Concertina

This article is about the musical instrument. For the

coils of barbed wire named after this instrument, see
Concertina wire. For the Tori Amos song, see Concertina
(song).

A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the

various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows,
and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed,
the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows,
unlike accordion buttons, which travel perpendicularly to
the bellows.
The concertina was developed in England and Germany,
most likely independently. The English version was in-
vented in 1829 by Sir Charles Wheatstone,[1] while Carl
Friedrich Uhlig announced the German version ve years
later, in 1834. Various forms of concertina are used for
classical music, for the traditional musics of Ireland, Eng-
land, and South Africa, and for tango and polka music.

English Concertina disassembled, showing bellows, reedpan and

1 Systems buttons.

The word concertina refers to a family of hand-held
bellows-driven free reed instruments constructed accord-
ing to various systems, which dier in terms of keyboard
layout, and whether individual buttons produce the same
(unisonoric) or dierent (bisonoric) notes with changes
in direction of air pressure.
Because the concertina was developed nearly contem-
poraneously in England and Germany, systems can be
broadly divided into English, Anglo-German, and Ger-
man types. To a player procient in one of these systems,
a concertina of a dierent system may be quite unfamil-
iar.
sides. The English system alternates the notes of the scale
between two hands, enabling rapid melodies. The Duet
system places the low notes on the left hand and high on
the right, facilitating the playing of interlaced harmonies
and melodies.
The English concertina is credited to Sir Charles Wheat-
stone, who rst patented such a design in 1829 in Great
Britain. Wheatstone was also the rst to patent a Duet
concertina, in 1844.[2]
1.2 German concertinas

The German concertinas, developed within Germany it-

1.1 English and Duet concertina self for its local market and diaspora, tend to be larger
than the English or Anglo concertinas. They are gener-
Main article: English concertina ally bisonoric, use a dierent style of long plate reeds,
Main article: Duet concertina and tend to be square rather than hexagonal.[3] Unlike the
English and Anglo, they sometimes have more than one
The English concertina and the Duet concertina bear sim- reed per note, creating a vibrato eect.
ilarities in history and construction. Both systems gener-
ally play a chromatic scale, and are unisonoric, with each
button producing the same note whether the bellows are 1.2.1 Chemnitzer concertina
being pushed or pulled. Both these English-developed in-
struments are smaller than German concertinas, and tend Main article: Chemnitzer concertina
to be hexagonal, though occasionally having 8, 10, or 12

1
2 2 GALLERY

Chemnitzer concertina made by Star Mfg., Cicero, Illinois, USA

in 2000
Bastari 40-button Anglo concertina

Various German concertina systems share common con-

struction features and core button layout. In the United
States, particularly in the Midwest where there are many
German and Central European descendants, the term
concertina often refers to the Chemnitzer concertina.
Chemnitzer concertinas are bisonoric and are closely re-
lated to the bandonen, but with a somewhat dierent
keyboard layout and decorative style, with some mechan-
ical innovations pioneered by German-American instru-
ment builder and inventor Otto Schlicht.[4]:204 A related
variant is the Carlsfelder concertina of C. F. Zimmerman,
unveiled in 1849.[4]:1 and at the 1851 London Industrial
Exposition.[5]
1.2.2 Bandoneon
The Anglo or Anglo-German concertina is, historically,
a hybrid between the English and German concertinas.
The button layouts are generally the same as the origi-
nal 20-button German concertinas designed by Uhlig in
1834, and in a bisonoric system. Within a few years of
its invention, the German concertina was a popular import
in England, Ireland, and North America, due to its ease
of use and relatively low price. English manufacturers
responded to this popularity by oering their own ver-
sions using traditional English methods: concertina reeds
instead of long-plate reeds, independent pivots for each
button, and hexagon-shaped ends, resulting in the mod-
ern Anglo concertina.

Main article: Bandonen

2 Gallery
The bandoneon (also rendered bandonen, bandonion) is
a German concertina system with an original bisonoric
layout devised by Heinrich Band. Although intended as
a substitute for the organ in small churches and chapels,
it was soon secularized and is now associated with tango
music, due to the instruments popularity in Argentina in
the late 19th century when tango developed from var-
ious dance styles in Argentina and Uruguay.[6] Though
the typical bandoneon is bisonoric, the 1920s saw the
The Blind Girl(1856)
development of unisonoric variants such as the Ernst
Kusserow and Charles Peguri systems, both introduced
around 1925.[7]:18[8] Bandoneons typically have more
than one reed per button, dry-tuned with the reeds an oc-
tave apart.[7]:18 stor Piazzolla was one of the most fa-
mous exponents of this instrument.

1.3 Anglo concertina

Main article: Anglo concertina Sailors concertina
3.2 Early 20th century 3

was created. Despite the new standards, the older sys-

tems remained popular into the 20th century.
The concertina was popular throughout the 19th century.
The Salvation Army in England, America, Australia, and
The Anglo concertina and New Zealand commonly used concertinas in their bands,
the bandoneon and other concertina bands and musicians performed in
all parts of the English speaking world. German em-
igrants carried their Chemnizters and bandonions with
them to the United States and Argentina where they were
regionally popular. In England, America, and Australia
3 History the concertina became nearly ubiquitous.

