Konzertina-123

Thank you for the link. Indeed this is the same musician, he has made many records with different types of accordions that it is possible to recognize from the sound (on the same website there are records where he plays Pskov garmoshka and other where he has Livenka), but I definitely think that this one is English concertina, because it doesn't have any bass note, clearly, and the fast succession of notes would be nearly impossible with only one hand, on a standard Russian accordion like Livenka or Royalna. Moreover, nearly all Russian accrdions have double-notes and vibrato, except the miniature ones like on the photo on your web-link, but these miniatures' range never exceeds 12 notes and are not chromatic like the instrument used on the recording... Knowing the virtuosity of Nevsky and the known presence of concertina players in Russia in these years (Matusewitch,Piroshnikov etc), it would not be surprising that this is a concertina recording.

Please tell us what you think. In my opinion it sounds much like English concertina : http://www.russian-records.com/details.php?image_id=6668 http://www.russian-records.com/details.php?image_id=6786

The (unclear and erroneous) wikipedia article calls "Hromka" what is really an "Tulskaya garmon'" (invented in Tula). The instrument they call "Tulskaya" is a very old type, the "semiklapanka", which is not played anymore in Russia. The most common type is the unisonoric one, better described here : http://www.russian-garmon.ru/hromka

The standard Tulskaya garmon' or garmoshka has two rows of buttons and is fully unisonoric, the two rows of buttons match more or less the two middle rows of each side of an EC, i.e one row plays, for instance, C E G B D F A C and the other D F A C E G B D, with the same note push and pull of course. There are a few accidentals at the end of each row. It is extremely easy to learn. There is a different kind of instrument, much smaller, the Saratovskaya garmoshka, which is barely a single-row melodeon,diatonic and bisonoric, with one difference : the C E G etc. are played when pulling instead of pushing. It often has a little bell added on one side.

Whereas the Russian "Garmoshka" is unisonoric and diatonic...

Diatonic, I mean without the accidentals. Unisonoric : when a key produces the same sound pulling and pushing.

Thank you very much for this post. This is highly interesting. It would be interesting to build a new concertina with this system.

Thank you. In fact my first project was to make it hexagonal, but it was too difficult for a first instrument. Perhaps the next one !

Thank you very much. I am honoured by your comment, coming from someone who has such a great experience with miniature (and not only) concertinas.

The reeds are from a completely destroyed double-reeded Intona organette. They are made of steel, not as delicate as concertina reeds but good sounding, they "eat" less air than standard new accordion reeds, and they are fairly small.

Perhaps, in the coming few weeks.

Building of it began in February 2012, finished the 12th of May, the ends are 8cm x 8cm, it plays one diatonic octave, unisonoric, my goal was to make my own miniature English, it is the first free-reed instrument I build (after many restorations) Tthe ends are of oakwood and cherry-wood, leather comes from Mr. Alois Blüml, organette builder from Grassau, Bavaria (who makes great instruments, by the way), and brass buttons and action from a Lachenal, generously provided to me by a forum user, conzertino (thank you again !!)

This is my beloved Aeola 24530 from 1908 that I got in pristine condition from its former owner, a retired clown born in 1907 :

Could someone post on the forum photos of the inside of the instrument ? The seller says he will send them to anyone requesting them, but it would perhaps be simpler to have them posted here, so he will not receive hundreds of requests from concertina-curious people...

Would it be this one ? : http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=14047&st=0&p=134821&hl=earliest&fromsearch=1entry134821

This concertina which was for auction today and ended for only GBP 680 (!) appears to be probably one of the oldest known octogonal Wheatstones, with an unusual fretwork. Has anyone won this auction ? http://www.greatwesternauctions.com/catalogues/gs310312/lot0493.html

I know about the Stagi 18-key, but this is not what I am looking for. Ideally the best would be an eight-sided Aeola 12 key, but other vintage makers are right too.

I am interested too in buying a miniature English, preferably 12-key but 8 and 14 are right too. If someone have please email me;

Interesting./ In relation with Piroshnikoff, here is what I found : http://archive.jta.org/article/1933/06/16/2800926/isaac-piroshnikoff-dies-popular-concertina-artist Isaac Piroshnikoff, well-known concertina artist, died here Wednesday at his home, 461 Fort Washington Ave., of a heart attack. Piroshnikoff was born in the Ukraine on May 8, 1859. He was the founder of the Warsaw Conservatory and later became military bandleader at Vilna. He was also conductor of the orchestra at the Teachers' Institute there. His method of concertina instruction, which made it easy for beginners to grasp the fundamentals, was introduce# into many Russian teacher's institutes. In 1900 Piroshnikoff opened a publishing business in Vilna, printing a series of 24 booklets of famous stories about Russian and other European writers, several Yiddish and Hebrew textbooks, a collection of Jewish proverbs, and several Jewish ceremonial books with Russian translations. Piroshnikoff, who came to this country in 1912, organized the Workmen's Circle chorus, the Paterson Jewish chorus and several children's choruses.

I know about Matusewitch and Raphael, whose name was Raphael Sonnenberg - both of Russian Jewish origin, as well as another concertinist, Isaak Piroshnikoff who had founded an English concertina orchestra in St Petersburg in the late 1800's and who gave concerts in English-mandate Palestine around this time. Piroshnikoff has recorded some cylinders. These were concertists whereas the 1960's musicians seem to belong more to the music-hall and comic theatre (and circus ?) world. The musician from who I have my concertina was a clown from Poland, "Bati" was his stage name, he played his Aeola (now mine !) in several circuses including Staniewski, Amar, Medrano and Portier, the later ones in France when he emigrated in the 1930. I believe concertina players from East Europe were not rare at this time. But I was surprised to see that in Russia this tradition was still alive. In France (where I live) the last ones to play the concertina were Annie Fratellini and Raymond Devos, both passed away.

It seems that there exists a certain tradition of concertina playing in Russia, for instance this talented player : http://www.accordion.spb.ru/Valentin_Osipov.htm There are also concertina players of the 1950's-1960's, which are still enjoyed, especially Pavel Rudakov, apparently former clown : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKbWUxrhVLM Does anyone know further about these ?

One funny moment is when the man in full dress gives his metal clarinet to Grock. Grock tells him that he has also a clarinet, but that his one is wooden. The man replies that this one is made of silver, of pure silver. Grock asks him : "Even the holes ?" and the man says yes !

Begins at 21:04 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb_our5nLn4

This photo is exactly the opposite side of this block :

Here is a picture of the reed block. I have began to repair it, I have added a few reeds for playing. I will try to find better reeds because these ones are dirty and rusted... /P