Introduction

 

Paul de Ville, The Concertina and How to Play It (New York: Carl Fischer, Inc., 1905) is one of the most widely available sources of basic instruction and tunes for the Anglo concertina. A recent printing features a new cover, a slightly enlarged format, and a retail price of about $10. Copies of earlier printings have sold for $25 or more in the secondary market. Buyers and sellers have assumed that these copies were printed in 1905 or soon thereafter. However, all copies that I have seen in the secondary market were printed from the 1950s onward.[1] In fact, when the book first appeared in 1905, it was titled as The Eclipse Self Instructor for Concertina[2] (see Fig. 1).

 

The Concertina and How to Play It has links to both earlier and later periods. Most of its tunes and other material were taken from earlier publications, and most of its contents reappeared seventy years later in Bob Kail, The Best Concertina Method—Yet! (Carlstadt, NJ: Ashley Publications, 1975).

 

The Predecessors of De Ville's Book

 

The Concertina and How to Play It has the same basic organization as many Anglo concertina books that predated it. Like these books, The Concertina and How to Play It contains sections on (1) reading music (staffs, key and time signatures, time value of notes, etc.); (2) use of the concertina (holding the instrument, using the air valve, understanding the button layout, using the tablature, etc.); (3) a few scales and exercises; and (4) tunes in standard musical notation and tablature. The Concertina and How to Play It, like many earlier books, is long on tunes and short on instruction. It contains 60 pages of tunes and only 17 pages of other material, including "Rudiments of Music" (10 pages), "Description of the Concertina"(4 pages), and scales and exercises (3 pages).

 

        Fig. 1. Cover of Paul de Ville, The Eclipse Self Instructor For Concertina, 1905.   

 

A somewhat surprising discovery is that 208 of the 250 tunes in The Concertina and How to Play It were taken directly from two books by Elias Howe, Jr.[3] (see Figs. 2 and 3)—i.e., 98 tunes from Howe's Eclectic School for the Concertina (Boston: Elias Howe; and Chicago: Howe & Grant, 1879), 108 tunes from Howe's Western German Concertina School (Boston: Elias Howe; and Chicago: Howe & Grant, 1879),[4] and two tunes that appeared in both of these Howe books. With a few minor exceptions, the musical arrangements and tablature in The Concertina and How to Play It are identical to those in Howe's books.[5] Howe's books contain a number of songs with lyrics.  The Concertina and How to Play It includes some of these songs but without the lyrics.

 

 

Fig. 2. Cover of Elias Howe, Jr., Howe's Eclectic School for the Concertina, 1879.

 

 

The Concertina and How to Play It contains 42 tunes that do not appear in Howe's concertina books. A few of these tunes are still well known—e.g., "Rickett's Hornpipe," "My Old Kentucky Home," "Adestes Fideles," "Rock of Ages," "Nearer My God to Thee," and "Sweet Bye and Bye." The original sources for these 42 tunes have not been documented. Six of theses tunes (i.e., "College Hornpipe," "The Coquette," "Morella's Lesson," "Old Zip Coon," "Rory O'More," and "The Tempest") are the same arrangements as those found in Howe's The Complete Preceptor for the Accordeon (Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1843, 1850, and 1851), suggesting that de Ville appropriated these arrangements and wrote concertina tablature to replace Howe's accordion tablature.

 

Almost all instructions, scales, and exercises in The Concertina and How to Play It were taken verbatim or in paraphrase from Howe's books. However, the "Rudiments of Music" section of de Ville's book was borrowed elsewhere.[6] This section is larger and more advanced than the "Elementary Rules of Music" in Howe's Eclectic School for Concertina. The advanced material in the section has no direct relevance to the other sections of The Concertina and How to Play It.

 

 

Fig. 3. Cover of Elias Howe Jr., Howe's Western German Concertina School, 1879.

