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McCann, Macann, or Maccann?


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The Professor plays two concertinas, one in each hand, and produces some most harmonious effects."

Maybe that's what drove him crazy?!?

I was thinking that maybe it's what prompted him to develop the Maccann duet.

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The Professor plays two concertinas, one in each hand, and produces some most harmonious effects."

Maybe that's what drove him crazy?!?

I was thinking that maybe it's what prompted him to develop the Maccann duet.

 

There are plenty of mentions, and even a photo, of him doing it:

 

Maccann%202%20concertinas.jpg

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Well (you'll be relieved to hear) we can safely rule out "Professor McCann" with the Irish terriers act :rolleyes: - I've found his obituary in the Yorkshire Evening Post of 3rd March 1947, and he was a Mr. Andrew McCann, aged 75, a native of Dublin who lived 30 years in Leeds.

 

The description of his dog act there closely matches descriptions of that particular Professor McCann's one.

Edited by Stephen Chambers
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The Professor plays two concertinas, one in each hand, and produces some most harmonious effects."

Maybe that's what drove him crazy?!?

I was thinking that maybe it's what prompted him to develop the Maccann duet.

 

There are plenty of mentions, and even a photo, of him doing it:

 

Maccann%202%20concertinas.jpg

 

 

 

Well, I guess if anyone can, McCann, can! :ph34r:

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Wow (to the photograph)!

 

Could anyone explain how he did this?

 

It looks like it would be very rough on the instruments.

 

Also, I presume the medals were for various concertina competitions. Or were they for something else?

Edited by Mike Franch
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It might be mentioned that at least one of the instruments in fact is a duet...

 

The one is definitely a Maccann button layout, so presumably they both are.

 

But he's still only playing half of each, so only one "entire" concertina is being played, in spite of him holding two.

 

Showmanship reigns. B)

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Well, it looks like this is it. A report in the Liverpool Echo of Thursday 14 October 1915, a column entitled ‘Bee’s Sports Notes’:

 

‘Local Personality Passes Hence’

 

“At football grounds we have personalities. There’s the concertina expert and the purveyor of gingerbread from a tray . . . Today I take leave to announce that the city life and football grounds are the poorer by reason of the absence of Professor M’Cann, who died this week. A clever player, technically excellent, and a man with odd notions about “trimming” pieces he played. Professor M’Cann was known all over the city for his gentlemanliness and his expert music.

 

The professor in his time headed the music hall bills, so I am informed, but of late years his abilities were confined to entertaining publicans’ customers and Liverpool football crowds. Without his melody, whilst awaiting the appearance of the teams, or during the interval, a football crowd will feel something lacking.”

 

Typical that his obituary should appear in a column of sports news. And typical that they got his name wrong even at the end.

 

Andrew

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Oh well done sir!! How did you manage to track that one down? Sounds rather sad that at the end of his time he was reduced to entertaining pub customers and football crowds.

I believe someone earlier in the thread had tracked down an entry in the Register of Deaths for this period, had tried to obtain the death certificate, but was told that the record was not available ?

Edited by Irene S.
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The 'British Newspaper Archive' is a wonderful site for this sort of research. Digital facsimilies of over 200 years of British newspapers, national and local, all searchable. It's just a matter of what to search for. I combined Liverpool and concertina, then every variant of 'Maccann' I could think of until that one popped up.

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Excellent research, Andrew ! And what a great chase it's been to track down the details of the musical Professor's life, both good and bad.

 

Although I'm sure the limelight of the music hall could be considered a career high point by some, I rather like the idea he ended up playing the half-time show for football games. To deliberately confuse English and American football, that would put him right up there with Beyoncé, U2, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, ZZ Top and The Blues Brothers!

 

Gary

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Ahhh - not sure about that, Gary. It sounds more like he was a persistent busker, probably bought his own ticket and played for the crowd in the hope of some loose change and a pie. Not quite in the same league as the Stones etc.!

 

Andrew

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We've been treated to two great stories here: that of the Professor (or should it be The Professor?) and that of The Search for the Professor.

 

Well done, and deserving of thanks from all of us, whatever system we play.

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Well, it looks like this is it. A report in the Liverpool Echo of Thursday 14 October 1915, a column entitled ‘Bee’s Sports Notes’:

 

‘Local Personality Passes Hence’

 

Heartiest congratulations Andrew, well done!!! :)

 

I was hoping something like that might shake loose out of all this. But how typical that it still doesn't lead to a death record that's instantly recognisable as his, but then we already knew that wouldn't happen...

 

But the most likely candidate seems to be a John McCann age 69 (so seemingly born c.1846, rather than 1860!) who died in Liverpool in the last quarter of 1915. You've probably ordered the cert for him?

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... how typical that it still doesn't lead to a death record that's instantly recognisable as his, but then we already knew that wouldn't happen...

 

But the most likely candidate seems to be a John McCann age 69 (so seemingly born c.1846, rather than 1860!) who died in Liverpool in the last quarter of 1915.

 

Or maybe not? The 1911 Census lists a John McCann born in 1846, a Freight Clerk employed by a Shipping Coy. and living at Everton, West Derby - so more likely him... :huh:,

Edited by Stephen Chambers
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