Experts unclear over definition
Donald Gill pointed out that there is some uncertainty as to the exact nature of the instruments or what they were tuned to. He wrote about the 1989 book that James Tyler and Paul Sparks wrote together, ''The Early Mandolin: the Mandolino and the Neapolitan mandolin.'' He quoted Paul Sparks as saying the four-course Roman mandolone was "usually referred to as a liuto." This was important because the instrument did not seem to match the music written for it, and that it is unclear whether "mandolone" refers to a large mandoline or the Roman instrument created by Gaspar Ferrari. He felt that the two authors had not addressed the instrument definitively, leaving questions of interpretation.Donald Gill, Reviews of books, ''James Tyler and Paul Sparks. The Early Mandolin: the Mandolino and the Neapolitan mandoline. Early Music Series, 9. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989. x. 186p.''Mandolone defined
In 1995 Paul Sparks released the book ''The Classical Mandolin''. He took some pains to define and describe the ''liuto'', ''mandolin'' and ''liola''. He said that the liola and mandolone were the same instrument, different from the liuto. The mandolone was a flat-backed, bass instrument, "much larger than the liuto" with "four heavy wound strings" tuned (in fourths) to A-D-G-c. The encyclopedia, ''Musical Instruments of the World'' says the mandolones existed with six to eight courses of string pairs. David Betts, who has played a mandolone for the Munier Mandolin & Guitar Orchestra in Philadelphia, said that fifths is the native tuning for the mandolone. He also said that is a likely reason for the instrument's decline. The instruments longer scale length (longer than the mandocello or liuto) makes playing the instrument difficult. He said his orchestra intends to restring their mandolone, to tune it in fourths instead (which he says is standard with bass-family, stringed instruments). Another way of tuning the mandolone has been written about by Vincent Schisano. He indicates that a version of the instrument could have its strings tuned individually instead of in pairs, showing a tuning pattern D-E-F-B-E-G-C-F.Liuto defined
The liuto cantabilis, a type ofReferences
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