Accordian
The accordion is a versatile, box-shaped musical instrument classified under the wind category. It features two free-reed organs connected by bellows that allow air to flow and produce sound through vibrating reeds. Typically, modern accordions include a keyboard for melody on the right side and buttons for bass and chords on the left. The instrument has deep historical roots, dating back to ancient Southeast Asia around 2700 B.C.E. with its predecessors like the Cheng. The modern accordion was developed in the 19th century, with significant contributions from German instrument maker Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann and later modifications by Cyrill Demian, who named it the akkordeon. By the early 20th century, the accordion gained global popularity, especially in genres such as Cajun zydeco, polka, and tango, as well as in classical music compositions. While its mainstream popularity declined with the rise of rock and roll, the accordion continues to thrive in various folk music traditions around the world.
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Accordian
The accordion is a portable, box-shaped musical instrument belonging to the wind category of instruments. Accordions consist of two free-reed organs—musical instruments that produce sound when air passes over a vibrating piece of metal called a reed. These reed organs are connected by folding bellows—chambers that can be expanded to draw air in and compressed to force air out. The air pumped in and out of the bellows makes the reed organs vibrate, producing sound. Modern versions have a keyboard on the right side of the bellows for playing melody notes. Buttons on the left side can produce bass sounds and harmony note sets, or chords. Similar instruments such as the concertina and the bandoneon do not have a keyboard but have chord-producing buttons on both sides of the bellows.
Overview
The musical ancestors of the accordion date back to about 2700 B.C.E. Ancient peoples of Southeast Asia were known to use free-reed instruments called Chengs, or shengs. Sounds were produced by blowing air through a mouthpiece that connected to an air chamber, which then travelled through thin bamboo tubes into the reeds. The Cheng eventually migrated to Europe and its mechanisms influenced the development of what became the modern accordion. Other reed instruments inspired by the Cheng include the mouth organ (harmonica), bandoneon, and concertina.
The accordion's prototype was invented by German instrument maker Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann in 1822. He called his invention the handäoline, which was essentially a chord-less version of the modern accordion. The instrument was later modified in 1829 by an organ maker in Vienna, Austria, named Cyrill Demian, who added harmonic abilities to his model. Demian named his instrument the akkordeon, which derived from the Italian word accordare ("sound together"). Demian's akkordeon consisted of several rows of buttons that produced a variety of harmonies, allowing players to create both complex musical textures and simple folk rhythms common in the traditional dance music of the time. Demian's instrument served as the model for what became the modern piano accordion.
By the early twentieth century, the accordion's popularity had grown on a global scale. German, French, Russian, Swedish, and American versions evolved out of Demian's model, all varying in size and number of keys and buttons. Advances in manufacturing also made the instrument more widely available to consumers. Italian manufacturers are often credited for the accordion boom, refining the instrument's shape and giving it qualities meant to lengthen its lifespan. American manufacturers followed suit with their own innovations. Increase in demand inspired makers to develop new features such as an expanded range of musical notes, providing accordion virtuosos with a greater musical palette. The accordion eventually found its way into popular music and its fame was further driven by the advent of radio.
The accordion was hugely popular in genres such as Cajun zydeco, polka, tango, and folk. It was also featured in the classical arrangements of several European composers such as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, Roy Harris, and Alban Berg. The early half of the twentieth century is often considered the accordion's golden age due to its popularity jazz, dance, and swing bands. The instrument's popularity waned as popular music such as rock and roll predominated. The instrument has remained popular in the folk music of various countries.
Bibliography
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