Mandolin: interesting facts, videos, history, photos, listen. "The Old Man and the Sea": the Philosophical Meaning of the Novel, the Strength of the Old Man's Character Old Italian Mandolins

School work Based on the story by E. Hemingway “The Old Man and the Sea”. Hemingway is one of the most popular writers of the 20th century. During his lifetime, he became a legendary man. The writer Hemingway was a journalist, war correspondent for five wars. It is interesting that Hemingway was known to those who were never familiar with his work, in our country in many houses you could see a photo of a bearded man with a high forehead and a clear look: it was Ernest Hemingway at the zenith of his fame. “The Old Man and the Sea” is a story for which the writer received the Nobel Prize in 1953. She made a world revolution in literature. The story, at first glance, is very simple - the parable of the fisherman Santiago. But under the pen of Hemingway, she turned into a real masterpiece

Which has a definite long life. The main character of the story is the old fisherman Santiago - a poor, lonely man. He lived in a hut built of palm letters, there was a table, a chair and an earthen fire in it. However, the old man's life was not so miserable. Dreams sent to him, in which he sees his homeland, its “golden shores, high white mountains”.

The fate of Santiago is closely tied to the sea, which provides him with a modest existence. But the sea gives nothing away. It takes hard and hard work to survive. Year after year, an old man's life flows between sea and coast. Many trials fell on him a particle, but the heart of Santiago is always open to the inhabitants of the sea - living beings who, like him, are a slice of the vast world. It is clear that if it were not for the fierce struggle for existence, there would be no need to destroy the fish, extracting it for food

But the old one always thought of the sea, as a living creature capable of both calming down and getting excited. The next test has already been prepared for the fisherman by the native sea element. Santiago has to struggle for a long time with a huge fish that got on his hook. It is the struggle of the old fisherman with a huge fish that is, in my opinion, the main idea of ​​the story. It was then that we saw Santiago in all the greatness of his simple soul: “Man was not created to suffer defeat. A person can be destroyed, but not defeated. ” In reality, such courage does not bring happiness to a person: the sharks ate the fish, and the lonely feat left old man Santiago only feelings of fatigue, crippled hands and a deep sleep by the next day, when he again needed to go out to sea for another fishing trip. Santiago cannot be considered an individualist who is secluded in his wisdom and courage. While fishing, the old one often mentions his little friend - Mandolin, a boy whom he taught fishing, and indeed had a lot in common with him. The old man wanted Mandolin to always be by his side, and when the tired fisherman slept after the battle with the sea, the boy was a bailout.

Mandolin's presence in the life of an old man somehow brightened up loneliness. One of the main problems that Ernest Hemingway solves was the problem of happiness in the context of the search for the meaning of life. Santiago is a pessimist who has no illusions, and if happiness were sold, maybe he would have bought it, but for which money, by which amount it will be measured, in what currency? It can be understood that the same point of view is present in Hemingway's present. Indeed, the writer was unable to free himself from the web of contradictions of being and committed suicide. Or can it be considered the loss of the legendary man - Ernest Hemingway? In my opinion, the writer acted like an individualist

Nobel Prize in the field literature is awarded to those who, in their work, have achieved an exceptional understanding of humanity and the world. Who knows how much new we will discover, rereading the story of Ernest Hemingway “The Old Man and the Sea”.

Ernest Hemingway's story was written in 1952, and since then has caused constant controversy over the interpretation of the main meaning of the work. The complexity of the interpretation lies in the fact that the story pays equal attention to the motives of the suffering and loneliness of a person and the victory of the heroic principle in him.

But these topics are extremely important in the life of every person. The genius of the writer lies in the fact that he shows these topics as two sides of the same coin, and the key point of the story is that Hemingway allows the reader to choose which side to look at. Exactly this can be called the creative philosophy of Hemingway- the inconsistency and duality of his works. And "The Old Man and the Sea" is called the most vivid and amazing story of the writer.

Images from the story "The Old Man and the Sea"

First of all, it is worth paying attention to the main character in the story - to the old man Santiago, who suffers constant failures throughout the story. The sail of his boat is old and incompetent, and the hero himself is an old man exhausted by life with cheerful eyes. Through the eyes of a person who doesn't give up. This is the philosophical symbolism of the story. When the reader observes how the old man fights with the fish, in the actions and words of the protagonist he sees the fatalism of man's eternal struggle... Santiago strains all his strength and, in spite of everything, continues the fight, at the end of which he wins. It is in this moment that one of the main philosophical ideas of the work is revealed, which is that "a person can be destroyed, but he cannot be defeated."

Old Man's Strength of Character

With a duel between old Santiago and the big fish, Hemingway draws our attention to the true nature of the human soul and the meaning of human life. The symbolic struggle of Santiago's personality continues when sharks attack his fish. The hero does not despair, does not give up, and despite fatigue and exhaustion, he continues to fight, to defend what he has gained with such great work. Neither the wounds on his hands nor the broken knife prevent him from doing this. And at the moment when it becomes obvious that Santiago was unable to save the fish, a key symbol of the writer's philosophy is revealed. The hero did not save the fish, but the hero did not lose, because - he fought to the last.

