allan atlas

FOLKS: with respect to choosing a temperament: if you have only one instrument, equal temperament is probably the best -- at least the most USEFUL -- choice. . . . .it is after all, THE STANDARD these days. . . . .and if you're going to be doing a lot of playing with piano accompaniment (as i do), you'll be hard pressed to find a piano that uses anything else. . . . . . of my five instruments, three are in equal temperament, one is in 1/4 comma meantone with 41-cent differences between A flat and G sharp, on the one hand, and E flat and D sharp, on the other (and remember: it's the FLAT note that's the higher of the two), and one is in Thomas Young's "well-temperament" of 1800, which i described the other day. . . . .i find that i can play just about anything against a piano with that instrument. . . .reactions among keen-eared musicians is not that it's out of tune with the piano, but that it "stands out" a bit. . . . .even in the keys with four or five sharps or flats. . . . .it was tuned for me by Wim Wakker about two years ago, and it's become my favorite instrument. . . .i probably use it about eighty percent of the time now.................on the other hand, the meantone instrument against an equal tempered piano really will cause some twangs........ Allan

FOLKS: it is an evening event. . . .starts at 7:30 P.M. . . . . we'll be sending out publicity. . . .i hope that Paul will actually let me post the publicity flyer right on this website. . . . . one of the really nice features of the concert: guitarist Alexander Dunn will be playing Regondi's Rêverie. . . which will be followed immediately by Frederick D'Alquen's arrangement of the piece for piano. . . . .i'm sure that this is the first time original and arrangement have ever been heard back to back. . . . . in fact, so far as we can tell, this may well be the first ever "all-Regondi" concert in the history of mankind...............I know of none from his own lifetime. . . most concerts of that period were of the mish-mash variety..............Allan

FOLKS: the literature on tuning and temperaments (and they are really NOT precisely the same) is V A S T.....................two items that i've found useful are: Charles A. Padgham, The Well-Tempered Organ (Oxford: OUP, 1986) and the classic study by Owen H. Jorgensen, Tuning. . . (East Lansing, MI: Michigan State UP, 1991) there is an interesting discussion by a fellow named Ross Duffin called "Why I Hate Vallotti" (or something very close to that). . . .it's available on the web. . . .just google up "Ross Duffin" and you should find it. . . .and there are audio examples that demonstrate various temperaments. . . . . one might also look around for material by Mark Lindley. . . . . in the end, it's a hornet's nest. . . . . concertinists in particular should look at Wheatstone's "Harmonic Diagram" and its accompanying discussion in the volume of his scientific papers. . . . the Diagram itself is reproduced in my book, The Wheatstone English Concertina. . . .it shows in very clear fashion "where his head was". . . . .and why, in the second edition of his treatise on orchestration (1855) Berlioz scorned that aspect of the instrument...............Allan

I use concertinas tuned to three different temperaments during the course of my lecture-recitals: there's one in equal temperament, another in meantone (this instrument likely belonged to the William Peel, sone of the prime minister), which i use to play unaccompanied stuff. . . .it produces a real "twang" when used against the piano. . . . .and the instrument that i use most was recently retuned according to Thomas Young's "Well Temperament No. 2", which he describes in his essay on acoustics from 1800. . . . . .briefly: the major third C - E is narrow. . . .then the thirds grow wider and wider as we go around the circle of fifths simultaneously in both directions. . . .so the thirds G - B and F - A will be wider and equal to one another. . . .the thirds D - F sharp and B flat - D will be wider still and equal to one another. . . . .and so on and so on until one reaches the widest third with F sharp - A sharp (= G flat - B flat). . . .one of the pieces that we (the NY Victorian Consort) do is a piece by the Italian-born Angelo Mascheroni, who immigrated to London. . . .the piece is called "For All Eternity". . . .it's in E flat. . . .but modulates to G flat. . . .that passage has the voice and the obligato part (which i take on the concertina) in unison. . . .and we find that it causes some real "tension"........allan

We would certainly welcome a contribution about him in PICA...........a concert at the Graduate Center could be tough. . . .we're already commited for both 2005 and 2007. . . . .and our budget simply won't allow more than one event of that nature per year. . . . . 17 march 2006: VIVA REGONDI, with Douglas Rogers, Wim Wakker, Allan Atlas, Alexander Dunn (guitar), Elizabeth Bell (soprano), and pianists Joanne Last and Jin-Ok Lee. . . . .an all-Regondi evening. . . .for both concertina and guitar. . . . program will end with a bit of noise: R's arrangement of music from La Traviata for two trebles, baritone, and piano SPRING 2007: THE IRISH SQUEEZEBOX IN NEW YORK. . . . .three papers about the place of the concertina and accordion in Irish music. . . . . .a concert featuring Gearoid O'hAllmhurain and one other band . . . . . . Allan

