 1754, CD Tactus, 2023. *M. Gioielli: 'Quattro Colascionate', Utriculus, X, n. 39, luglio-settembre 2006, pp. 18–39. at [http://www.maurogioielli.net/UTRICULUS/Mauro.Gioielli,Notizie.sul.colascione.e.la.mandola.nel.Molise,%C2%ABUtriculus%C2%BB,IX,n.36,2005,pp31-34.pdf maurogioielli.net] {{in lang|it}} *S. Morey: ''Mandolins of the 18th century'' (Cremona, 1993) * {{cite journal | first = Lynda | last = Sayce | date = October 2003 | title = A forgotten lute: a painless introduction to 18th century lute music | journal = Lute News | issue = 67 <!-- publisher = The Lute Society --> }} (see [https://www.lutesociety.org/pages/lute-news-back-issues back issues]. also available [http://lute.penne.jp/lsj/?page_id=593/ translation in Japanese]) *B. Van de Kerckhove: Defining an 18th century lute, the Mandora & Calichon: an organological study on the instruments of Gregor Ferdinand Wenger, Vol 22-N° 2 (2023), Philomusica On-line, Università degli studi di Pavia, http://dx.doi.org/10.13132/1826-9001/22.2286.
==External links== {{Commons}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ4EZIz554c A video of an early 19th century type mandora, as described by Molitor in 1812.] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110708105047/http://www.busatolutes.com/Gallichon.htm Pictures of a modern calichon, recreating one built in 1756.] *[http://www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.com/lutes.htm Website with some information on the "gallichone or mandora".] *[http://www.lutesandguitars.co.uk/htm/cat08.htm Reproduction 18th century mandoras]. *[http://www.maurogioielli.net/UTRICULUS/Mauro.Gioielli,Notizie.sul.colascione.e.la.mandola.nel.Molise,«Utriculus»,IX,n.36,2005,pp31-34.pdf Colascione e mandola molisane] at maurogioielli.net {{in lang|it}}
{{Lute}} {{Renaissance music}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Lutes Category:Early musical instruments Category:Necked bowl lutes