mandolin

views updated May 29 2018

man·do·lin / ˌmandəˈlin; ˈmandələn/ • n. 1. a musical instrument resembling a lute, having paired metal strings plucked with a plectrum. It is played with a characteristic tremolo on long sustained notes.2. variant spelling of mandoline.DERIVATIVES: man·do·lin·ist / -ˈlinist/ n.

mandolin

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

mandolin(e)

views updated May 23 2018

mandolin(e). Plucked str. instr. of lute family, of It. orig., usually with 8 str. tuned in pairs and played with plectrum, generally in a sustained tremolo. Used in informal mus.-making, but occurs in several famous scores, e.g. Alexander Balus (Handel, 1747), L'Amant jaloux (Grétry, 1778), Don Giovanni (Mozart, 1787), Otello (Verdi, 1887), 7th Sym. and Das Lied von der Erde (Mahler), Serenade (Schoenberg), 5 Pieces (Webern), Agon (Stravinsky), etc. Beethoven wrote some pieces for mandolin and pf., and Vivaldi several concs.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE

Mandoline

views updated Jun 27 2018

Mandoline. Poem by Verlaine set for v. and pf. by Debussy, 1882, as No.3 of Fêtes galantes (orig. version), and by Fauré, 1891, as No.1 of 5 Mélodies, Op.58. Also set as Fêtes galantes by R. Hahn, 1895.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE

mandolin

views updated May 21 2018

mandolin Stringed musical instrument related to the lute and associated with 18th-century Italy. It has four or six paired wire strings, which are played with a plectrum. It is most often used today as an accompaniment to folk songs and dances.

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