 

 

The Concertina and How to Play It contains an illustration (taken from Howe's books) of the notes for the 28-key German concertina, even though all tunes in de Ville and Howe's books are tablatured exclusively for the 20-key concertina. The 28-key German concertina had slipped into obscurity long before de Ville's book was published.[7]

 

The Successor to De Ville's Book

 

Bob Kail's The Best Concertina Method Yet (1975) contains 249 of the 250 tunes from The Concertina and How to Play It.[8] Except for eradicating the tune numbering and enlarging the pages, Kail reproduced the tunes exactly as shown in de Ville's book.[9] Kail's book contains (1) Elementary Music Principles (1 page), (2) a description of how to hold the concertina and how to read tablature (1/2 page), (3) scales and exercises from de Ville's book, (4) twenty-nine songs arranged by Kail,[10] and (5) the 249 tunes from de Ville's book. Kail structured his book to downplay the acquisition of tunes from de Ville, but made no outright attempt to conceal the fact. The first part of Kail's book contains scales, exercises, and a few tunes from de Ville, interspersed with songs arranged by Kail. The second part contains 235 tunes that are reproduced in the same order--even with the same page numbers--as in The Concertina and How to Play It. The last part contains more songs arranged by Kail and more exercises from de Ville's book, as well as a couple exercises by Kail. The note layout for the 28-key German concertina was not included in Kail's book, and the 20-key concertina diagram in de Ville's book (p. 15) was transformed into a pull-out card to accompany Kail's book. 

 

Paul de Ville's book contains no table of contents or tune index, and Kail's book contains no tune index. Kail's book has a table of contents, but the tunes taken from de Ville's book are not individually listed therein. A complete index of all instructional material and tunes in The Concertina and How to Play It and The Best Concertina Method—Yet is shown in the annex.[11]

 

The Kail and de Ville books have similar retail prices, even though The Best Concertina Method—Yet contains almost all of the contents of The Concertina and How to Play It, as well as the songs and exercises not found in de Ville's book. A minor selling point for the de Ville book has been its smaller size (6¾-by-10 inches, compared with 8½-by-11 inches for Kail's book), making it convenient for storage in non-fitted concertina cases. The latest printing has a slightly larger format of 6¾-by-10½ inches.

 

---

Annex

 

Index

 

Paul de Ville, The Concertina and How to Play It (New York: Carl Fisher, 1905).

 

Bob Kail, The Best Concertina Method—Yet! (Carlstadt, NJ: Ashley Publications, 1975).

 

                             

	Page
De Ville Only	De Ville
When the Swallows Homeward Fly	20
Kail Only (All with lyrics except The Entertainer)	Kail
A Bicycle Built for Two	83
Battle Hymn of the  Republic	15
Careless Love	13
Cielito Lindo	7
Down by the Riverside	93
Frankie and Johnny	96
I Love You Truly	21
In the Good Old Summertime	85
I've Been Working on the Railroad	86
Little Brown Jug	19
My Darling Clementine	81
Wild Irish Rose	18
On Top of Old Smoky	84
O Sole Mio	90
O Susanna	10
Scarborough Fair	20
She'll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain	80
Shenandoah	11
Silent Night	22
Sweet Rosie O'Grady	92
The Blue Tail Fly	14
The Camptown Races	84
The Cruel War Is Raging	91
The Entertainer	82
The Man on the Flying Trapeze	81
The Marines' Hymn	8
There Is a Tavern in the Town	89
The Wabash Cannonball	12
When the Saints Go Marching In	9

                                

                                          