3.2 Early 20th century

In the early 20th century, this popularity rapidly began

to decline. Reasons included growing relative popularity
of the accordion, mass production of other instruments
such as the piano, increasingly chromatic and less tonal
forms of music such as blues and jazz, and the over-
all decline of amateur musical performance due to radio
and the phonograph. By the middle of the century, few
concertina makers remained, and most of those used ac-
German concertina, mid 19th century cordion reeds and inexpensive, unreliable button mecha-
nisms. Yet, the various forms of concertina survived in
some areas: Anglo concertinas in Irish traditional music,
the English and the Anglo in English Morris dancing, the
3.1 19th century Anglo in Africa, among Afrikaners (see Boer music) and
Zulus (who call it a squashbox),[9] the Chemnitzer in
In the mid-1830s concertinas were manufactured and the United States as a polka instrument, and the ban-
sold in Germany and England, in two types specic to donen in Argentina as a prominent part of the tango
the country. Both systems continued to evolve into the tradition. Between World War I and World War II, there
current forms as the popularity of the instrument in- were many concertina and bandonion bands in Germany,
creased. The dierence in prices and the common uses but with the rise of the Nazi regime these musical clubs
of the English and German systems led to something of disappeared.
a class distinction between the two. German or Anglo-
German concertinas were regarded as a lower-class in-
strument, and English concertina had an air of bourgeois
respectability. English concertinas were most popular as 3.3 Folk Revival and present
parlour instruments for classical music, while German
concertinas were more associated with popular dance The folk revival movements of the 1960s led to a mod-
music of the day. est resurgence in the popularity of the concertina, par-
In the 1850s, the Anglo-German concertinas ability to ticularly the Anglo. More recently, concertina popular-
play both melody and accompaniment led English man- ity again seems on the rise, particularly the Anglo in the
ufacturers to start developing the various Duet systems. traditional music of Ireland. Renewed interest in tango
The popular Maccann system were developed towards the since the 1980s has also seen interest in the bandonen
end of the century. Meanwhile, German manufacturers increase.
were producing concertinas with more than 20 buttons for Traditional music playing continues in many parts of the
local sale. Three keyboard systems for German concerti- UK in the 21st century, often using English and Anglo-
nas eventually became popular: Uhligs Chemnitzer sys- system concertinas. Concertinas are mass-produced in
tem, Carl Zimmermans Carlsfeld system, and the Ban- Italy and China, and are produced by individual work-
donions Reinische system. Various German manufac- shops in Europe, South Africa, Australia, and North
turers tried to develop a single unied keyboard system America. Modern-made instruments are in a spectrum
for all German concertinasbut this was only partially of quality and traditionalism, with the most expensive in-
accomplished at the end of the 19th century, when the struments using traditional concertina-type reeds, while
Chemnitzer and Carlsfelder systems merged into the uni- mid-level and inexpensive instruments take advantage of
ed concertina system, and a unied bandonion system the lower price of mass-produced accordion reeds.
4 7 EXTERNAL LINKS

[6] Carlos G. Groppa (30 December 2003). The Tango in the

United States: A History. McFarland. pp. 69. ISBN
978-0-7864-2686-7.

[7] Alejandro Marcelo Drago (2008). Instrumental Tango Id-

ioms in the Symphonic Works and Orchestral Arrangements
of Astor Piazzolla. Performance and Notational Problems:
A Conductors Perspective. ProQuest. ISBN 978-0-549-
78323-7.

[8] Rubn Prez Bugallo (1 January 1993). Catlogo ilustrado

de instrumentos musicales argentinos. Ediciones Del Sol.
pp. 77. ISBN 978-950-9413-49-8.

[9] The Black Concertina Tradition of South Africa. In-

ternational Concertina Association. Papers of the Inter-
national Concertina Association. 2009-12-05. Retrieved
2016-11-27.

6 References
Eydmann, Stuart (2005). The Life and Times of the
Concertina: the adoption and usage of a novel musi-
cal instrument with particular reference to Scotland.
Concertina.com

Worral, Dan (2007). A Brief History of the Anglo

Concertina in the United States. Concertina.com

Dan Michael Worrall (1 January 2009). The Anglo-

Irish historian Gearid hAllmhurin German Concertina: A Social History. Dan Michael
Worrall. pp. 183. ISBN 978-0-9825996-0-0.
4 See also
List of All Ireland concertina champions
7 External links
Category:Composers for concertina "Concertina". Encyclopdia Britannica. 6 (11th
ed.). 1911.
Concertina wire
Concertina.net

Concertina.com
5 Notes
Concertina FAQ
[1] Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Concertina".
Encyclopdia Britannica. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge International Concertina Association
University Press. p. 824.

[2] Giacomo Meyerbeer (1 January 2002). The Diaries of

Giacomo Meyerbeer: The years of celebrity, 1850-1856.
Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. pp. 138. ISBN 978-0-
8386-3844-6.

