Geoffrey Crabb

Thanks for that Wes Geoff

Very nice, thank you Matt Geoff

Crabb paring knives. Adapted carving knives etc. Kept in Leather sheaths when not in use 😉 Geoff

Just a thought, Before and around the the turn of 1900, many Anglo’s, being considerably less costly to purchase than the English, were bought collectively by rural communities to accompany song or dance gatherings. As, possibly, the only other music that might be heard and sung to, by some communities, may have been that of the local church/chapel organ. It is known that the pitch of pipe organs of the period was not very stable e.g. due to temperature etc. , sometimes being considerably lower than the accepted, and this may have influenced congregations/communities to adjust and establish their singing pitch to match that of their local organ. Possibly, to meet what could be seen as a ready market, the Bb/F & B/F# was produced to meet that requirement. Attached, a breakdown of 117 Anglo’s made in the Crabb workshop between Sept 1889 & Dec 1891. It can be seen how popular the B/F# was. Crabb Anglos Sep 1889 -Dec 1891 - Copy.docx

Thanks Rod, very sad to hear this. Although I never met Kurt, we had built up a certain affinity through my dads concertina (10555) that he acquired in December 1988. I was grateful that it had gone to a dedicated player who had preserved and played it for a further 36 years. I shall miss our occasional correspondence as will those, I am sure, who benefited from his encouragement and, of course, the entertainment he provided, so expertly, on the concertina. RIP Kurt

Thank you Gregor, great, certainly brightened up a dreary day here.

Of course, everybody is entitled to their own thoughts. Certainly when ‘Wheatstone’ included a 48k (C3-F6) in their English range it was listed within the Tenor-Treble section of their pricelists (circa 1931 on). Later, ‘48 Tenor’ became standard. I have no personal objection to ‘48K Tenor- Treble’ being used, if the range (C3- F6) is included and recognized universally. With respect, I’m not sure what you mean by true? tenor. Some alternative 48's with C3-F6 range were made 'to customer requirement' where the thumb strap and finger plate aligned with the F3 (left) and D3 (right) rows. Unfortunately, these were not popular to the used market due to this arrangement. Geoff

Mathew and all, Bit late to this, Many descriptions for English concertinas, mostly confusing, have been used over the years but the convention adopted by past makers has been, besides shape, finish etc. Number of keys (buttons) / Lowest to highest ranges included. Therefore, the instrument under discussion would be, as suggested, a 64b Tenor- Treble. One thing that I think would be advantageous is adding the actual range in the description of other instruments i.e. 56b Treble Range G3- G6 However, I have attached some info regarding descriptions and layouts, that some might find useful, or not. English Desciptions.doc Geoff

Thanks Wes Geoff

Jake, thanks for bringing this to our attention, unfortunately, I will not be able to attend due to darned ongoing health issues. Very disappointed but best wishes for a successful event. Geoff

Hi Al, £125 may have been a lot then but I think you'll agree, besides surviving, it was good investment and one you have had 40+ years hands on use of. Take care Geoff

Jim, one would be hard pressed to find an original concertina one, adapting may have to be the answer. Picture of Music clip anchor in Salvation Army instrument

In response to a request, pictures attached of typical music book clip as fitted to concertinas of bands when marching etc. Music Book Clip.docx Geoff

Your welcome Alex. Happy New Year Geoff

Hi Alex, I would accept that it is of Crabb manufacture and the date as Stephen has said. Fretwork patterns can sometimes cause confusion in Identifying a make. It was not uncommon among makers for the piercing work and indeed, the design, to be outsourced to those engaged in that trade. That is why some fretwork similarities appear on instruments of different make. The bellows paper used was readily available at the time, and the steel lever wire lessened the end price to £2-0-0.complete with black case. For the benefit of yourself and others, I have attached the latest updated version of my Crabb dating document. You will see that I have added 8115. I have also emended my Email address. Crabb Dating Doc as at 06.01.2024.docx

Hi Chris, good to hear you are still about. I am sure that many, like myself, still refer to and find useful, your 'Re-actions' document. It must have taken many hours to put together. So, I thank you for all your efforts which I have found very useful. Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year. Geoff Crabb

Hi Alan, The NLCB was formed from members of an evening class started by Harold Cowlin in 1956. Dad took over both the class and the NLCB when Harold stood down due to ill health around 1960. Although, suffering poor health himself, dad, with my mum, me and my brother helping and the fact that the evening school was local to the shop we managed to run both for the next 20 years. The Band, being a non-profit affair and having a not too high-brow repertoire was much in demand at weekends across London by older generation organisations, clubs etc. Because of his work, teaching, band and ICA commitments Dad was not a member of the Westminster Concertina Band. Geoff

A musing In The Shadows, by the British composer Herman Fink (1872 -1939), was number 81 (small book) in the repertoire of he North London Concertina Band. Arranged for the band by my father in the 1960's. it was a favourite and played regularly up to the bands demise in 1980. Written circa 1911, it was reportedly played on the Titanic as the life boats were lowered. Geoff

Bit late to the game I am afraid, but the attached may be of interest. 46b Cor Anglais. English F.doc It is based on the subject Wheatstone instrument I was made aware of nearly 50 years ago. Apart from the make and it being: hexagonal, about 7 inches AF, black wood top, bone buttons, I would have to think hard to recall any features employed to mimic the Cor-Anglais sound. Geoff

I realize this may be in the wrong place so apologies. Unfortunately and with some annoyance 😒 it seems, for some unknown reason, that my normal email address has stopped working, despite many attempts to resolve the problem. Therefore, if any need to contact me, off site, please PM me and I will provide a temporary alternative address. . Thanks for understanding. Geoff

Not personally having come across the name C Harris before as a maker, upon investigation: a Charles Harris (b 1873) of 60 Sheep Street, Bicester, was found. If ? this is the chap, then, In 1891 he is a General Dealer (with his father, James) By 1901, a Fellmonger (Dealer in hides) By1911 a Horse slaughterer ??? So, it seems his time as a general dealer was short. Some observations of mine concerning the subject concertina, attached. German concertina Comparison German or English.docx

The attached may be of interest. The attached may be of interest .Duette keyboard range G.doc Geoff

Whilst attempting the almost impossible task of trying to sort the 8000? concertina related items stored on the computer, I came across this: Valve punch.doc I did make one and it worked OK. Geoff

Whilst we await some more info etc., for interest, attached is a possible note allocation for a 10 key Anglo in C. 10 Anglo 2.doc Geoff

Stephen and others, I believe, Alison and I have now satisfactorily addressed her query. Geoff