Chemnitzer concertina
Encyclopedia
A Chemnitzer concertina is a musical instrument
of the hand-held bellows-driven free-reed category, sometimes called squeezebox
es. The Chemnitzer concertina is most closely related to the Bandoneón
(German
spelling: Bandonion), more distantly to the other concertina
s, and accordion
s.
consisting of cylindrical buttons on each end arranged in curving rows. Like other concertina
s, the buttons travel in a direction approximately parallel to the motion of the bellows, whereas the keys and buttons of an accordion move roughly perpendicular to the motion of the bellows. A strap, usually of leather
, is fitted at each end to hold the player's palm against the instrument for playing. Compare to the English concertina where the thumb holds a strap, the little finger is held on a rest, and the remaining three fingers press the keys. The instrument is bisonoric, meaning that each button corresponds to two notes: one when the bellows is compressed, and another when it is expanded. On most instruments, two or more (and as many as five) reeds sound for each note. The tones produced are either in octave
s, unison
, or in some combination thereof.
Internal construction is different from other concertinas in that the action more closely resembles that of an accordion, and that the reeds are of steel (rather than brass) and are often fixed in groups of twenty or more to long zinc or aluminum plates, rather than to individual frames. This arrangement resembles that of the Russia
n accordion, the Bayan
.
after seeing Charles Wheatstone's
instrument of the same name, or whether the two men invented their instruments concurrently and independently. Uhlig's patent dates to 1834, and while Wheatstone patented a related instrument, the symphonium in 1829, he did not patent an instrument under the name "Concertina" until 1844.
. Several other German instruments were sold under the name "Concertina" (or Konzertina), and their keyboard systems were given names based on their creators, as with Band and Scheffler
, or their city of origin, as with the Carlsfelder and Chemnitz
er systems.
Strictly speaking, the Chemnitzer layout is one of 38, 39, 51 or 52 buttons, or one of the American expanded versions of the 52-button system. Especially in English-speaking countries, the term Chemnitzer is frequently applied to any of the square German concertinas that are not Bandonions.
In the United States
, especially in the Midwest, where other concertina types are not as well-known as the Chemnitzer concertina, it may be called simply a "Concertina."
: Ernest Glass patented an aluminum action in 1912 , which was quicker and quieter than earlier wooden actions; his son Otto further improved this action in 1928 . Otto Schlicht patented an action in 1932 which improved the pivot method of the action levers and allowed action levers to be manufactured by bending metal stock rather than by die stamping. In 1910, prior to these improvements, Robert Leppert was issued a patent , the specification of which describes in detail an action containing jointed levers between keys and pallets, however the claims of the patent only relate to a means of expression control also described; it is not clear whether Leppert actually invented the action arrangement.
Many American and Italian
builders of the 20th century began using reed and reedblock types similar to those used in accordions as a cost-saving measure and to facilitate repair, however many players consider these instruments to be inferior, as they often lack the traditional sound.
, especially Polka
music played in Central and Eastern Europeans and by nineteen- and twentieth century immigrants to the United States from those regions. However the instrument, especially in its 52-button and larger versions, is capable of performing in other musical contexts.
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
of the hand-held bellows-driven free-reed category, sometimes called squeezebox
Squeezebox
The term Squeezebox is a colloquial expression referring to any musical instrument of the general class of hand-held bellows-driven free reed aerophones such as the accordion and the concertina...
es. The Chemnitzer concertina is most closely related to the Bandoneón
Bandoneón
The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
(German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
spelling: Bandonion), more distantly to the other concertina
Concertina
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 it...
s, and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
s.
