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Banjo ART
Internet
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The Mandolin
The mandolin is a distant relative
of the Arab Oud
and the lute,
and is common in many countries,
including Japan,
China, Iran
and the South
American countries. It has four pairs of strings,
each pair tunes identically in unison.
Until the end of the 18th century,
the mandolin took part in the symphonic orchestra,
and great composers wrote solo pieces for it, among them Vivaldi
(Mandolin concerto
in C), Mozart
(the serenade
in the opera "Don Giovanni") and
Beethoven
(the Mandolin
Sonata).
Mondolins
The Banjo
The banjo is a folk instrument.
A little like the mandolin, yet made of a
metal hoop on which a leather parchment is stretched.
It seems its origins are in Africa,
and it became a popular instrument among African slaves. Later, it was
used in jazz
and American
country music.
The banjo also became popular in minstrel shows and vaudeville. The banjo
provides the 'local sound' in the orchestration of the opera 'Porgy
and Bess' by Gershwin
and in Delius's
'Koanga'.
Banjo
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Composers
Vivaldi
Mozart
Beethoven
Gershwin
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