Accordion

From zydeco groups in the American south to polka bands in the Canadian prairies, from merengue to klezmer music, you are sure to hear an accordion in almost every town in North America. In fact, these enduringly popular instruments are used in almost every continent. In Russia, the accordion is called the "bayan"; in Norway the "trekspill"; and in Italy, the "fisarmonica."

Accordions can trace their ancestry to Asian and African societies dating back at least 2,000 years. Free reeds - originally, thin strips of cane - have been used in Asian wind instruments such as the Chinese sheng for more than 2000 years. Ethnomusicologist Curt Sachs suggests that they were introduced to Europe in the late 1600s, but it is likely that the principle of the free reed existed in Europe several centuries earlier. Certainly, the bagpipe, which features both reeds and bellows, was popular throughout Europe as well as regions of Asia and North Africa well before the 17th century. Bellows were also used in Europe by the 12th century in portative organs, (small hand organs which, like an accordion, were strapped onto a performer). . Among the free reeds' prominent descendants are melodeons, harmonicas and of course, the accordion. In many Asian countries, especially India, accordions continue to be an integral part of popular music.

Contemporary accordions were patented in Austria by the early 19th century, the accordion is part of the wind family. There are three basic types: the piano accordion with a piano-like keyboard mechanism, the concertina, (hexagonal, with pistons or buttons, also called 'touches', at the end of each bellows), and the button accordion as illustrated left (image courtesy of House of Musical Traditions ). Characteristic of each style is their ability to 'inhale' and 'exhale'; expanding and squeezing the pressure bellows (made from fabric and wood rib framing) forces an airstream over a series of free metal reeds inside the instrument which causes the reeds to vibrate. The keyboard or buttons allows you to play specific pitches created by the vibrating reeds.

The concertina was invented by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1829, and marketed extensively after 1836. By the mid 19th century it became a favorite among popular musicians and Salvation Army bands throughout the British Isles. Currently, a folk/roots cultural revival throughout much of western Europe and Great Britain has encouraged musicians to bring this instrument back from relative obscurity.

Accordions are extremely versatile. In the hands of such diverse artists as conjunto virtuoso Flaco Jiminez jr, master of the "nuevo tango" Astor Piazzollo, Myron Floren from the Lawrence Welk Orchestra or Nigerian juju star I.K. Dairo, these instruments have helped to define the distinctive sound of many styles of traditional and popular music. Russian composer Tchaikovsky included the accordion in his 'Suite no. 2' (C Major, op 53), as did Prokofiev in the 'Cantata for the 20th anniversary of the October Revolution'. Among recent art music compositions featuring the accordion are Bhashkar Chandavarkar's work, 'Soundscapes-Seas', 1993; Isang Yun's 'Intermezzo : for Violoncello and Accordion', 1988; Lear, written and performed by Pauline Oliveiros ca. 1988; and 'Hymnkus: NYC '86', by John Cage.

Hear the sound of a Tejano accordion (AIFF, 332K, 15 sec.)

Astor Piazzollo, "nuevo tango" composer"

• "Accordion". The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. 3 vols. Stanley Sadie, ed. London: Macmillan, 1984.
• Sachs, Curt. The History of Musical Instruments, New York: W.W. Norton and Co, 1940.
• Snyder, Jared. Leadbelly and His Windjammer: Examining the African American Button Accordion Tradition. American Music 12:148-66 Summer '94
• Timson, Chris. Concertina FAQ , 1996.
• Wayne, Neil. The Wheatstone English Concertina ; revised from the Galpin Society Journal.