About the Pittsburgh Mandolin Society

The Pittsburgh Mandolin Society is a non-profit organization (501(c)3 status) dedicated to promoting interest in the instruments of the mandolin family through teaching, performance and player development.   The mandolin family is the fretted equivalent (played with a plectrum) of the violin family in tuning and size:   mandolin=violin, mandola=viola, mandocello=cello, mandobass=upright bass.

The instrument has a diverse "melting pot" history first appearing in 15th-century Naples, Italy, as an adaptation of the lute.   It was similar to various other string instruments across the globe, such as the traditional Russian balalaika, a roundback version from Japan, and the popular dambura of the Arab world.   The mandolin has roots in almost every culture helping to preserve rich musical traditions that might otherwise be lost in today's increasingly homogenized musical landscape.

The mandolin is experiencing a resurgence of popularity in all types of music: bluegrass, country, folk, rock, ethnic, jazz, and classical.   This versatility, accessibility, and relative easy learning curve make it the perfect instrument for introducing people to the world of music.   Its current appearance in community-based orchestras (the Pittsburgh Mandolin Orchestra founded in 2002 as a prime example) mirrors a similar broad-based popularity that occurred in this country from roughly 1890 to 1925, when it came to this country as a popular instrument amongst immigrants, primarily from Italy.   This period saw the creation of hundreds of amateur orchestras in large and small towns across the US.   These groups were as large as 30 or 40 players down to small ensembles meeting and performing in people's living rooms.   Because the mandolin was inexpensive enough that working-class people could afford it, many of the orchestras were formed around community groups such as social clubs, religious organizations, women's groups, and unions.   Groups formed in this period from New York, Baltimore, and Milwaukee survive to this day.

Pittsburgh is an important city in the history and popularization of the instrument.   It was the home to Valentine Abt one of the most famous early players and the composer of the Impromptu, an advanced piece that showed the possibilities of the solo mandolin to musicians everywhere.   In about 1908, Abt formed the first American classical plectrum quartet consisting of two mandolins, tenor mandola, and mandocello.   Percy Lichtenfels and the Allegro Mandolin Quartet gave the first live performance of mandolin ensemble music on radio at KDKA in 1921.   H. Russell Truitt was a famous teacher (and salesman for Gibson instruments) who lived and worked in Pittsburgh for over 60 years and taught hundreds of students, some of whom are still alive and playing today.

Click on the links below to learn more about the performing organizations that are part of the Pittsburgh Mandolin Society.