Tune	De Ville	Kail
Adeste Fideles	79	79
Air from Lucia di Lammermoor	60	60
A Life on the Ocean Wave	41	41
Alps	72	72
America	23	23
Am I Not Fondly Thine Own	38	38
Annie Laurie	43	43
Anvern	69	69
Arkansas Traveler	53	53
As I'd Nothing Else To Do	28	28
Augusta's Favorite	20	16
Auld Lang Syne	45	45
Bachelor's Hall	31	31
Balerma	67	67
Beautiful Belle	39	39
Beautiful Nell	29	29
Be Gone, Dull Care	34	34
Be Joyful in God, All Ye Lands of the Earth	75	75
Belle Brandon	37	37
Benevento	72	72
Blue Bells of Scotland	36	36
Bonnie Blue Flag	24	24
Bonnie Dundee	25	25
Bonny Doon	34	34
Boston Hop Waltz	63	63
Bower of Prayer	72	72
Brian Boru	27	27
Bryan O'Lynn	22	17
Cambridge	69	69
Camptown Hornpipe	25	25
Canaan	76	76
Castles in the Air	33	33
Cephas	71	71
Charley Over the Water	22	16
Charming Young Widow, or Mantle So Green	28	28
Chinese Dance, or Hark the Merry Bells, from Stradella	51	51
Chinese March	56	56
Chorus Jig	49	49
Cinderella Waltz	63	63
Clarance	70	70
Clifford	75	75
Clog Dance No. 2	52	52
Colchester	69	69
College Hornpipe, or Sailor's Hornpipe	51	51
Columbian Grand March	57	57
Come, Come, Soldiers, Come	45	45
Come, Good Shepherd	68	68
Come Ye Disconsolate	73	73
Comin' Thro' the Rye	20	17
Conway	70	70
Coronation March ("Prophet")	56	56
Cracovienne	21	6
Dallas	72	72
Dearest Spot on Earth To Me Is Home	46	46
Dedham	72	72
Diamond Schottische	64	64
Dixie	24	24
Do They Think of Me at Home?	38	38
Dover	68	68
Dream of the Ocean Waltz	62	62
Drunken Sailor, or The Monkey's Wedding	52	52
Duane Street	77	77
Duke Street	74	74
Effingham	69	69
Elfin Waltz	64	64
Ever of Thee	36	36
Fairy Waltz	62	62
Favorite Song ("Lucia di Lammermoor")	45	45
Federal Street	74	74
Flora's Birthday	26	26
Flying Cloud Schottische	65	65
Fred Wilson's Clog Dance No. 1	52	52
Gabriella Polka	59	59
Gallopade Quadrille	59	59
Garibaldi March	57	57
Gay and Happy	59	59
Glory Hallelujah	34	34
Golden Hill	68	68
Grand March in Norma	54	54
Greenville	76	76
Hail, Columbia	24	24
Hail to the Chief	51	51
Hamburg	69	69
Haste to the Wedding	53	53
Hebron	67	67
Helter Skelter, or Over Sticks and Stones Galop	58	58
Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still	46	46
Hervey	71	71
Hob or Knob, or the Campbells Are Coming	54	54
Home, Sweet Home	21	16
How Beauteous Are Their Feet	75	75
How Can I Leave Thee?	47	47
Hunting the Hare, or The Calais Packet	51	51
I'd Offer You This Hand of Mine	43	43
If I Had But a Thousand a Year	28	28
I Heard the Wee Bird Singing	23	23
Il Bacio Waltz (The Kiss Waltz)	62	62
I'm Leaving Thee in Sorrow, Annie	35	35
Immortellen Waltz	60	60
Indian Death Song	21	6
I Need Thee Every Hour	79	79
In Happy Moments ("Maritana")	33	33
In the Lonely Grove ("Linda")	44	44
Irish Washerwoman	50	50
Italian Hymn	74	74
It Is Better to Laugh Than Be Sighing	44	44
I've Nothing Else to Do	48	48
Jefferson and Liberty	53	53
Jerusalem the Golden	38	38
Jim Crow Polka	58	58
John Anderson, My Joe [Jo]	30	30
Johnny Sands	27	27
Jordon	71	71
Jordon Am a Hard Road	50	50
Kate Kearney	49	49
Kathleen Mavourneen	48	48
Keemo Kimo	32	32
Kildoughalt Fair	40	40
Kitty of Coleraine	32	32
Lament of the Irish Emigrant	32	32
Lancers Quadrilles (Nos. 1-5)	65-66	65-66
Land of Rest	71	71
Land of Sweet Erin	49	49
Lanesboro'	77	77
Larry O'Gaff	41	41
Last Rose of Summer	37	37
Lisbon	76	76
Lischer	73	73
Listen to the Mocking Bird	38	38
Listen to the Nightingale	20	17
Little Maggie May	29	29
Lord Lovell	22	6
Louisville March	55	55
Lucia March ("Lucia di Lammermoor")	46	46
Mabel Waltzes	60	60
Maiden's Prayer	37	37
Maid of Judah, or Silver Moon	42	42
Marching Along	35	35
Marching Thro' Georgia	26	26
Martyrdom	70	70
Maryland, My Maryland	24	24
Mary of Argyle	35	35
Massa's in the Cold, Cold Ground	26	26
