The Cult of the English Concertina: a Chat with Miss Christine Hawkes
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A Brief History of the Anglo Concertina in the United States
Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMTA Brief History of the Anglo Concertina in the United States
by Dan Worrall
In the United States the Anglo-German concertina was very popular during the middle and late nineteenth century, but by the early twentieth century it had all but vanished from American popular culture, becoming only a Hollywood symbol of "the old days". After the revival of interest in traditional music and in concertinas from the 1960s the Anglo has once again had some popularity in the United States, but without connection to any tradition of its earlier widespread use in America. This paper attempts to reconstruct a basic history of the Anglo concertina in the U.S. by using nineteenth-century tutors, newspaper mentions, anecdotes from family histories, and archival photographs
Topics discussed include the early use of German concertinas in the Eastern U.S., the use of Anglo concertinas by Mormon and other western pioneers, use during the War Between the States, use by African-Americans, use in nautical contexts, use by immigrant and other ethnic groups, and use by the American branch of the Salvation Army.
This is the original publication of the article. Some previously unpublished photographs are included. Four nineteenth-century Anglo tutors identified as key have been scanned and are included in full as PDF files.
Instructions for the Salvation Army Concertina (1888)
Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMTInstructions for the Salvation Army Concertina
by Herbert H. Booth
The earliest known concertina tutor for the Salvation Army, compiled by Herbert H. Booth, son of Salvation Army founder William Booth. This booklet is devoted exclusively to chording on the Anglo concertina. The title's phrase "Salvation Army concertina" refers to an Ab/Eb concertina with 26 keys, the Salvation Army's standard issue into the twentieth century. The tutor provides I-IV-V chords (the "three chord trick") for a number of keys; the chords are shown as played with two hands without the melody, presumably as an accompaniment for singing or for other instruments playing melody. (Scan from Stephen Chambers, description by Randall C. Merris.)London: Published by The Salvation Army Bookstores, 8 and 9, Paternoster Square, E.C., 1888. Price 3d. 16pp. including covers.Howe's Eclectic School for the Concertina (1879)
Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMTHowe's Eclectic School for the Concertina
by Elias Howe, Jr.
Elias Howe (1820-1895) was a prolific nineteenth century publisher of sheet music and tutors for a wide variety of popular instruments of his day. This book, which is significantly lengthier than his "Western German Concertina School" tutor, has a slightly more detailed introduction to playing the German concertina. This introduction is written in both English and German, indicating that at least some German-Americans were using the two row Anglo-German instrument. Like the "Western" collection, it contains American popular and patriotic songs, dances, operatic and Irish airs, hymns, and Civil War era melodies. Concertina tablature, in the form of numbered buttons for an instrument keyed in C and G, is found throughout. Boston: Published and Sold by Elias Howe, 88 Court Street, 1879. In English and partly in German. 80pp. including covers.Howe's Western German Concertina School (1879)
Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMTHowe's Western German Concertina School
by Elias Howe, Jr.
Elias Howe (1820-1895) was a prolific nineteenth century American publisher of sheet music and tutors for a wide variety of popular instruments. This book has a brief introduction to the German concertina keyed in C and G, but focuses on a collection of American popular and patriotic songs, dances, operatic and Irish airs, hymns, and Civil War era melodies. The hymns are largely taken from the shape note tradition. Concertina tablature in the form of numbered buttons is found throughout. The settings are typically simple, unaccompanied melodies; Howe seems to have simply taken melodies from his vast collection of American tunes and transcribed them to concertina-friendly keys. Boston: Published and Sold by Elias Howe, 88 Court Street, 1879.
48pp. including covers.Sedgwick's Improved and Complete Instructions for the German Concertina (1893)
Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMTSedgwick's Improved and Complete Instructions for the German Concertina
by Alfred B. Sedgwick
Alfred Blair Sedgwick (1821-1878) was an early music hall concertinist; born in England, he migrated to the US ca. 1850. He much preferred the English system over that of the German concertina, as his introductory notes to this tutor make clear, but bowed to the popular preference for the latter instrument and prepared a number of tutors for it. This tutor, one of his later and more complete ones, contains a lengthy introduction to musical notation, as well as instruction tailored to the German concertina with a set of progressive exercises. The tunes which follow are generally more demanding than those of Howe's books, and have been thoughtfully adapted to the anglo. Many have simple harmonies and a few are challenging, fully harmonic pieces requiring a full two-handed chorded treatment (see, for example, "Dodworth's Lancers"). The tutor also contains some concertina duets. Concertina tablature, in the form of numbered buttons for an instrument keyed in C and G, is found throughout. Boston: Published by Oliver Ditson & Co., 277 Washington Street, 1893. 80pp. plus covers and 1-page unnumbered insert. "Preliminary Remarks" dated from "Brooklyn, L.I., January, 1865."The Cult of the English Concertina: a Chat with Miss Christine Hawkes
Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMTThe Cult of the English Concertina: a Chat with Miss Christine Hawkes
by Norman Fraser
Informative interview with Christine Hawkes who in 1907 had given successful concertina concerts in the West End of London. Miss Hawkes has been "inundated with ... shoals of letters from people anxious to learn the concertina, " and she gives a number of practical tips on buying a concertina and on practising. She recommends "the English concertina as patented by Sir Charles Wheatstone in 1829, " ... "as distinguished from the cheap German atrocities with which Bank Holidays make us all too familiar." Miss Hawkes "was lucky enough at the beginning to come across a copy of Regondi's 'Concertina Exercises, ' but whether this work is published now she does not know." Contributed by Stuart Eydmann. First published in Cassell's Magazine, June 1908 to November 1908, pp. 159-161.
Documents for the study of English, Anglo, and Duet concertinas.
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