Physical description
It is roughly square in cross-section, with the keyboardsKeyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
consisting of cylindrical buttons on each end arranged in curving rows. Like other concertina
Concertina
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 it...
s, the buttons travel in a direction approximately parallel to the motion of the bellows, whereas the keys and buttons of an accordion move roughly perpendicular to the motion of the bellows. A strap, usually of leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
, is fitted at each end to hold the player's palm against the instrument for playing. Compare to the English concertina where the thumb holds a strap, the little finger is held on a rest, and the remaining three fingers press the keys. The instrument is bisonoric, meaning that each button corresponds to two notes: one when the bellows is compressed, and another when it is expanded. On most instruments, two or more (and as many as five) reeds sound for each note. The tones produced are either in octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
s, unison
Unison
In music, the word unison can be applied in more than one way. In general terms, it may refer to two notes sounding the same pitch, often but not always at the same time; or to the same musical voice being sounded by several voices or instruments together, either at the same pitch or at a distance...
, or in some combination thereof.
Internal construction is different from other concertinas in that the action more closely resembles that of an accordion, and that the reeds are of steel (rather than brass) and are often fixed in groups of twenty or more to long zinc or aluminum plates, rather than to individual frames. This arrangement resembles that of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n accordion, the Bayan
Bayan (accordion)
The bayan is a type of chromatic button accordion developed in Russia in the early 20th century and named after 11th-century bard Boyan.-Characteristics:The bayan differs from western chromatic button accordions in some details of construction:...
.
History
Sources differ whether German inventor Carl Friedrich Uhlig created his first concertinaConcertina
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 it...
after seeing Charles Wheatstone's
Charles Wheatstone
Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS , was an English scientist and inventor of many scientific breakthroughs of the Victorian era, including the English concertina, the stereoscope , and the Playfair cipher...
instrument of the same name, or whether the two men invented their instruments concurrently and independently. Uhlig's patent dates to 1834, and while Wheatstone patented a related instrument, the symphonium in 1829, he did not patent an instrument under the name "Concertina" until 1844.
Types
Uhlig's first instrument had five buttons on each side, but the keyboard was quickly expanded and as it did so, it diverged into different lineages. Heinrich Band's was sold under the name BandonionBandoneón
The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta típica, the tango orchestra...
. Several other German instruments were sold under the name "Concertina" (or Konzertina), and their keyboard systems were given names based on their creators, as with Band and Scheffler
Scheffler
Scheffler is a German surname:* Tony Scheffler , an American football tight end* Stephen "Steve" Robert Scheffler , American professional basketball player...
, or their city of origin, as with the Carlsfelder and Chemnitz
Chemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
er systems.
Strictly speaking, the Chemnitzer layout is one of 38, 39, 51 or 52 buttons, or one of the American expanded versions of the 52-button system. Especially in English-speaking countries, the term Chemnitzer is frequently applied to any of the square German concertinas that are not Bandonions.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, especially in the Midwest, where other concertina types are not as well-known as the Chemnitzer concertina, it may be called simply a "Concertina."
Innovations
The most notable innovations to the internal construction of the Chemnitzer concertina were made by German-American instrument builders in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
: Ernest Glass patented an aluminum action in 1912 , which was quicker and quieter than earlier wooden actions; his son Otto further improved this action in 1928 . Otto Schlicht patented an action in 1932 which improved the pivot method of the action levers and allowed action levers to be manufactured by bending metal stock rather than by die stamping. In 1910, prior to these improvements, Robert Leppert was issued a patent , the specification of which describes in detail an action containing jointed levers between keys and pallets, however the claims of the patent only relate to a means of expression control also described; it is not clear whether Leppert actually invented the action arrangement.
Many American and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
builders of the 20th century began using reed and reedblock types similar to those used in accordions as a cost-saving measure and to facilitate repair, however many players consider these instruments to be inferior, as they often lack the traditional sound.
Repertoire
The Chemnitzer concertina has been predominantly used in folk musicFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, especially Polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
music played in Central and Eastern Europeans and by nineteen- and twentieth century immigrants to the United States from those regions. However the instrument, especially in its 52-button and larger versions, is capable of performing in other musical contexts.
External links
- Squeezebox, an open repository of squeezebox knowledge on Wikia.
- United States Concertina Association
- Erickson