2 Demian's accordion, "a small box with bellows five keys, each capable of producing a chord." 3 The new instrument - hence the name of the instrument - then stimulated innovations among the manufacturers later, with the new instrument in circulation, improvements were not long in coming.
xixThe company's growth and consolidation as an instrument with a worldwide presence.Īlthough Viennese organ and piano maker Cyrill Demian was the first to patent this new instrument in 1829, at the same time other European inventors designed their own versions of free reed instruments. This chapter traces the history of the accordion from its humble origins in the early 1900s to the present day. They were adorned with sequins, exquisite wood carvings, decorative stones and some ivory pieces. The most luxurious models also had decorations painstakingly crafted during hundreds of hours of handwork. Early accordions used the best materials of the time: polished ebony wood for the frame and fine goatskin for the bellows. The construction materials also influenced this. Each instrument was handmade, with delicacy, which made it more expensive than a guitar and beyond the reach of most people. During the first decades after its invention in 1800, the accordion was an instrument that was generally found among the upper and middle classes: its buyers were wealthy young people who lived in the city and cared about keeping up to date they were the yuppies of its time. However, it has continually transgressed those cultural references throughout its two hundred years of life. Despite its adaptability, the accordion maintained its image as a migrant instrument and symbol of the working class throughout the 20th century. The author asserts that the instrument's popular appeal was primarily due to "its adaptability and its ability to respond to a wide range of musical demands within the changing cultures" of the New World (Bohlman, 1998: 301-302). In his article on migrant, popular and regional musics of the United States, Philip Bohlman (1998) uses the accordion to show territorial transgressions. Keywords: diatonic button accordion, invention of musical instruments, proletarianization of music production, industrialization, birth of popular music, international migration, Hohner Company. This aticle follows the story of the accordion, from its beginnings in Europe, to the New World, on the other side of the Atlantic. It was also strong and long-lasting, making it ideal for open air events.
Because of this, its use as a "one-man band" made it easier to use among people in popular sectors, due to its ability to produce melodies, harmonies and low-pitched tones at the same time. Commonly known as the "common man's piano," this instrument became a medium for the growth of folkloric music, and very popular in many regions of the world, particularly in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. The accordion and its many variations -from the concertina and the diatonic button accordion, to the hurdy-gurdy and the bandoneon- have flourished and taken roots in several cultures. Keywords: button accordion, Hohner company, industrialization, musical instrument inventions, international migration, birth of popular music, proletarianization of music production the conquests of the accordion.
This article follows the history of the accordion from its beginnings in Europe to the New World, on the other side of the Atlantic. It was also strong and durable, ideal for outdoor gatherings. For that reason, being a "one man band" facilitated its use among the people of the popular sectors, for its ability to produce melodies, harmonies and basses at the same time. Commonly known as "the common man's piano," this instrument became a medium for the growth of folk and popular music in different regions of the world, especially between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The accordion and its many variants - from the concertina and button accordion to the hurdy-gurdy and bandoneon - have flourished and taken root in diverse cultures. She has published several books, Band: Mexican Musical Life across Borders (2001), In Sinaloa I was born: History of Banda Music (2004, coord.), The Accordion in the Americas (2012) and A Latin American Music Reader: Views from the South (2016, coord.) and numerous articles in scientific journals and specialized books on countries such as the United States, Colombia, France, England and Germany. She is Senior Research Associate at the Competence Center for Music Research and Pedagogy, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. * Helena Simonett Originally from Switzerland, she holds a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of California at Los Angeles ( UCLA).