The concertina - a personal view

Background

The English system concertina was invented by Charles Wheatstone in the mid-19th century and rapidly became popular through the Victorian era as a drawing room instrument, but also used in music halls, Salvation Army bands, and for a short period of time as a new chamber instrument for more serious music.  The Anglo-German or "Anglo" concertina (which unlike the English system plays a different note on in and out movements of the bellows), also became popular and even more so today, although this system is not covered on this website.  The English concertina was never cheap to buy, and while today it is used to play folk music, it is doubtful that the peasant farmer or other rural-dweller would have been able to afford to take it up.  However, the cheaper Anglo concertina was taken to foreign lands by sailors and other travellers, who would have found its compactness and portability valuable on ship.

The concertina revival

The concertina went through a revival in the 1960s and was greatly facilitated by people like Neil Wayne, who's "Free Reed" magazine was a rich resource to those with an interest in the instrument.  Since the 1960s interest has grown to the extent where antique concertinas attract high prices and there are many excellent restorers and makers of new instruments. Primarily, the interest is from people who play Irish and other folk tunes on the instrument, but there are also many who are interested in more formal music and seek to play music from the concertina's late 19th century heyday, and also those who write modern music for the instrument.  There is a large amount of material on the Internet about the concertina, including these very substantial and authoritative sites

Concertina Net
The Concertina Library
Concertina FAQ
Wikipedia article on concertinas

All of these sites contain copious links to other sites about concertinas.  Also, the International Concertina Association is well worth joining providing a wide range of resources including a library of music, workshop events, and an excellent journal which comes with a very useful music supplement.

The concertina - why play it?

Its compact size, makes it completely portable.

- I have carried two concertinas in a canvas shopping bag, and also carried one in a small rucksack.  It does not look like I am carrying a valuable musical instrument and so theft is less likely.

It can be played in any position.

- In his leaflet published in 1865, A Short Account of the English Concertina, William Cawdwell notes that the concertina may be played standing, sitting, walking, kneeling or lying down: "If confined to the house with a sprained ankle, you may play while reclining on the sofa. . .  when you are convalescent you may take your instrument into the fields".  I have played the concertina sitting outside a tent in a campsite in France and have also played it in the car on a wet day, and also while sitting on a bench by the sea.

Its range of over three octaves, being fully chromatic allows music to be played in any key.

- It can play music written for many instruments without transposition or adaptation.  While today it is best known in folk music circles, it can also be used to play music from the classical repertoire.  Many types of ethnic music play well on the concertina, and I would particularly mention music for the Northumbrian small pipes and the Breton bagpipes, which on the concertina retains many of the characteristics of the original instruments.

Those who love the concertina appreciate some more nebulous qualities.  There is something very satisfying about the instrument, and it sometimes feels like a living thing, breathing and making sounds like a small creature, and also:

- It feels "right" in the hands.  
- The fingers fall onto the keys without strain.
- Its size and weight are manageable and do not cause discomfort.  
- The bellows seems to move in and out naturally with little effort.  

I own two English system concertinas.  These can be viewed by clicking on the navigation buttons at the top of this page. I am indebted to Andrew Norman of Shrewsbury for restoring these two antique musical instruments.