Finally, nearly halfway through the book, Captain Correlli's mandolin makes her first appearance. A member of the lute family, the mandolin is plucked or strummed. Many different sizes and styles of mandolin are found across the world. Later, Correlli reveals that his mandolin is a roundback from Naples.
A plectrum is a small piece of bone or metal used to pluck the strings.
Page 182.
" This capricious beast had been trained to caracole "
A caracole is a half turn to left or right on a horse. It was developed in the 16th century to enable cavalrymen to use pistols. In ranks, they would turn to one side to fire one pistol, then turn to the other to fire the second.
Page 185.
" Not just Vivaldi and Hummel, but even Beethoven "
Ellinikos Laïkos Apeleftherotikos Stratos ( ELAS : the National Popular Liberation Army) began operations against Italian and German forces on 7 th June, 1942. Led by Athanasios Klaras, who called himself Aris Velouchiotis , ELAS was a communist organisation which quickly grew in strength and popularity, achieving a force of over 60,000 partisans.
A Mandolin - Credit: Henrik Sendelbach
Caracole
Aris Velouchiotis - Credit: PIAZZA del POPOLO, Flickr