Mozart’s mandolin

By Marilynn | Published: October 30, 2010

Q: In your article on the Mozart song “Komm, Liebe Zither, Komm” you mentioned that the piece was probably written for the 6 string Austrian mandolin. Has anyone sat down with various instruments to see which one the music fit most naturally? Zither was the German word for cittern, so I thought it was written for something in the cittern family, like an English Guittar or a waldzither.
-CM

A: Well we do know that it was written for mandolin, but of course we don’t know which type. We do know that Beethoven owned a 6-string mandolin. Vivaldi’s earlier concertos were definitely written for a 6 double-strung mandolino, possibly played with the fingers, and are often played on a reproduction of that instrument today. And you will notice that I said “Mozart probably wrote “Komm Liebe Zither” for the 6-string lute-shaped mandolin popular in Austria at the time.” It wasn’t an Austrian instrument, but the Italian mandolin was very popular in Classical-era Vienna, and according to some sources “zither” was a nickname for the mandolin. Today, unfortunately, the piece is usually accompanied by piano instead of any kind of mandolin. But, no, I don’t know if anyone has done a side-by side comparison. I’ll put it on my to-do list.
-mm

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