An introduction to the eighteenth century repertoire of the Neapolitan mandoline

In recent years, a number of long-forgotten eighteenth century works for mandoline have made a welcome reappearance in print, on discs, and in concert programs. Once neglected original pieces by Beethoven, Hummel, Barbella, and Leone have now become more familiar to players and audiences alike but, beautiful though they are, these works represent only a small fraction of the vast output created for the instrument by these composers and their many contemporaries. The following pages are intended to provide readers with a fuller introduction to this delightfully rich and varied (but still underexplored and undervalued) repertoire.