Chris Timson Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 Hi all. Some of you will know that we have owned a Lachenal Accordeaphone (surely among the world's rarest musical instruments) for a good few years now but we hadn't made much of it as it needed quite extensive renovation and it has proved a problem finding a repairer who would take the job on. Well I am now pleased to report that Jake Middleton-Metcalf of Wolverton Concertinas has taken the job on with great fortitude and triumphed! Yesterday we got the machine back, beautifully renovated. The Accordeaphone was intended to be Lachenal's answer to the piano accordion, which in the 1930s was sweeping all before it. It has three reeds on each note and uses concertina reeds and methods of construction throughout. The button layout is that of an English concertina. 20 were made but only 8 were sold by the time Lachenal went bankrupt. Wheatstone bought their stock and scrapped the remaining 12. Of the 8 sold we only know where four are and this is one of them. In this video Anne Gregson plays The Lark in the Clear Air on the beast. Chris 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcoover Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 And here's what the ends of these beasts look like, from Neil Wayne's collection (photo taken in 1979). Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Dudgeon Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 Wow! Thank you for sharing that video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 That'll be the unplayable one in the Horniman. Colin Dipper's is the same black finish. Ours is ... a bit strange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Middleton-Metcalfe Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Thank you for posting the video, I really enjoyed hearing that. I was not really able to get much of a tune out of it - being an anglo player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Kruskal Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Cool! Beautiful playing Anne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wild Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 I expect you will know something of the history of Sid Ive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted July 7, 2020 Author Share Posted July 7, 2020 If you do, John, we would very much love to hear. After quite a bit of searching all we do know is this: a) according to the professional card affixed inside the instrument case he lived in Wood Green, London N22; b) according to a 1950's Concertina World the Holloway (I think it was) branch of the ICA thanked him for the loan of some concertinas. It's not much to build a picture on ... Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wild Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 I vaguely recall being asked about the name in the context of ICA membership, and it was found in the membership book. From memory, I am thinking the last entry found was around 1971. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted July 7, 2020 Author Share Posted July 7, 2020 That's something, thanks. I have a picture of a man born around the beginning of the 20th century and a music hall/variety performer in the 30s and 40s, which ties with the time the Accordeaphones were made in the mid 1930s and the paint job he had done to it. As an older man he belonged to the ICA and loaned concertinas to new players. Could be pure fantasy but at least it ties up with the little we know. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted July 7, 2020 Author Share Posted July 7, 2020 It seems he may well have been present at the very first meeting of the ICA: "According to the information in Newsletter 200, 1972 which is in the digital archive of the ICA, there was an Inaugural meeting on 27 September 1952 of the International Concertina Association. See below: “No.2 Newsletter was issued in October 1952. It is not signed and bears no address so we do not know who wrote it. Among the names mentioned in it are: Fred Read, Alf Edwards, Charlie Parslay, Wilfred Pearce, J. Floyd, Inga Webb, Sylvia Webb, Cheetham Walters, Helen Bland, Father Loveless,Al Coomber, Herbert Greene, Sid Ive, Rosa Loader, Teddy Stream, Con Courtney, J. Mearns, Thomas Murphy, A.G.Peters." (My italics). This is from newsletter no. 150 in 1968: "Very pleasant to have good wishes from Syd Ive, whose baritone concertina is in regular use by the Holloway Monday class". Chris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.