Wish List

[Bill Worsfold]

Is there anywhere I can find old recordings and print articles online. Is there an archive of concertina stuff?

 

Especially, I would love to get hold of Alf Edwards  'Art of the Concertina' album. I know I could probably buy a vinyl copy (at great expense) on ebay, but then I'd need to get something to play it on too. It doesn't seem to be around on CD. Has anyone uploaded it for download anywhere?

 

The other thing I'd love to get again is Lou Killen's article on playing English concertina from a 1971 Sing Out magazine (April/May, Vol 20 #4)

It was accompanied by an article by Michael Cooney. Both were a godsend when I got my first concertina back then, and I'd love to reread them, but I seem to have lost my photocopy. Can articles like that be uploaded to some central site for concertina players reference, or are there copyright issues in the way?

 

Another article that certainly deserves to be drawn to the attention of EC players, is Frances Wilkins article 'Scottish Music on the English concertina' in PICA vol 9. It's pure gold for players, but buried in a heap of dusty historical relics. If you want to check it out, go to the ICA site, click on PICA in the left column and download volume 9. Again it would be nice if it were in some central source for players.

Thanks,

Bill

[Roger Hare]

3 hours ago, Bill Worsfold said:

Is there anywhere I can find old recordings and print articles online. Is there an archive of concertina stuff?

 

Especially, I would love to get hold of Alf Edwards  'Art of the Concertina' album. I know I could probably buy a vinyl copy (at great expense) on ebay, but then I'd need to get something to play it on too. It doesn't seem to be around on CD. Has anyone uploaded it for download anywhere?

 

The other thing I'd love to get again is Lou Killen's article on playing English concertina from a 1971 Sing Out magazine (April/May, Vol 20 #4)

It was accompanied by an article by Michael Cooney. Both were a godsend when I got my first concertina back then, and I'd love to reread them, but I seem to have lost my photocopy. Can articles like that be uploaded to some central site for concertina players reference, or are there copyright issues in the way?

 

Another article that certainly deserves to be drawn to the attention of EC players, is Frances Wilkins article 'Scottish Music on the English concertina' in PICA vol 9. It's pure gold for players, but buried in a heap of dusty historical relics. If you want to check it out, go to the ICA site, click on PICA in the left column and download volume 9. Again it would be nice if it were in some central source for players.

Thanks,

Bill

Are you aware of the Concertina Library? This might supply at least some of your wants.

 

The contents of the ICA journal are already in a "central source for players" - it's the ICA

web site, to which you refer in your post. How central do you want stuff to be? Do you want

a site which contains just anything and everything which you find interesting and nothing

else? Dream on...

 

Not sure I altogether like your description of other stuff (stuff which doesn't interest you?)

as "dusty historical relics" - different strokes for different folks - this is a broad church...

Edited July 26, 2019 by lachenal74693

[Bill Worsfold]

Oops! Sorry if I offended you. Yes, I am aware of the excellent resources at the Concertina Library. The articles I mentioned are not there - it would be great if they were. Do you think there's any chance of that?

 

I tend to think (rightly or wrongly) of the ICA as a predominantly classical association.

 

I think that what I was hoping for was a bit of categorical separation. I read through all of the PICA papers. Most of it was historical articles about old designs, makers and Music Hall players. Frances Wilkins article jumps out as really useful info for players (in my field, admittedly.) It's a pity that most people who would find it useful, probably won't find it. I'm not suggesting that everything that I can't use should be junked - just that, maybe, if things are streamed towards their most appropriate audience, more people will benefit.

[Roger Hare]

2 hours ago, Bill Worsfold said:

Oops! Sorry if I offended you. Yes, I am aware of the excellent resources at the Concertina Library. The articles I mentioned are not there - it would be great if they were. Do you think there's any chance of that?

 

I tend to think (rightly or wrongly) of the ICA as a predominantly classical association.

 

I think that what I was hoping for was a bit of categorical separation. I read through all of the PICA papers. Most of it was historical articles about old designs, makers and Music Hall players. Frances Wilkins article jumps out as really useful info for players (in my field, admittedly.) It's a pity that most people who would find it useful, probably won't find it. I'm not suggesting that everything that I can't use should be junked - just that, maybe, if things are streamed towards their most appropriate audience, more people will benefit.

I wasn't offended, just mildly puzzled ?. You would need to talk to sysman at Concertina Library to discuss the

possibility of adding material to that particular archive.

 

I hadn't thought of PICA as "predominantly classical" - maybe you have a point.

 

The 'problem' (as I see it) with "categorical separation" is that by salami-slicing(*) stuff into finer and finer sub-divisions

of subject matter, you reduce the chance of serendipity kicking-in with unanticipated (but welcome) consequences.

For example: only yesterday, while querying the (mildly illegible) title of a piece in a 19th century MS, I was made aware

that the piece concerned featured in an early 18th century ballad opera. While investigating that, I stumbled across an

absolutely fascinating article about broadside ballads (and associated music) in 18th century colonial America.  If the

material concerned had been too finely categorised, I would never have found that paper about broadside ballads.

 

There has to be a 'happy medium' somewhere?

 

As it happens, I had already read the article you cite. Why? Because I read the preceding article about Miniature 'tinas,

and thought the following article looked 'interesting'. If the one had been isolated from t'other, again, I never would have

seen it...

 

Oh, aye, Alf Edwards - try these:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK0jrn9sGUQ (Moby Duck - great film!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElbCT-QPe60 (I think that like Wagner's music, Bert Lloyd's voice is better than it sounds...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGQqgwZ-nRM&list=PLhSp1I0HhFFfG-OF4kCCRfwPoIspT7mXm (more in playlist at RHS)

 

There's a discography for Bert Lloyd here (type lloyd in the search box). Alf Edwards features on many of these - some of

which may be available in forms other than vinyl?

 

It just occurs to me that there is another source of information available -  The Concertina Journal. Of course, you may

already be aware of this, but just in case... The top-level page offers the opportunity to subscribe to a mailing list which

alerts you to new material...

 

(*) I like my salami sliced thin, and my liverwurst sliced thick ?.

 

 

Edited July 26, 2019 by lachenal74693

[Bill Worsfold]

The happy medium could simply be cross-indexing articles to draw attention of those most likely to be interested  or copying to another place - the article doesn't need to be removed from one place in order to put it somewhere else, if you know what I mean.

 

Concertina Journal seems altogether way too scholarly for me, but I did notice that Concertina Library does invite suggestions for other works to include so I shall write to them.

 

I was just kind of hoping that someone could offer a soundfile of Alf Edwards record and a pdf of the Sing Out articles, but even better would be if they were available somewhere for anyone who wants them.

 

Thank you for your suggestions,

Cheers,

Bill

 

[McDouglas]

The Frances Wilkins is indeed a wonderful article.  Here's the link:  http://www.concertina.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/PICA09-2012.pdf

 

[Bill Worsfold]

Another essential resource for folk inclined EC players is Alistair Andersons Concertina Worshop tutor from the 70's. It can be downloaded at:

http://www.free-reed.co.uk/concertinaworkhop.pdf

 

I came across the accompanying album at:

Cheers,

Bill