Dear John: You might wish to look at the following article: Richard Carlin, "The Fayre Four Sisters: Concertina Virtuosi," THE FREE-REED JOURNAL, iii (2001), 79-88. The sisters were the daughters of Joseph Webb, who was the JoJo clown in the brothers' act. In addition, to three photos of the sisters on stage, there is another photo --- certainly well known among concertinists --- of the Webb Brothers. Perhaps you'd like to add the photos of the sisters to your website. If so, you should be in touch with Richard Carlin, in whose personal collection the photos reside..............Allan

FOLKS: boris matusewitch used to get the effect you're talking about by doing a kind of "shake" with his right hand. . . . . .it is anything BUT a real vibrato. . . .the kind that string player or singer uses to ENRICH the tone. . . . .make it FAT. . . . .make it LUSH. . . . . . . back in the 18th-century, vibrato was looked upon as an ORNAMENT. . . . . because it did alter the pitch back and forth very rapidly. . . .think of it as a kind of "miniature trill", if you will. . . . . . speaking for absolutely no one other than myself. . . . i can only say that when used in the concertina it's ABSOLUTELY ANNOYING.............unless one is going to use it very occasionally as a purposeful way to change the sound..........so that it becomes, in effect, an ORNAMENT............allan

FOLKS: as someone noted. . . .the survey that's posted at the Free-Reed Center website is flawed. . . . for example, responses from Massachusetts seem to have gotten lost entirely. . . . .however, there are some interesting instrument/gender correlations. . . . .i don't remember the figures off the top of my head. . . . .but the english was way ahead of the anglo with respect to female players. . . . .and for that there's a long tradition..............allan

FOLKS: just two minor additions to all this: Wheatstone definitely made two different sizes of bass concertinas. . . . .with the smaller one being specifically pegged toward women. . . . . .the evidence: his blurb in the 1851 Great Exhibition Catalogue. . . . .moreover, there are at least one or two entries in either C1052 or C1053 that are specifically recorded as "small bass". . . . . .and i have therefore chalked those up as having been purchased by women (in my Inventory). . . . a very very very good treatment of ladylike and unladylike instruments and when the latter started to become the former: Paula Gillett, MUSICAL WOMEN IN ENGLAND, 1870-1914: "ENCROACHING ON ALL MAN'S PRIVILEGES" (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000). . . .it's particularly good for the shift in the status of the violin with respect to women.............. allan

FOLKS: with respect to the range of Warren's "Last Rose" and "Bellini Variations": LAST ROSE: extends from the b (just below middle c') to g''' BELLINI VARIATIONS: extends from g (a fourth beneath middle c') to a''' thus neither piece requires the range of a 48-button instrument........... assuming that the published versions (and they were published well after the premieres) are what regondi played in 1834 and 1837. . . .he would have needed instruments with those ranges. . . . .obviously, the version that he performed back in the '30s could have differed somewhat from those published some twenty years later................allan P.S.: both pieces call for the duplicate accidentals. . . . .though they can be played without them (from a technical point of view). . . . . . .in fact, i can't remember the last time i touched the low d sharp. . . . .i use the low e flat almost all the time (even when the note notated is d sharp. . . unless i'm playing on my meantone instrument. . . in which case i'm careful to distinguish between the buttons)........just one of my own idiosyncracies.............allan

PAUL: good thinking!. . . .had completely forgotten that the pictures were there. . . .THANKS! i would venture to say that such an instrument could probably have managed most of what was available for the instrument in 1843........................allan

STEPHEN AND FOLKS: might have been NW's great-great-great (do we need another one)-grandfather. . . . . . . . . the question that you raise about the 38-button instrument -- otherwise high quality-- when 48s were becoming the standard is a good one. . . . . . . .as is the question about "musical" priorities. . . . . . . i think, though, that we have to look at the repertory that was available for the instrument. . . . . .as far as i can tell, there wasn't very much around. . . . . . .and though Joseph Warren had already begun to turn out virtuoso showpieces such as his variations on "The Last Rose of Summer" and the theme from the Bellini opera (the first of which Regondi played in Ireland in 1834 -- i find that truly amazing -- and both of which he played at the birmingham festival in 1837), the instrument was sold in 1843, prior, i think, to the time that regondi and blagrove started turning out their own big pieces. . . . . . . QUESTION FOR YOU (you would be the one to know): what would the layout have been on that 38-button instrument. . . . . .to what extent did it sacrifice "range" (OK--let's say it lost a note or so at the very top) and to what extent did they reduce the number of buttons by doing without the "duplicate" E flats/D sharps and A flats/G sharps (and thus sacrificing the instruments distinctive "meantone" tuning). . . . . .perhaps musical priorities were not entirely thrown to the wind. . . . . . allan

Just a little footnote to Stephen's note: yes, C104a does record the sale of no. 670 to MRS Wayne. . . .note, though: C1046 records the sale of the same instrument to MR Wayne. . . . .that is a fairly frequent conflict between the listings in those two ledgers. . . . .happens rather often...............Allan

