The New Concertina Journal Is Now Online

[Dan Worrall]

Announcing a new Concertina Journal, published online at

www.concertinajournal.org

The Concertina Journal

is a new online magazine that provides an opportunity for publication of articles related to all aspects of the concertina. This nineteenth-century musical instrument has a small but dedicated following of aficionados from locations that range from the UK and Ireland to Australia, South Africa, Germany, and the Americas, among others. In its various forms, the concertina appears in genres ranging from classical to deeply rooted traditional music to contemporary pop. The new journal gives voice to this great diversity by providing space for scholarly articles, both long and short, each of which is peer-reviewed and edited to academic standards. In addition, a Current Chronicle will invite reflections on present-day concertina playing around the world, while the Reviews section will carry reviews of books and recordings.

The

Journal'

s founding editors include Allan Atlas, Roger Digby, Randall Merris, and Dan Worrall, each with a long list of publications and involvement with concertina-related activities in the UK and the US. Invited “country correspondents” in the first launch include Tim Collins, Ireland; Stephaan van Zyl, South Africa; and Harry Scurfield, Great Britain. A true online journal, articles are published as they are edited and reviewed, without waiting for arbitrary issue dates or print deadlines. The contributors, including Webmaster Alex Holden, are all volunteers, and they invite colleagues around the globe to submit articles for publication. There are no subscription fees.

 

[Dan Worrall]

Just a head's up on the previous announcement.

 

The first issue contains a number of items of interest, including the long-awaited history of the Charles Jeffries company by Randall Merris and a number of collaborators; a couple of brief articles on early concertina images and on Richard Blagrove; articles on the status and 'lay of the land' of the concertina today by 'country correspondents' in Ireland (Tim Collins), South Africa (Stephaan van Zyl), and Great Britain (Harry Scurfield). There are also reviews by Roger Digby on a number of recent CD releases.

 

If you have a written contribution that is itching to see the light of day, do drop us a line. Also, we are looking for knowledgeable 'country correspondents' for other countries where there is a significant concertina presence, especially Australia and Germany. If you have anyone you think we should consider, please let us know. It is our goal to have this Journal truly reflect the broad international scope of the concertina today.

 

Meanwhile, enjoy the first issue, and let us know what you think!

[gcoover]

Dan, congratulations on your new venture - you'll make us respectable yet!

 

Gary

[Dan Worrall]

Gary, many thanks, but I'm just one of several cogs in this wheel, and none of us are entirely respectable!

[Jillser Nic Amhlaoibh]

Great stuff! Really enjoyed the review section as the addition of audio files accompanying the writing gave the opportunity to highlight the particular talking points in a manner that just the written word alone might not.

[maccannic]

Wow! What's not to like?

[Steve Wilson]

G'day Dan,

 

For your Australian correspondent I don't think you could go past one of Cnet's own, Warren Fahey. I've not canvassed his interest but I suggest you PM him.

[Mike Franch]

This is so fine! My only complaint is that it's one more fascinating concertina world thing that will have me reading words instead of notes, and reading about concertinas rather than playing one!

[Dan Worrall]

G'day Dan,

 

For your Australian correspondent I don't think you could go past one of Cnet's own, Warren Fahey. I've not canvassed his interest but I suggest you PM him.

Steve,

Thanks! I was thinking just the same thing, and will send Warren a note.

Dan

[RP3]

I just finished reading the latest installment to the Jeffries Family saga and I'm delighted. The amount of research and sleuthing involved to put all this together is overwhelming. As an owner of more than one Jeffries, I have always been interested in learning more about when and where they were made, and this latest article on the family & company goes a long way toward helping me know more accurately about my instruments.

 

My hat's off to Randy and everybody else on the team for the fabulous job you have done putting this story together.

 

Ross Schlabach

[wes williams]

Many thanks Dan,

I'd recently tried to access the original Journal pages (which were on Alex Holden's site) and had got 'page not found' error messages, so I was very pleased to find the announcement here, and that the Journal was still alive and had reached its first publication.

 

I've got lots of interesting reading ahead, so thanks and congratulations to all concerned!

[Jimh]

I expect this to be a Journal of exceptional interest to me. I am awaiting the arrival of my first concertina later this week and look forward to many interesting articles. After 80 years. yes eighty, of the violin I am looking forward with anticipation this new musical experience.