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Review of Raffaele Calace, Method for Mandolin, Volumes 1 and 2. English language edition by
Caterina Lichenberg, Mike Marshall, and Amy Burcham. Adventure Music Publishing, 2010.
By Robert A. Margo
All instruments have their virtuosos, famous composers, and to-die-for makers. For some instruments,
two of these three attributes may be embodied in the same person usually the first two (think Chopin
on piano, or Paganini on the violin). With his brother Eduardo, Brazils Sergio Abreu formed one of the
most famous of classical guitar duos in the 1970s; upon retiring from the concert stage Sergio Abreu
became one of the worlds most respected builders of classical guitars. But all three characteristics at
once are almost never found except the mandolin, in the person of Raffaele Calace (1863-1934).
Calace was the mandolins triple threat. He was a leading virtuoso on the mandolin and on the liuto,
the Italian five-course version of the mandocello. Calace wrote some of the mandolins most enduring
solo and ensemble works, perhaps no more so than his set of unaccompanied Preludes, among the most
challenging for the instrument. If that were not enough, he was also a master luthier whose family
business thrives to this day in Naples. Early twentieth century Calace mandolins command extremely
high prices from collectors while modern models can be found throughout the world in the hands of
leading performers.
Calace was a true pedagogue who worked tirelessly to raise musical standards on the mandolin. His
most important pedagogical work was his method for mandolin, originally published (in Italian) in six
parts (op. 37-42) in 1910. While not exactly out of print, the Calace method has been difficult to obtain
and, for the foreign-language challenged, never in English. In what qualifies as the mandolin publishing
event of the year, Caterina Lichtenberg and Mike Marshall have now brought out an English-language
version of the Calace method through the auspices of Adventure Music Publishing. The production
quality is absolutely first rate. Adventures edition is in two volumes, both comb-bound to lie easily on
the music stand. The music itself has not been re-typeset but rather reproduced from high resolution
scans of the original (I had no difficulty reading any of it). The graceful, idiomatic translation is by Amy
Burcham who is also responsible for the overall layout, efficient and pleasing to the eye.
The aim of the Calace method, front and center, is a highly expressive and flexible tremolo. Calace
believed that it was a great error for a teacher to assign this [tremolo] a secondary priority the first
duty is to instruct the student the student in how gradually to overcome this obstacle, perhaps the most
serious throughout the study of mandolin. What follows is literally an avalanche of musical exercises
and excerpts ranging from the very simple to supremely difficult, with most squarely in-between. It is
impossible in a brief review to go line by line but, broadly speaking, op. 37-op.39 (volume one of the
Adventure method; volume two is op. 39-41) cover the basics including mastery of the fret board
through the fifth position, while op. 40-41 cover ornamentation, double stops, and sixth and seventh
position. Op. 42 is dedicated to techniques needed to realize Calaces concert works, including the duo-
style preludes and various elaborate arpeggios. To say it is advanced would be a monumental
understatement.
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To me, one of the most valuable aspects of the Calace method is the fingering, which is abundant
throughout for both left and right hands. This is especially true in op. 37-39, making volume one a more
essential purchase for the typical CMSA member than volume two. That said, volume one is not for
beginners in my opinion, a fair command of the instrument and good reading ability are necessary to
make steady progress (preferably with a teacher). Volume two is an absolute must for anyone aspiring
to play Calaces concert works, especially the preludes.
The simplest way to purchase copies of volume one or two is from Elderly Instruments in East Lansing,
Michigan, www.elderly.com. Either volume can be bought separately for $25.00, or as a two-volume
set at a discount ($45.00), plus shipping and handling.