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75 years of harmonica and gaming community: A look back at history!
The Oberboihingen harmonica and playing community is celebrating its 75th anniversary with an anniversary concert on October 18th.
75 years of harmonica and gaming community: A look back at history!
On Saturday, October 18th, the Oberboihingen harmonica and gaming community will celebrate its 75th anniversary with an anniversary concert. This not only awaits the listeners with musical performances, but also provides an exciting look back at the early days of the club.
It is undisputed that the accordion has a special meaning in the region. The instrument, also known as a “squeeze chest” or “boat piano”, is often played in southern Germany. Its versatile uses and emotional expressiveness make it particularly popular, especially in folk music and traditional celebrations.
History of the accordion
The accordion's roots go back to 1829, when it was registered for a patent in Vienna. Its inventor, Cyrill Demian, together with his sons Carl and Guido, presented an instrument that consisted of a small box with springs on steel plates and bellows. Originally, the first accordion only had two chords: the basic chord and the dominant.
Until around 1860, the first accordions were diatonic and alternate-tone, without keys or buttons. A significant advance came in 1854 when Matthäus Bauer presented a half-tone instrument with a three-row machine, considered the forerunner of today's chromatic button accordion. The accordion continued to evolve, and around 1900 the modern standard bass, also called the stradella bass, gained popularity.
Popularity of the accordion in Germany
In Germany, the Hohner company made the accordion popular in the 1920s by founding accordion orchestras and creating its own accordion literature. But not only the companies, but also the music lovers themselves contributed to the spread of the instrument. In the 1960s there was a division in accordion building between the VEB Klingenthaler Harmonikawerke in the GDR and Hohner in the West.
Current trends show that accordion design is evolving. HOHNER is developing new, single-course accordions for children, while there is a trend towards simple designs among professional concert instruments. This ensures the continued popularity of the accordion.
For further information about the anniversary concert and other accordion festivals Harmonica International. It is expected that not only club members, but also numerous accordion friends from all over the region will come together to properly celebrate this special anniversary.