Mandolin

Mandolin, stringed instrument derived from the lute about 1700 in Italy. Of several kinds made in different cities, the Neapolitan mandolin became most popular. It has a deep, pear-shaped body and four pairs of steel strings tuned like a violin (G D A E, upward from the G below middle C). It is played with a plectrum, which creates the illusion of sustained tones by its rapid tremolo between the strings of each pair. The strings, hitched to a metal plate at the base of the body, run over a bridge and along the fretted fingerboard to machine-head tuning pegs. The belly angles down from the bridge to the base, increasing string tension for more brilliance of tone. The oval sound hole is surrounded by a protective shell plate. Composers for the mandolin include Ludwig van Beethoven, W. A. Mozart, Antonio Vivaldi, and Igor Stravinsky. Around 1900 mandolin orchestras came into vogue, with families of mandolins ranging from soprano to bass. U.S. folk music also adopted the mandolin about 1900; a flat-backed version is played in bluegrass bands.