The exhausted and weakened hero still returns to the port, where the boy is waiting for him. Hemingway shows us the old man as a winner and reveals the strength of his character. After all, the image of Santiago has absorbed the features of a real hero, a man who never betrays himself and his principles. The idea of ​​the writer was to show the philosophical side of the principles of human existence, and he does this using the example of a single character and his attitude to life.

The meaning of human life in the story

This story lacks a tragic ending; the ending can be called completely open to the imagination of readers. This is the overwhelming power of Hemingway's philosophy; it provides us with the opportunity to independently sum up the moral outcome of the story. Santiago's personality is a symbol of the strength of the heroic principle in a person and a symbol of real human victory, which does not depend on circumstances and events. Using this image, the writer reveals the meaning of human life, which can be called a struggle. The main character is indestructible, thanks to the strength of his character, spirit and life positions, it is these inner qualities that help him win, despite old age, loss of physical strength and unfavorable circumstances.

A poor country boy named Manolin is one of the protagonists of Ernest Hemingway's story The Old Man and the Sea. He continues the work of his teacher Santiago, a symbol of the fact that the skill of the old fisherman is not destined to go to waste.

Manolin is very kind and helpful. The boy treats Santiago with great tenderness and love, who taught him everything he now knows about fishing.
Manolin tries to help the old man in everything: he takes care of him, brings coffee, catches sardines for bait, looks after the old man's tackle. In their free time, friends often drink beer at a restaurant on the Terrace and talk a lot about baseball, about their favorite player Joe DiMaggio and just about everything.

Manolin first set sail with Santiago at the age of five. That time he almost died when the old man "dragged a still living fish into the boat" and it beat with its tail so desperately that it almost smashed the ship to smithereens. Despite the fact that the first experience of acquaintance with the craft of a fisherman was unsuccessful, the boy still did not lose his desire to master this art.

Now Manolin is already good at fishing and brings a good catch when he goes sailing on a happy ship. In addition, he is very hardy and smart beyond his years. Early ascents and outings to the sea before dawn do not frighten him, since Manolin realizes that this is his "male share".

The boy's parents have recently begun to prohibit him from fishing with Santiago, because they consider the fisherman salao, that is, unlucky. Manolin, despite their prohibitions, still strives to be close to his friend. He is the only one of all the locals and other fishermen who believes in Santiago and never doubts him and his skill: “There are many good fishermen in the world, and there are also just wonderful ones. But there are no people like you anywhere. "

The strings are touched by the player, mainly with a pick, as well as fingers and a bird's feather. The mandolin uses the tremolo technique. Since the metal strings of the mandolin emit a short sound, long notes are achieved by rapidly repeating the same sound.

History

The progenitor for the mandolin was the Italian soprano lute of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The strongly curved version of the mandolin, which was made only in Naples, became the model for mandolins already in the 19th century. The history of the mandolin began with the mandola, a type of lute that appeared in the 14th century. As the instrument spread throughout Europe, many different names were coined for it, and its structural characteristics varied from country to country.

The first mention of the modern version of the steel-stringed mandolin ("Genoese mandolin") comes from the works of famous Italian musicians who traveled throughout Europe, taught to play musical instruments and gave concerts. The most significant mention belongs to Gervasio Vinacia, who traveled from the middle of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century. These references and records of the Vinaccia family of Neapolitan musicians lead some historians to assert that the modern mandolin was invented in Naples by the Vinaccia family. A later version of the mandolin was designed by Antonio Vinacia in. Now this copy is in London, in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Another copy of the mandolin belonged to Giuseppe Vinaccia and was designed in, and is now in the Museum of Musical Instruments in Claremont, California. The earliest extant mandolin was made in 1744 and can be found at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

These mandolins, like their modern descendants, are called Neapolitan mandolins because their story begins in Naples, Italy. Ancient mandolins are distinguished by an amygdala with a body curved like a ball, made of curved boards (rivets) of the required length with a notch (groove). The top of the instrument has a fold that is located behind the movable stand. This beveled design helps to tighten the strings. The larch neck is fitted as close to the strings as possible, ten metal (or ivory) frets are located along the top in semitones, additional frets are attached to the neck. The strings are usually brass, except for the lowest ones. The stand is made of durable wood or ivory. Wooden pegs are attached at the back with wooden nails (pegs). For playing the mandolin, a plectrum (sometimes a feather) is often used.

