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2. Repertoire

            Mandolins are essentially the plucked-string equivalent of violins, but their sound is quite different and unique;  it is delicate, enchanting and nostalgic.  The sound of mandolins has been aptly described as "comfort food for the ears" and it appeals to everyone.        
            The Nonesuch Trio plays an eclectic potpourri of compositions arranged or transcribed for the trio's particular configuration of two mandolins and a classical guitar.  Mandolin music was very popular in the U.S. at the beginning of the last century, and literally hundreds (and probably thousands) of beautiful melodies were written for mandolin by Italian and American composers, many of whom are, unfortunately, now obscure and not well known outside of mandolin circles.  A great many of these pieces were actually written for two mandolins and guitar, and Nonesuch Trio performances always include one or two examples of this type of popular music. 
 
           But such pieces make up only a part of the trio's repertoire.  The majority of their music is classical in nature and includes a few compositions specifically for mandolin by other, more famous classical composers.  For example, Mozart penned a couple of beautiful lieder for vocalist and mandolin accompaniment.  These songs are in the trio's repertoire, with the vocal part being played instead of sung.
            By necessity, many of the classical pieces the trio plays are arrangements--a sizable number done by trio members themselves--of familiar pieces by other classical composers such as Handel, Bizet, Schubert and Johann Strauss Jr., to name a few.  These include adaptations of music originally composed for piano, for guitar, for string ensembles and even for orchestras.  In addition, the trio's guitarist, Jeff Doll, has composed several beautiful pieces for the Nonesuch Trio.
            The trio rounds out its repertoire with arrangements and adaptations of other pieces which may not be well known but which are nevertheless beautiful and well suited for this particular combination of instruments.  These include a wide assortment of rags and concert dances such as waltzes, polkas, tangos, gavottes, mazurkas and minuets. 
            The trio does not do any vocal music;  their repertoire is strictly instrumental.  Laura's Italian bowlback mandolin, which has a bright and ringing sound, combines with Jim's deeper-toned and more mellow-sounding American mandolin to produce a rich and pleasing spectrum of sound overall.  It is very interesting to hear the distinctly different sounds of two instruments that are nominally both mandolins but which are of radically different construction.
            To add a little variation to their repertoire and to their sound, the trio has also chosen several pieces that feature different instruments such as the mandola, the 12-string guitar, the acoustic bass guitar, the balalaika and the recorder.