Jump to content

Lachenal Accordeaphone in its full glory


Recommended Posts

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

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...