SCARLATTI-Sebastiaan de Grebber (mandolin)& Eva van den Dool

The Sonata n.55 (K.90) by Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) shown here was filmed during a concert in Zwolle on July 5th, 2008 by the Dutch mandolin & Piano duo Sebastiaan de Grebber and Eva van den Dool.

That the Iberian countries had a musical influence on Domenico Scarlatti's (Napels 1685-1757 Madrid) composing is obvious since he lived most of his life in Portugal and Spain and Folk like and Moorish tunes can often be heard in many of his 550 virtuoso Sonatas for harpsichord.
It is among these Sonatas that eight are found that differ from the rest because they consist of staffs for an unspecified melody instrument accompanied by a second (keyboard) instrument, a so-called basso continuo part. They also differ from Scarlatti's harpsichord Sonatas because they all have more than one movement. Among these eight compositions several are written for an instrument of which the strings are tuned in fourths (b,e,a,d,g) while others seem to need a tuning in fifth (g,d,a,e). Something that can be determined by examining among other things the written double stops and chords of the melody part. Because the texture of the melody part is one of short note values the type of instrument for which this music was composed is likely a high pitched plucked instrument. Short note values are often seen in music specified for plucked instruments like lute kinds, mandolins and guitars.
In Scarlattis time the most popular among high pitched plucked instruments was of course the Mandolino. And of importance here, it was exact during Scarlattis lifetime that the development of the gut-strung Mandolino into a metal strung early Neapolitan mandolin took place. The first was tuned in fourths and the second tuned, like the violin, in fifths. It is therefore well possible that Scarlatti knew both, the old and new mandolin types of his time.
A good example of a Sonata for which a tuning in fourth is needed is the Sonata n.53 (K.88). All the four movements, the Grave, Andante moderato, Allegro and Minuetto, show chords that are build up of four notes that can only be played on the gut-strung Mandolino, an instrument that was very popular at the Courts of Europe that time. Chords also impossible to play on any other instrument than the Mandolino. Evidence that indeed indicate Scarlattis acquaintance with the mandolin is a manuscript found in the Bibliothèque de lArsenal in Paris (France) by the French scholar and mandolinist Didier la Roux. In it one of the eight compositions by Scarlatti mentioned above, the Sonata n. 54 (K.89) is indicated as composed for per mandolino, e cimbalo.
The Sonata n.55 (K.90) of which the melody part has an ambitus ranging from a low g up to b-flat, is one of those Sonatas of which the tone texture, with all its use of open d and G strings, suggest an instrument tuned in fifths. And due to the short values of the notes in both slow movements the early Neapolitan mandolin comes in mind here. All movements, the Grave, Allergro, (Siciliana) and Allegro, are performed here by the Dutch mandolinist Sebastiaan de Grebber and pianist Eva van den Dool on instruments of our time. To be even more precise, on an Embergher modern Roman mandolin and a Bösendorfer grand piano.

Sebastiaan de Grebber is one of the leading musicians of the youngest generation of mandolinists. He studied the mandolin at the musicschool De Muzerie and ArtEZ Music Conservatory in Zwolle (Netherlands) under the guidance of Alex Timmerman, in Italy at the Conservatorio C. Pollini in Padova, with the famous Italian mandolinist Mr. Ugo Orlandi, and at the Messiaen Academie/Highschool for the Arts in Zwolle. To complete his music studies at the Messiaen Academie Sebastiaan gave a final concert after which the jury, enlarged for the occasion with Maestro Ugo Orlandi of the Conservatorio C. Pollini, unanimously in their opinion granted him the highest possible predicate: Master of music with distinction.

The score (and separate melody part) of this Sonata n.55 (K.90)and 4 others by Scarlatti Sonatas (K.81, 88, 89, 91) for mandolin (violin, flute) and basso continuo are published in a modern one volume edition revised by the Italian mandolinist and scholar Ugo Orlandi and Ernesto Merlini by BÈRBEN. Here is their website: http://www.berben.it/doc/htm/eng/frame_pubblicazioni.htm
For more information about Sebastiaan de Grebber, his concerts and CDs, please visit his website: http://www.degrebber-mandolin.com/ or the Dutch Mandolin Chamber Orchestra of which Sebastiaan de Grebber is the Concert master:
http://www.mandolineorkest.nl/enwelkom.htm

This video was made by Mr. van den Dool at a concert given at the concert hall of the Centre for the Arts De Muzerie in Zwolle on Saterday July 5th, 2008. The release of this video is published by Het CONSORT, Zwolle, Netherlands, 2008.

Category:

Music

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• Sebastiaan
• de
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• Paganini
• Eva
• van
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• Dool
• Scarlatti
• Kioulaphides
• Mandolin
• Mandolino
• Mandoline
• Timmerman

[goetzski1]

Wonderful performance. Would like also to read a bio for Eva van den Dool.

BRAVO EVA AND SEBASTIAN!!

[AlonSariel]

BRAVO SEBASTIAN!

[EuropeanArchive]

Grappig, klinkt als een klavercimbel met een luitregister.

En ineens is de link tussen Portugal en Napels niet ver weg meer...

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Greetings,

Rolf

Historical classical recordings

European Archive, Paris

[southcoastsounds]

Beautifully played and well-recorded. A delight to listen to

[Oleander0]

Beautiful music and very tasteful performance on modern instruments. Like the other videos of this duo, absolute wonderful. 5 stars!

[wupeide]

Very Nice!