Raffaele Calace

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raffaele Calace, pictured here with a Liuto Cantabile.

Raffaele Calace (* 1863 in Naples ; † 1934 ) was an Italian mandolin player, composer and instrument maker.

Live and act

He was born in Naples, Italy, the second son of Antonio Calace, a successful instrument maker. Raffaele was initially trained as a musician. At the same time he discovered the musical possibilities of the mandolin and soon he became an incomparable mandolin virtuoso. After studying at the “Regio Conservatorio di Musica” in Naples, which he graduated with the highest honors, his main goal was to give the mandolin a complete and honorable place in music. To achieve this he toured Europe and Japan and gave countless concerts on the Neapolitan mandolin and the mandoloncello . It is believed that the bass variant of the mandolin family was first perfected by the famous Neapolitan violin makers of the Vinaccia family in the last decade of the 19th century and by Raffaele Calace himself. He made three long-playing records on which he can be heard as one of the greatest virtuosos on the mandoloncello.

Raffaele Calace wrote over 200 compositions that are among the most beautiful and technically demanding works for mandolin: works for mandolin solo or compositions for mandolin in combination with other instruments. Duets with piano; Trio combinations with mandola and guitar; romantic mandolin quartets (2 mandolins, mandola and guitar); Quintets and concerts for mandolin solo with orchestra etc.

Calace also wrote educational works for mandolin and mandoloncello. The "Schule für Mandolin" was published in 1910, the German edition in 1922.

Raffaele Calace and his brother Nicola Calace (1859–1923), in addition to their work as musicians, introduced improvements to the construction technology of the instruments and modernized the Neapolitan mandolin. When Nicola Calace emigrated to the USA in 1898, Raffaele continued the workshop with his daughter Maria, a gifted mandolin player, and his son Giuseppe Calace (1899–1968). Today the workshop is run by his grandson Raffaele Calace Jr.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.calace.it/
  2. ↑ http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~mandolin/collect/sp_d.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.mandolinen.at/index.php?id=124
  4. ↑ http://www.klassika.info/Komponisten/Calace_R/wv_gattung.html
  5. ↑ http://www.mandoisland.de/bilder/schulen/calace.html
  6. ↑ http://www.mandolincafe.com/news/publish/mandolins_001316.shtml
  7. ↑ http://www.siccas.de/category/news/
personal data
SURNAME Calace, Raffaele
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian mandolin player and composer
DATE OF BIRTH 1863
PLACE OF BIRTH Naples
DATE OF DEATH 1934