Music for Mandora

This CD presents the Mandora, an 18th century member of the lute family, distinguished by its 6 courses and tuning in fourths, ranging 2 octaves. The mandora and its music were cultivated primarily in South Germany and in the neighboring Donau-region of the Habsburg Empire. This new recording presents music especially written for mandora by Giuseppe Brescianello and Two suites from an anonymous composer, the manuscripts of which were found in the archive of an Hungarian monastery. Gabor Tokódi is one of the leading lutenists of his native Hungary, active in the field of early music both as soloist and member of period instrument ensembles. His aim is to preserve the sound of the mandora, a nearly forgotten instrument which deserves its place in music history. The scholarly liner notes were written by Dieter Kirsch.