Another Free-Reed Mystery!

A thread in May 2003 starting with this posting inquired about a very unusual instrument. In the interest of informing the community, and keeping the speculation going, we at Concertina.net are pleased to post this (edited) summary along with never-before seen images from Jeannie. Enjoy, and let the speculation begin! -- Ken Coles

I am looking for information about an instrument that I have been given. It is nothing like I've ever seen before. It looks like a very large concertina, measureing almost 8.5 in. (21.5 cm) across. It has 27 buttons--12 on the left side plus a thumb air button, and 15 on the right side which is a little more than a chromatic octave. Some [notes] are in octaves and a couple are single notes, but that may be more a sign of the condition it's in rather than the design. The bellows are divided into three sections of 4 each. It plays the same note on push and pull. It was made [in] Castelfidardo. I've searched all over for a description of a similar instrument, but have come up with nothing. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

The buttons for the left hand are two rows of 6 and they play chords. I haven't spent enough time with it to decipher the pattern yet. The buttons for the right hand are for the most part, 15 single notes in a chromatic scale.

[one comment came from Jack Woehr]

Posted by: Jack Woehr, May 22, 2003
I forget the trade name of this thing, but it's an old attempt to make a concertina that works like a twelve-bass piano accordion. The 9 + 6 on the right are something like do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do-re and do#-re#-fa#-sol#-la#-do#, right?

[To which Jeannie responded, in confirmation]

It is a chromatic scale, starting on F. There are 15 notes in 2 rows.

[And Jeannie's story behind the instrument]

I was offered some money for a job I had done and with my recent interest in concertinas, I asked if she would be willing to trade me the concertina. It was purchased for her in 1949 by her parents who were visiting in Castelfidardo at the time. I'm assuming it was new at that time. She couldn't give me any more info than that and she also thought it was a concertina, but her memory is beginning to fail, so I'm not sure she was told it was actually a concertina. She has just let it sit on a shelf for the past 50 some years. That's all I can tell you...It doesn't explain much about the instrument.