German Concertinas In Germany

[TomB-R]

Seeing the thread for the German Concertina Meeting

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=10308

and seeing pictures of English, Anglo and Duet concertinas on the linked site triggered a question.

 

Is there, was there, any tradition of playing German concertinas in Germany, or were those instruments made exclusively for export, whilst keeping the Chemnitzers etc for their own playing?

[Stephen Chambers]

Is there, was there, any tradition of playing German concertinas in Germany, or were those instruments made exclusively for export, whilst keeping the Chemnitzers etc for their own playing?

I've bought German concertinas from Germany, and they'd often come up on eBay, so they must have played them there - but lots (the majority?) of them went for export.

[JimLucas]

Seeing the thread for the German Concertina Meeting

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=10308

and seeing pictures of English, Anglo and Duet concertinas on the linked site triggered a question.

 

Is there, was there, any tradition of playing German concertinas in Germany, or were those instruments made exclusively for export, whilst keeping the Chemnitzers etc for their own playing?

The question has been asked in at least one past thread. No time to look it up.

 

But... the couple of times I was at the German Concertina Meeting in Bielefeld, there was instruction specifically in "German style" concertina playing on just such instruments. I also have a German-language tutor for 20-button (German) concertinas, published in Germany, and probably not more than a decade ago (it was a gift, so I don't know exactly). So there definitely is some sort of tradition, though I'm not able to tell you how widespread.

 

Maybe you should ask the organizers of the GCM?

[TomB-R]

You're right Jim, I should have searched a bit more before posting the topic.....

Discussion here

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9723&mode=threaded&pid=97854

 

I have also PM'd conzertino who started the German Gathering thread in case he has anything to add.

[Christian Husmann]

Hello,

 

maybe I can add something to this thread living in this country

Having joined dance teams and different music groups I acutally never came across these German concertinas actually being played. When you visit antique and flee markets and that sort of business you´ll always find these instruments in huge amounts.

Especially in the region where I live you´ll often find people playing these big square thingies (chemnitzers or bandonions or whatever they are called). We had family gatherings for example having musicians playing the music on them.

 

Having been to the concertina gatherings there are always people playing the German Concertina but compared to the other systems I think they are not widely spread. In the south of Germany you´ll find more often (well, not melodeons) these diatonic button-boxes which are as well a part of the Austrian folk music. Every four years there is a huge accordion championship in Austria and there is always one category for these diatonic accordions.

 

Greetings

Christian