Keith, Prowse #28439

[didier]

Hi,

I am new in this forum and I'm french, living near Paris.

I don't know if I am in the right forum, but there's a lot of questions concerning this concertina, the 1st being : when was it made ? who were Keith & Prowse etc...

For my concern, the history with this instrument began 25 years ago in Paris, "rue du pas de la mule", near "la place des Vosges", by an antiquary (?), mr Bissonet, in musical instruments. At that time, I listened a lot of irish music (I still do !), particularly the Chieftains and their flute/concertina player Michael Tubridy. I appreciate the sound of the instrument and especially the little "noises" that accompanied the music made by the bellows and the buttons.

So, when I saw one, I bought it and hoped I could repair by myself... It is still in the same state 25 years later...

First of all, the bellows are to be entirely rebuilt. Next, the mechanisms are to be restored... I don't know if the instrument is worth the work needed to make it playable.

Has anybody an opinion on the subject ?

Below are some photos.

Thanks for your answers,

Didier

 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2005 by alcofribas

[Stephen Chambers]

Didier,

 

Robert William Keith and William Prowse founded Keith, Prowse & Co., a music shop and theatre ticket agency (the business still operates internationally in the latter capacity). They were pioneers at selling free reed instruments in London, starting in the early 1830's with the first accordions from Cyrill Demian in Vienna (they published a tutor for Demian's accordion, and I have one of his instruments with their stamp on it), then French accordions and Wheatstone's concertinas.

 

George Jones, in his memoir, wrote that "Mr. Dove started in Poland Street but made no headway and arranged with Keith Prowse [presumably in the 1850's] who purchased the tools etc. and who produced good instruments by the employment of Bankham, Card, Potter, and Parrish." But your concertina dates from the 1880's and was made by Lachenal & Co. (you can see where their name has been cut out of the paper label in the middle of the reed pan).

 

It is one of Lachenal's cheaper models of English system concertina, with brass reeds, but it would cost just as much to repair as a better model. On the other hand, Michael Tubridy plays both a Jeffries and a Lachenal (formerly Mrs. Crotty's) Anglo concertina, which is completely different to yours.

 

By the way, I was in the place des Vosges on Sunday three weeks ago, listening to three of the group Borsalino busking there, and looked into André Bissonet's shop window, but of course he was closed. I bought an interesting early French 1 1/2-row accordéon from him a couple of years ago, and my Psallmelodikon came from him (via Tony Bingham).

Edited July 25, 2005 by Stephen Chambers

[didier]

Thank you, Stephen for the infos/advices. What am I to do now ? The prices for new instruments I have seen on the web are too high (even if it's justified) for me.

[Stephen Chambers]

What am I to do now ? The prices for new instruments I have seen on the web are too high (even if it's justified) for me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Didier,

 

That probably depends on what you want a concertina for. It may be that your Keith, Prowse English concertina could meet your needs if it was repaired, but the brass reeds will make it both quieter and slower to speak than one with steel reeds. (I think Laurent Jarry, at La boite d'accordéon, in Montreuil may do some concertina repairs.)

 

But if you really want an Anglo, such as Michael Tubridy plays, and don't want to spend too much, your choices are limited. There are the Bastari/Stagi models made by Brunner in Italy, but they have lots of problems with their mechanisms and sound more like single-reed accordions, and still cheaper versions of that design are being made in China, but those are of very poor quality. However, I am developing a relatively inexpensive Anglo, with a proper concertina mechanism and a strong sound, myself and hope to have them available soon. They will be called the Triskel concertina, and the price will be €599.00 complete with case.

 

Otherwise you might consider starting with a two-row German concertina, such as all the players in Ireland used in days gone by, and some of the older players still prefer them. It would allow you to learn the basic 20 keys of the Anglo, but you wouldn't have the third row with the semitones.

[didier]

Stephen,

I knew about Laurent Jarry and for instant, it is perhaps the first thing to do : get his advice and know how much repairing my Keith / Prowse will cost.

[didier]

In 1979 as I was a young engineer at the french patent office, I had the opportunity to access "easily" to some old patents and particulaly to the Wheatstone's 1829 patent n° 5803. So I made a copy of the text and plans, but the conditions were not very good (particularly the plans were very fragile). Here are 2 images of them, with some work to make them "readable". Is it interesting that I digitalize the entire document for further publication on this forum ?

 

[Stephen Chambers]

Is it interesting that I digitalize the entire document for further publication on this forum ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Didier,

 

A good idea, but not necessary as it is already available online here, along with a lot more material on the www.maccann-duet.com website.

[didier]

Stephen,

 

(Let's come back to the original subject of this discussion !)

 

However, I am developing a relatively inexpensive Anglo, with a proper concertina mechanism and a strong sound, myself and hope to have them available soon. They will be called the Triskel concertina, and the price will be €599.00 complete with case.

 

Will you please let me know when the Triskell will be avalaible ?