Matrimonial Sweets	44	44
Mendon	71	71
Millennium Dawn	76	76
Missionary Hymn	77	77
Moll Roon	41	41
Molly Bawn	31	31
Money Musk	54	54
Morella's Lesson	34	34
Moulton	68	68
Mountain Maid's Invitation	44	44
My Bible leads to Glory	78	78
My Old Kentucky Home	27	27
Nashville	77	77
Nearer, My God to Thee	78	78
Nichols	70	70
Nobody Going to Marry Me?	28	28
No, Ne'er Can Thy Home Be Mine	22	17
Norah, The Pride of Kildare	30	30
O Haste, Crimson Morn ("Lucia di Lammermoor")	45	45
Oh, Hear Me, Norma	36	36
Oh! How Happy Are They	77	77
Oh! I Should Like to Marry	36	36
O, Lassie, Art Thou Sleeping Yet?	46	46
Old Folks at Home	26	26
Old Hundred	67	67
Old Rosin the Beau	23	23
Old Zip Coon, or Turkey in the Straw	50	50
Oliphant	74	74
O, Nanny, Wilt Thou Gang With Me	58	58
On the Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz	61	61
On the Road to Boston	53	53
Ortonville	70	70
Over the Summer Sea ("Rigoletto")	42	42
Pas Styrien	42	42
Peace, Troubled Soul	78	78
Peterborough	67	67
Pirates Chorus, or Ever Be Happy	31	31
Pop Goes the Weasel	47	47
Prescott	74	74
Prima Donna Waltz	63	63
Pulling Hard Against the Stream	29	29
Raw Recruits, or Abraham's Daughter	35	35
Ricket's [Rickett's] Hornpipe	25	25
Robin Adair	25	25
Rochester Schottische	64	64
Rock of Ages	78	78
Rory O'More	49	49
Roses Waltz	61	61
Russian National Anthem	67	67
Sally, Come Up	47	47
Saw Ye, My Saviour	72	72
Scotch March	55	55
Shabby Genteel	48	48
Shining Shore	39	39
Shule Aroon	41	41
Sicilian Hymn	68	68
Soldier Laddie, or Independence Day	42	42
Spanish Dance	52	52
Spanish Waltz	61	61
Sparking Sunday Night	22	6
Star-Spangled Banner	23	23
St Louis Quickstep	57	57
St. Martin's	70	70
St. Patrick's Day in the Morning	39	39
Strike the Cymbal	21	6
St. Thomas	68	68
Sweet Afton	43	43
Sweet Bye and Bye	78	78
Sweet Memories of Thee	43	43
Swiss Boy	44	44
Teddy, You Gander, or Bully for You	40	40
Tempest Quickstep	54	54
Ten Little Soldiers (De Ville) Ten Little Dancers (Kail) Ten Little N-----s" [blanks inserted] in early printings	28	28
The Coquette	21	17
The Bell Goes A-ringing for Sai-rah	29	29
The Bright, Rosy Morning	33	33
The Flag of Our Union	25	25
The Girl I Left Behind Me	37	37
The Harp That Once Thro' Tara's Hall	30	30
The Heart That Feels No Sorrow	39	39
The Lord is Our Shepherd	76	76
The Low-Backed Car, or The Jolly Ploughman	40	40
The Merriest Girl That's Out	30	30
The Morning Light Is Breaking	73	73
The Old Arm-Chair	32	32
The Peri Waltz	60	60
There Is a Fountain	79	79
The Stars and Stripes For Ever	23	23
The Tempest	50	50
The Witches' Dance	51	51
Troas	73	73
Twilight Dews	22	16
Uxbridge	73	73
Virginia Quickstep	59	59
Washington March	55	55
We Wont Go Home Till Morning	27	27
What's a' the Steer, Kimmer	33	33
When Johnnie Comes Marching Home	31	31
Widow Machree	40	40
Wilmot	68	68
Windham	67	67
Within a Mile of Edinboro' Town	47	47
Woodstock	73	73
Yankee Doodle	23	23
Zion	67	67
Zouave Quickstep	56	56

              

Exercises

 

Exercise (As Numbered in De Ville)	De Ville	Kail
No. 1    Notes on the concertina (20 key)	17
No. 2    Scale of C Major	17	4
No. 3    Scale of G Major	17	4
No. 4    Right Hand, C Major	18	5
No. 5    Left Hand, C Major	18	11
No. 6    Right Hand, G Major	18	5
No. 7    Left Hand, G Major	18	11
No. 8    Right Hand, C Major	18	5
No. 9    Right Hand, C Major	18	5
No. 10   Right Hand, C Major	19	5
No. 11   Left and Right Hand, C Major	19	17
No. 12   Left and Right Hand Together, C Major	19	88
No. 13   Left and Right Hand Together, G Major	19	88
No. 14   Left and Right Hand Together, C Major	19	88
Exercise (Kail Only)
Left Hand Accompaniment and Multiple Notes		87-88
Other
Scale of the German Concertina With 28 Keys (Antiquated)	16
Diagram of 20-Key Concertina	15	Pull-out card