[3] Helena Simonett (2012). The Accordion in the Americas:

Klezmer, Polka, Tango, Zydeco, and More!. University of
Illinois Press. pp. 247, 316. ISBN 978-0-252-03720-7.

[4] Dan Michael Worrall (1 January 2009). The Anglo-

German Concertina: A Social History. Dan Michael Wor-
rall. ISBN 978-0-9825996-1-7.

[5] Tango: Geschichte und Geschichten. Deutscher Taschen-

buch. 1999. p. 74. ISBN 978-3-423-24182-3.
 5

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text
Concertina Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concertina?oldid=764897003 Contributors: Bryan Derksen, Grouse, PierreAbbat, Pip-
ian, Monkey~enwiki, Bemoeial, Hyacinth, Topbanana, Craig Stuntz, Chris 73, Smjg, Zinnmann, Pgan002, Chepry, D6, Rich Farmbrough,
Bender235, Jpgordon, Sole Soul, Johnkarp, AElfwine, DannyChapman, Ranveig, Echuck215, Theodore Kloba, Dave.Dunford, Gunter,
Woohookitty, Marudubshinki, Devellis, FlaBot, SchuminWeb, RandomSF, Mteson, Svencb, YurikBot, Hairy Dude, Hede2000, Aaron
Walden, Gaius Cornelius, Neil McDermott, Nlu, Curpsbot-unicodify, Stepa, Verne Equinox, Hmains, DocKrin, Colonies Chris, Jpascher,
OrphanBot, Just plain Bill, Moshe Rubin, Argotechnica, Beetstra, Courcelles, Jedudedek, AndrewHowse, Vlad2000Plus, Ssilvers, NDCom-
puGeek, Thijs!bot, Lamontacranston, JAnDbot, ZPM, Vintagekits, Jerome Kohl, WhatamIdoing, JMyrleFuller, JaGa, STBot, Commons-
Delinker, JeLe, Tomer T, Ottojas, Rhiconich, Yorkist, Spinningspark, GirasoleDE, SieBot, Chiroeurope, Nopetro, Accordion Noir,
PMDrive1061, BBKoVI, Boogiewoogiegetdowntown, Wntrmute, Polly, EricTheOrange, Pittsburghgentleman, EricTheBeige, XLinkBot,
Yunuswesley, Tetopa, MatthewVanitas, Addbot, Chzz, Tassedethe, Lightbot, MusicalAds, Legobot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Necrocomicon,
AnomieBOT, Adeliine, Materialscientist, Accordionmagic, Bob Burkhardt, Stevenarntson, Xqbot, Sneakyb, GrouchoBot, Samwb123,
Gene-va, PigFlu Oink, Symplectic Map, Rock Chidley, Acs272, Diannaa, Fleetingdays, EmausBot, Drakosh, Dewritech, Nkgibbs, PBS-
AWB, RaptureBot, J.WILL777, Scotland-inch, BG19bot, BattyBot, Khazar2, Vanished user sdij4rtltkjasdk3, , Ryk72, Dylan-
Keener101, DivermanAU, Bender the Bot and Anonymous: 91

8.2 Images
File:2rowearlygermanconcertina.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/2rowearlygermanconcertina.png
License: Public domain Contributors: New and Complete Method (or Self-Instructor) for Playing the German Concertinas. London: C.
Coule Original artist: C. Coule
File:30_button_Anglo_concertina_&_bandoneon.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/30_button_
Anglo_concertina_%26_bandoneon.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist:
File:Anglo-concertina-40button.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Anglo-concertina-40button.jpg
License: Public domain Contributors: Own work (Own Photo) Original artist: Wiki Taro
File:Britannica_Oboe_Discant_Schalmey.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Britannica_Oboe_
Discant_Schalmey.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Encyclopdia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. 19, p. 951 Original artist: Kathleen
Schlesinger
File:Chemnitzer_Concertina_Star_Old_Timer.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Chemnitzer_
Concertina_Star_Old_Timer.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons. Original artist:
Theodore Kloba at English Wikipedia
File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: PD Contributors: ? Origi-
nal artist: ?
File:Gearoid_Kells_concertina-cut.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Gearoid_Kells_
concertina-cut.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: IrishHist
File:Millais-Blind_Girl.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Millais-Blind_Girl.jpg License: Public do-
main Contributors: Unknown Original artist: John Everett Millais
File:Sailor{}s_Hornpipe_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1255353.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Sailor%
27s_Hornpipe_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1255353.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: From geograph.org.uk Original artist: Peter Trim-
ming
File:Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Text_document_
with_red_question_mark.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Created by bdesham with Inkscape; based upon Text-x-generic.svg
from the Tango project. Original artist: Benjamin D. Esham (bdesham)
File:Wheatstone_English_Concertina.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Wheatstone_English_
Concertina.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons. Original artist: The original uploader
was DannyChapman at English Wikipedia
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English_Concertina_Dismantled.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons. Original artist:
The original uploader was Neil McDermott at English Wikipedia

8.3 Content license

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