FOLKS: about ten years ago, the New York Philharmonic approached the CUNY Graduate Center with a problem. . . . . .their subscribers were growing old (and not being replenished by a younger group). . . . .what could they do. . . . .THEY put forth the idea of attaching amplifiers to the backs of seats. . . . .why: because many of the older subscribers were becoming hard of hearing. . . . .. i think it's the same all over...........allan

FOLKS: that transaction for "Gascoigne": the name is followed by the annotation "10/6 per month hire". . . . . .this was the standard rental price during this period. . . . . .10 shillings/6 pence. . . . . . . I'm pretty sure the Gascoigne referred to is a "MRS". . . . . . . earlier notices seem to make this clear. . . . . . the ledger in which the above transaction is recorded, however, does not normally indicate gender. . . . . . . .A SHAME. . . . . . .though one can sometimes ferret it out under the following circumstance: there will be an entry for a name. . . . . .then, the next entry will have a long dash (indicating that the name remains the same) prefixed by either a Mrs or Mr. . . . . thus indicating that the name stays the same but that the gender is changing. . . . C1052 and 1053 are the two genderless ledgers...................Allan

GOOD FOLKS: please note that the absence of a price in the ledgers does NOT mean that it was "on the house". . . . . . .a close look will reveal that there is often one or another piece of information missing from any particular entry. . . . . . . FOR YOUR INFO: the sales ledgers contain 1,753 transactions that pertain to 972 women. . . . . .i am nearing completion of a major study of these particular entries. . . . .nearing completion = approximately another year or so............ Allan

DEAR NEILS: I would add one piece of advice and one only: hold the instrument in such a way that you are COMFORTABLE. I play with my left leg crossed over my right leg and with the concertina cradled weightlessly in my lap. I have not worn out any bellows (and i probably put in more hours on the instrument than most). You might like to see the little "history" of how the instrument has been held in my tutor, CONTEMPLATING THE CONCERTINA. . ., available from the Button Box.

FOLKS: in the Fall of 1960, i appeared in a broadway show called LAUGHS AND OTHER EVENTS. . . . .it was in the main, a one-man show featuring Stanley Holloway, who recreated an evening's worth of music hall entertainment. . . . i was one of the four musicians who "backed" him up. . . . .there was one point in the show at which i danced for about four measures worth of music. . . . .but only on those evenings on which Holloway could bear the thought of it. . . . . Allan

GOOD FOLKS: imagine the following: trumpets are blaring. . . .bass drums are banging. . . .pennants are swirling in the breeze! ! ! ! is it Notre Dame vs. USC? NO is it Yankees vs. Red Sox NO Duke vs. UNC. . .Tebaldi vs. Callas. . .Bush vs. Gore. . .: NO NO NO NO NO NO NO it's the launching of PICA ON LINE................ http://www.concertina.org/pica/Index.htm and give all the credit to (in alphabetical order): Jon McNamara and Wes Williams................. Allan p.s.: have no idea how to get rid of those codes...................

ANDY: we might have a copy of the Monichon book in our Free-Reed Center at the CUNY Grad Center. . . .check the website: http://web.gc.cuny.edu/freereed click on the library/archive button. . . ..then dig through the various categories. . . .it should be somewhere under literature. . . .probably under accordion within literature.............if i remember correctly, we also have some music by Reisner...................allan

FOLKS: there is at least one Simpson in the Wayne collection now in the Horniman. . . . .I played on it when it was still back in Belper. . . . .very nice sound. . . . .allan

FOLKS: there are bellows-driven organs that go way back to the middle ages. . . . ..on small instruments, these were pumped by the player him/herself. . . .held the instrument in such a way that it could be played with one hand and pumped with another. . . . .larger instruments needed two people. . . . .there's a good illustration (a woodcut) by Israel van Meckenem, AN ORGANIST AND HIS WIFE, c. 1490................Allan

DEAR ROBIN: it really would be a conflict of interests. . . . . . .but by all means go out and buy it. . . . . . . . . . .i suppose it could be reviewed in the Newsletter. . . . . . . and thanks for kind words about vol. 1............Allan

GOOD FOLKS: many thanks for the kind words about PICA. . . . . .the real hero is undoubtedly JON MCNAMARA, who did all the layout and generally supervised the production. . . . . as for the cost of hard copy to non-members: according to the information on the inside of the front cover. . . . . it's £5 Allan

STEPHEN AND FOLKS: I learned today that PICA, vol. 1, is now at the printers. . . . . .it should be ready for the weekend of the AGM (later in October). . . . .I imagine that it will be mailed out at around that time. . . . . .the electronic copy will follow as quickly thereafter as possible................. I have already begun to work on Volume 2, which will contain, among other things: an article about the concertina in South Africa by Harry Scurfield, one by Randy Merris on Marie Lachenal Debenham, another on acoustics by Tom Tonen, and a bibliography of the Matusewitch family by Eric Matusewitch. . . . . . . in addition: another "Historical Document". . . . . .another item for the "Picture Gallery". . . . .and probably two reviews................Allan