![Lachenal English concertina](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Lachenal_English_concertina.jpg)
The English concertina is a member of the
concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front.
The ...
family of free-reed musical instruments. Invented in England in 1829, it was the first instrument of what would become the concertina family.
It is a fully
chromatic
Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize scales, and are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair, ...
instrument, having buttons in a rectangular arrangement of four staggered rows; its buttons are
unisonoric, producing the same note on both the push and pull of the bellows. It differs from other concertinas in that the scale is divided evenly between the two hands, such that playing a scale involves both hands alternately playing each note in sequence.
History
The invention of the instrument is credited to
Sir Charles Wheatstone
Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS FRSE DCL LLD (6 February 1802 – 19 October 1875), was an English scientist and inventor of many scientific breakthroughs of the Victorian era, including the English concertina, the stereoscope (a device for di ...
; his earliest patent of a like instrument was granted 19 December 1829, No 5803 in Great Britain.
The English concertina was initially used for playing classical music, virtuosic solos, and
chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
. By the 1860s-1870s, the English concertina grew more popular in the
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
tradition.
The evangelical
Salvation Army
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
adopted all systems of the concertina as a more portable and flexible alternative to brass instruments, and published a number of tutor books showing the complexity and range of the music they played on the English system.
Folk music
England
In the
English Folk Revival of the 1960s, though the English concertina had been more an
art music
Art music (alternatively called classical music, cultivated music, serious music, and canonic music) is music considered to be of high phonoaesthetic value. It typically implies advanced structural and theoretical considerationsJacques Siron, ...
instrument, it became popular with British folk musicians.
has suggested that the mere presence of 'English' in the name attracted some of the revival's demographic; however the instrument's versatility and portability were also important as factors in the instrument's adoption.
[The concertina as an emblem of the folk music revival in the British Isles](_blank)
Stuart Eydmann concertina.com 2005. Alf Edwards was a regular accompanist to both
A. L. Lloyd and
Ewan MacColl
James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as one of the ...
, and taught the instrument to
Peggy Seeger
Margaret "Peggy" Seeger (born June 17, 1935) is an American Folk music, folk singer. She has lived in Britain for more than 60 years, and was married to the singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl until his death in 1989.
First American period
Seeg ...
. His virtuosic and reliable playing was a key element in the adoption of the English concertina by the English folk revival, featuring prominently on influential records such as
The Iron Muse
: ''A book of poetry of the same name by John Curtis Underwood was published in 1910 by G. P. Putnam's Sons as The Knickerbocker Press.''
''The Iron Muse (A Panorama of Industrial Folk Song)'' is the title of two albums released by Topic Records, ...
and on the
Radio Ballads The radio ballad is an audio documentary format created by Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger, and Charles Parker in 1958. It combines four elements of sound: songs, instrumental music, sound effects, and, most importantly, the recorded voices of those w ...
.
Later in the 1960s
Alistair Anderson
The High Level Ranters are a Northumbrian traditional musical group founded in 1964, best known for being one of the first bands in the revival of the Northumbrian smallpipes.
Name and history
The name was chosen as a combination of the locat ...
became known for interpreting the traditional dance music of Britain, particularly that of
Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
.
The English concertina has a strong representation amongst amateur players of English folk music; modern nationally known folk performers on the English concertina include Robert Harbron,
Sandra Kerr
Sandra Kerr (born 14 February 1942, Plaistow, Essex) is an English folk singer.
Kerr sings and plays English concertina, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp. She was a member of The Critics Group from 1963–1972. With John Faulkner, she ...
, Graham Kennett, and the Scottish musician
Simon Thoumire
Simon Thoumire is a Scottish musician and an English concertina virtuoso.
Thoumire has played all over the world. A winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Tradition Award in 1989,Irish traditional music
Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland.
In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there w ...
– significantly less than the
Anglo concertina
The Anglo or Anglo-German concertina is a member of the concertina family of free-reed instruments.
History
The Anglo originated as a hybrid between the English and German concertinas. The button layouts are generally the same as the original 2 ...
.
Rick Epping Rick Epping is a California-born musician who has immersed himself in American old-time and Irish traditional music since the 1960s. He is a player of the harmonica, concertina, banjo and jaw harp.
During the 1970s he lived in Ireland where he stu ...
plays Irish music on the
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
whilst accompanying himself on English concertina.
South Africa
Although the
Boeremusiek Boeremusiek (Afrikaans: ‘Boer music’) is a type of South African instrumental folk music. Its original intent was to be an accompaniment to social dancing at parties and festivals.
History
Boeremusiek is originally European, but once it was br ...
of the
Afrikaner
Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...
people of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
was predominantly played on the
Anglo concertina
The Anglo or Anglo-German concertina is a member of the concertina family of free-reed instruments.
History
The Anglo originated as a hybrid between the English and German concertinas. The button layouts are generally the same as the original 2 ...
, English system players were also recorded.
