An Anniversary, Sort Of

Subject: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: Rapparee
Date: 12 Jan 14 - 10:02 PM

Just 160 years ago, on January 13, 1854, Anthony Foss patented the accordion.

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: Will Fly
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 04:07 AM

The bastard!

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: The Sandman
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 04:37 AM

certainly not a gentleman.

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: Dave Earl
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 05:04 AM

Is it too late to seek revenge?

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: melodeonboy
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 05:06 AM

Button or piano?

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 05:10 AM

Are you sure that's right?

Personally I've no idea, but according to accordionlinks.com:
On June 13, 1854 Anthony Foss from Philadelphia obtains Patent no. 11,062: Construction of Accordions.

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 05:20 AM

June 13 1854 would indeed seem to be the correct date.

Following my link above, you come to drawings from the United States Patent and Trademark Office where the date is clearly marked.

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: MartinRyan
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 05:38 AM

I recently proofread a Ph.D. thesis on the social history of the accordion in Ireland! I've tried (hard) to blank it out of my mind since then - but have a sneaking suspicion there were earlier dates. ;>)>

Regards

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 06:09 AM

have a sneaking suspicion there were earlier dates

Indeed so, Martin. From the patent documentation:

"I, ANTHONY FAAS...have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Accordians" (Bold mine)

The actual 'invention' is often credited to Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann (circa 1822) although this seems to be by no means certain.

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: MartinRyan
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 06:48 AM

That figures... I seem to remember the first Irish mention was a newspaper advertisement around 1829!

Regards

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: Rapparee
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 10:03 AM

It's a great argument for time travel so that the mistakes of the past can be corrected.

Then would come the banjo.

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 11:01 AM

Just for you, Rap.

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: Rapparee
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 04:37 PM

Decca Records just announced that they will be issuing "160 Years of the Best Accordion Music" in June. Because it is historical it will be released on a wax cylinder.

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: Ebbie
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 07:22 PM

What about the concertina- when did it come along?

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 14 Jan 14 - 06:19 AM

Won't need a very big cylinder then...

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: Will Fly
Date: 14 Jan 14 - 06:33 AM

Here ya go, Ebbie - seems fairly accurate...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concertina

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: Rapparee
Date: 14 Jan 14 - 09:49 AM

I understand that the wax cylinder will come with a wick.

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: beardedbruce
Date: 14 Jan 14 - 09:56 AM

"In 1821, Haeckel in Vienna and then Buschmann in Germany, invented mouth blown instruments of the free reed family. Buschmann added bellows and a button keyboard in the following year to make his "Handaeoline," possibly the first clearly recognisable forebearer of the modern accordion. In 1829, Demian added chords in the bass and patented this as an "Accordion". From 1830, Charles Buffet in Belgium and Fourneax and Busson in France, manufactured an accordion that had 10 to 12 treble and two bass buttons. Demian also manufactured a type of accordion he called the "Hand harmonica". A tutor printed in 1835 (by Adolph Muller) listed six varieties of accordions, all diatonic in the keys of C, D or G.

It seems that the accordion did not become chromatic in note range until about the 1850's. Wheatstone in England had invented his concertina in 1829 and he continued to develop it over the next several decades, but he did not attach a piano keyboard to it. Busson did, and called it the "Organ accordion". By 1859 this had a three octave treble keyboard. Both the Wheatstone Concertina from 1844 and then accordion had uniform tone (ie were not diatonic or in one key only). It would appear that the development and popularity of the Wheatstone Concertinas actually slowed the acceptance of the piano type accordions in England, at least until the twentieth century."

http://www.accordions.com/history/inv_dev.aspx

Subject: RE: An Anniversary, Sort Of
From: beardedbruce
Date: 14 Jan 14 - 10:03 AM

"Accordionists may be interested to know, that the term "musette" is defined in one comprehensive dictionary of musical instruments, as "a generic term for small bagpipes.""


Is there need for further comment?