The classical Neapolitan mandolin (sometimes referred to as "onion" in the Russian musical tradition) acquired its present form at the end of the 19th century. It is distinguished from the old mandolin by a slightly changed shape, a fretboard that fits onto the soundboard, and sometimes overlaps the resonator hole, metal pegs with a worm gear and steel strings. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Neapolitan mandolin became very popular. Instruments are produced by tens of thousands, both by individual craftsmen and by large manufactories, not only in Naples, but also in other cities of Italy, as well as in Germany, France and other countries. Recessed rivets are less and less frequently used in tool bodies, giving way to non-recessed rivets (smooth body tools) as a cheaper and less labor intensive alternative. During this period, a large number of experiments in the field of mandolin construction took place. In the USA, Orville Gibson patented a mandolin with arched soundboards (carved out of wood, like a violin), in France, Lucien Gelas creates a mandolin with reverse string tension (in a regular mandolin, the strings put pressure on the movable stand and the soundboard, in the Gelas design, on the contrary, the strings are pulled fixed rigidly stand from the deck), in Italy Umberto Ceccherini, and in Russia Ginislao Paris are developing instruments with a double top deck, which enhances the timbre and improves the color of the instrument's sound.

By the 30s of the 20th century, the popularity of the Neapolitan mandolin in the world is declining. But at the same time, the mandolin is not of a classical design, with arched and flat decks, it begins to be actively used in such areas of music as bluegrass, Celtic music, and jazz.

The renaissance of the mandolin as a classical instrument in the world begins in the 80s of the 20th century. In Russia, in recent years, there has also been a revival of the culture of the classical and baroque mandolin, the instrument is taught in some music schools, colleges, conservatories.

Varieties

The most common is the Neapolitan mandolin, with four double strings in a violin tune, built in unison. Violin fingering. Milanese mandolin has not four, but five double strings. There is also mandriola, a Central European version of the mandolin with four triple strings, also known as tricordia (tricordia, trichordia or tricordio), also used in Mexican folk music (aka Sicilian mandolin). The lower triple string of the mandriola (G, G) can build in unison or every octave. Sometimes the bass strings of a mandriola are not built, but doubled, like a regular mandolin.

This is how the famous Russian writer Vladimir Ivanovich Dal describes the mandolin in his "Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language": "Mandolin is a kind of guitar without an interception, which is played with a bone or a feather." Mandolins differ not only in the number of strings, but also in the shape of the body: the Neapolitan mandolin has a pear-shaped body, like a lute; the Portuguese mandolin has a flat back. In the twentieth century, mandolin has become widespread in American traditional music, mainly in the bluegrass style. Bluegrass mandolins have flat decks, and the top has two elongated S-shaped f-holes. It should be noted that mandolins with pear-shaped "lute" bodies have a softer and stronger sound, and flat varieties sound sharper.

Other members of the mandolin family:

Mandolin piccolo(or small mandolin, Italian sopranino mandolina or piccolo mandolina) is a rare instrument. Scale is usually 9.5 inches (240 mm). Build - C 4 –G 4 –D 5 –A 5.

At present, interest in mandolin is growing again and its capabilities are increasingly being used in a number of genres of contemporary music. It was used by Led Zeppelin in The Battle of Evermore (1971), Styx in Boat on the River (1980) in the song Losing My Religion by the alternative rock band R.E.M. the main musical instrument is the mandolin. Mandolin is actively used

We watched today once again the very first Soviet film with combined filming "Old Man Hottabych".
It became interesting to know how the fate of the ideological pioneer Volka ibn Alyosha, played by Alexei Litvinov in 1956, developed. At that time he was 12 years old.
It turned out to be very unexpected, especially how the actor lives now and how the shooting was going.

Alexey was born in the Voronezh region on March 24, 1944 in the evacuation.
Then the pregnant mother was taken out of the besieged Leningrad along the Road of Life.
They lived for a year in the Voronezh region, then returned to Leningrad.
Grew up without a father - he disappeared during the war years.
Litvinov was finishing the fifth grade when the director's assistants came to their school, which was located next to the Lenfilm studio.
Several boys were selected and invited to screen tests. However, Alyosha Litvinov ... did not pass them.
And a month later he was still invited to the shooting.
Mom was very happy that he was taken to act in films.
Moreover, it was also a great financial aid at that time.
Alyosha was paid a thousand rubles a month.

In life, he was a brunette.
And so that in the frame they did not look like brothers with his dark-haired cinematic friend Zhenya, the director decided to repaint Volka with hydrogen peroxide.
The boy agreed, but then he was very sorry: it was very painful when the whole head was smeared with perhydrol and put under a hairdryer for an hour. And so every week.
After filming ended, his hair grew back and darkened, so no one recognized him.
Little Lyosha was upset by this.

And to perform this trick, he had to hang from the ceiling for hours.

The film was filmed in Odessa, the boy actors were hooligans as best they could.
During the filming, they were twice caught by the police.
The first time - for free travel on the funicular, the second, that they threw chestnuts at passers-by.
But on the set, discipline was an iron discipline, no concessions were given to children.

Now Alexey Litvinov is retired, working as an electrician after being laid off on the railroad.
In the summer he lives in the suburbs of St. Petersburg in his own house.
Grows cucumbers and stokes the stove.

Volka was the most memorable film role.
Although, he also starred in four films after that.
Alexey Alexandrovich is glad that he starred in such a good film, there are no such ones now.
And he hopes that he is still remembered.

photo from open sources

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