References in
Boeremusiek Boeremusiek (Afrikaans: ‘Boer music’) is a type of South African instrumental folk music. Its original intent was to be an accompaniment to social dancing at parties and festivals.
History
Boeremusiek is originally European, but once it was br ...
to the "4-ry" (four row) concertina refer to the English system. Boer musicians used the actual word "English" to mean Anglo system instruments made by English firms such as
Lachenal & Co. and Wheatstone (and, less frequently, English and Duet system instruments made by those English companies).
Latin America
While it was primarily the
bandoneon
The bandoneon (or bandonion, es, bandoneón) is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, the bandoneon is held bet ...
concertina which achieved success in South America, the English concertina gained some popularity in Bolivia, particularly in the
Cochabamba
Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa; qu, Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 63 ...
region. It is theorized the instrument may have been brought there by foreign technicians working on the
Bolivian Railway
The Bolivian rail network has had a peculiar development throughout its history.
History
Gauges
All railways in Bolivia are now Metre gauge. The Antofagasta to Uyuni line was originally gauge.
Maps
File:Railway map of Bolivia 1942 ...
or the
Patiño Patiño or Patino is a surname of Hispanic origin. The name refers to:
From Bolivia
*Simón Iturri Patiño (1862–1947), Bolivian tycoon (industrialist and mine owner) ranked among the five richest men in the world
*Antenor Patiño (1896–1982), ...
mines.
Play
![The Anglo-German concertina and the English concertina](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/The_Anglo-German_concertina_and_the_English_concertina.jpg)
The English concertina is typically held by placing the thumbs through thumb straps and the little fingers on metal finger rests, leaving three fingers free for playing. Many players also intermittently or continuously use the little finger to play notes, thus playing with all four fingers and relying upon the thumb straps to support the instrument.
Heavier and larger instruments were often fitted with wrist straps and/or a neck sling to further support the weight of the instrument.
The two innermost rows of the layout constitute a diatonic C
major scale
The major scale (or Ionian mode) is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music. It is one of the diatonic scales. Like many musical scales, it is made up of seven notes: the eighth duplicates the first at double i ...
, distributed alternately between the two sides of the instrument. Thus in a given range, C-E-G-B-d is on one side, D-F-A-c-e on the other. The two outer rows consist of the sharps and flats required to complete the chromatic scale. This distribution of scale notes between sides facilitates rapid melodic play.
English-system treble and tenor-treble concertinas usually span 3 1/2 or 4 octaves. Baritones are similar, but transpose down one octave. Bass concertinas transpose two octaves down, Contrabass Concertinas 3 Octaves down and piccolo concertinas play one octave up.
The standard keyboard arrangement across treble, baritone and bass instruments has middle C on the button nearest the player on the second row of the left hand keyboard; tenor instruments may have that position button as the F below middle C.
Tenor, baritone and bass concertinas often have an air valve in the position that would otherwise be occupied by the instrument's highest note. The air button is an essential feature of many bass concertinas which only have reeds to sound on the push bellows direction, due to the increased size of the reeds.
Performers and repertoire
Giulio Regondi
Giulio Regondi (1822 – 6 May 1872) was a Swiss-born classical guitarist, concertinist and composer active in France and (mainly) the United Kingdom.
Regondi was born of a German mother and an Italian father in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1831 Fe ...
was a virtuoso performer and composer on this instrument as well as the guitar, and helped to popularize the instrument during the 19th century.
In the classical style of Regondi, the little finger is used as well as the other three fingers, and the metal finger rests are used only very occasionally. This allows all eight fingers to simultaneously play the instrument so large chords are possible. In pieces such as the
Bernhard Molique
Bernhard Molique (''Wilhelm Bernhard Molique;'' 7 October 180210 May 1869) was a German violinist and composer.
Biography
He was born in Nuremberg. His father was a musician and the boy studied various instruments, but finally devoted himself to ...
''Concerto No 1 in G for concertina and orchestra'', or
Percy Grainger
Percy Aldridge Grainger (born George Percy Grainger; 8 July 188220 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who lived in the United States from 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long an ...
's ''Shepherd's Hey'', four, five, and six note chords are not uncommon, and would be difficult or impossible to play without using all the fingers.
Allan Atlas, in his book ''The Wheatstone Concertina in Victorian England'' identifies six known concertos written for this instrument.
[Allan Atlas, ''The Wheatstone Concertina in Victorian England'']
References
* Atlas, Allan W. (1996). ''The Wheatstone English Concertina in Victorian England''. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
*
Henry Doktorski
Henry Doktorski III (born January 30, 1956) is an American accordionist, organist and author. He has performed on accordion with cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, violinists Gil Shaham and Itzhak Perlman during concerts and recording sessions with ...
(1998)
''The Classical Concertina''* Eydmann, Stuart (2005)
Chapter 5: The English Concertina: Instrument of the Victorian Middle Classes. Concertina.com
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Concertina
English musical instruments