May I add that on the mandora with its hey-days in Bohemia around 1700-1780, octave strings were required on 4th through 6th courses. That way, also baroque guitar music can be played on the mandora. The guitar's re-entrant tuning is, so to say, half-way achieved by the mandora's octave stringing.
In general, I think, octaves serve two purposes. One is, to make the sound brighter and more colourful, which is good for ensemble, or continuo, playing. The other is, to use the upper octave in terms of melody, sometimes just as an incidental effect, sometimes according to regular counterpoint. -- Best wishes, Mathias Mathias Roesel, Grosze Annenstrasze 5, 28199 Bremen, Deutschland/ Germany, T/F +49 - 421 - 165 49 97, Fax +49 1805 060 334 480 67, E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
