A Mandolin Trio Playing a Tune for Pipe Organ by Brian Ebie

A Mandolin Trio

by Brian Ebie

Organist and composer Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901) composed a series of Trios for pipe organ.  I've always found Trio 1 in G Minor to be among the most beautiful of the set with it's aria-like melody and beautiful left hand counter melody.  Several months ago I was noodling around on my mandolin and started playing the melody for the Trio 1 in G Minor.  I realized just how beautiful it could be when it was played on mandolin.  Soon thereafter I thought that if the melody sounded that good on mandolin, it would be a good fit for the three voices of the mandolin family--mandolin, mandola, and mandocello. 

The mandolin family, like the violin family, has all of the voices of a choir--soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.  Violin--Mandolin. Viola--Mandola.  Cello--Mandocello.  Bass Viol--Mandobass.  The instrument tunings correspond as well. 

Using the Acapella app for iPhone, published by Mixcord, Inc., I was able to record each of the three parts of the organ trio on the mandolin, mandola, and mandocello.  Acapella is a mobile app that allows users to layer different videos together in a single layout. It is meant to be an easy way for people to create a cappella videos, but both singers and musicians can enjoy creating music with the app. 

It was easy to record using the Acapella app.  I picked the screen layout I wanted from within the app.  I laid down the first track, in which I played the melody on a mandolin.  To record the second track on mandola, I used my earphones and the app plays back your first recording, along with a countdown screen to the beginning of the recording.  This helps you really play in sync with your original track.  I followed the same steps for the final step on mandocello.  There are onboard mixers and filters as well as a graphic equalizer, giving the user control over each track in terms of volume, reverb, pitch, and so forth. 

In conclusion, I enjoyed my first experience using the Acapella app from Mixcord.  Everything worked very well and it was fun to create a mandolin trio where I could count on the other two musicians!!

Thanks for watching!

Brian Ebie



Bach Fantasia In C Major BWV 570 -- Brian Ebie Organist

Organist Brian Ebie plays Johann Sebastian Bach's Fantasia in C Major BWV 570 on the 1974 Rudolf JANKE tracker pipe organ at the United Methodist Church of Berea, Ohio. Recorded Ash Wednesday 2016.

The Fantasia in C is an early organ work of JS Bach.  It is composed as a standalone piece, not coupled with a fugue or any other movements which is somewhat unusual for Bach, who wrote many preludes and fugues, toccatas and fugues, and fantasias and fugues.  That being said, in his earlier years he did compose individual organ works not tied to a larger structure, such as the Fugue in G Minor ("Little Fugue") BWV 578.  The Fantasia in C Major (as well as the aforementioned "little" fugue) was written around 1706-07 while Bach was serving as organist in the town of Arnstadt, or during a brief stay in the city Muhlhausen.

I hope you enjoy my impromptu performance on the Janke pipe organ, recorded during the Ash Wednesday services.  Thank you for watching!