Posted 15 August 2005

The Life and Times of the Concertina:
the adoption and usage of a novel musical instrument with particular reference to Scotland

Stuart Eydmann

Notes for the web edition

This dissertation was examined in late 1994 and approved by the Open University examination board in early 1995. At its heart, are field recordings which were undertaken during the 1980s of many of the older (i.e. over 65 years of age) concertina players active in Scotland at the time. Only a fragment of the oral and musical testimony of these players is presented here and it is my intention to make more of this material available through this site in due course. I have also accumulated an archive of related photographic and ephemeral material that I would also like to share in time. The field recordings are to be transferred to the School of Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh in the near future although it is also my hope to make selected pieces available, perhaps as MP3 files.

It has been my ambition for some time to publish the study on the web but this has been delayed due to lack of time, the technical difficulties of converting the material to electronic format, a desire to protect the featured musicians and their families and some reluctance to expose my meagre work to the general public. However, reading it during the preparation for the online edition I am confident that, on the whole, it has stood the test of time and still provides a reasonably accurate and accessible survey of the history of the instrument that also helps to make a small contribution to the grossly under researched area of Scottish music studies. In undertaking the work I did not have the advantage of access to the Internet and the treasures which it offers, nor was I aware of the excellent work of Professor Allan Atlas of New York so inevitably there are gaps in the knowledge it contains. Despite this I feel that my positioning of the instrument in its broader historical and contexts remains a strength which gives the thesis particular value. It is hoped, therefore, that this work might be the model for other studies of other instruments.

The study merely scrapes the surface of some areas that would be worthy of detailed study by others. In particular I would single out the concertina in the Salvation Army (Chapters 8 and 9) and recommend the organisation's journals (such as The Musician) for their wealth of articles on the instrument and its players. Chapter 11 on the folk music revival (where I came in!) has been expanded in a paper published as "The Concertina as an Emblem of the Folk Music Revival in the British Isles," British Journal of Ethnomusicology 4 (1995), 41–49, but the area is ripe for more detailed research, particularly as so many key players are still with us.

Much has, of course, come to light since I undertook my research. For instance, other articles in this web site contain recently discovered material on the musical activities of Bridgman, the Lachenals and Maccann in Scotland and I am sure there is much more to come. Since 1995 I have kept a file of additional information on the concertina in Scotland and unless specific items are worthy of publishing in their own right I intend to prepare an update chapter of snippets.

The academic version carried the following acknowledgements:

I am grateful to Norman Chalmers and Ann Ward for their encouragement of my early research into the concertina in Scotland and to William Grant and Sons Ltd. for their sponsorship of my preliminary programme of field recording through the assistance of a Glenfiddich Living Scotland Award. The support of Professor Ruth Finnegan of the Open University and Dr. Peter Cooke of Edinburgh University helped me put my work on an academic footing and I am indebted to the Research Degrees Committee of the Open University for subsequently offering registration as a part time external student. My supervisors Dr. Peter Cooke (external) and Dr. Richard Middleton (internal) have skilfully and tactfully steered my work while freely offering expertise, experience and knowledge as required.
The efficiency and patience of staff in a number of institutions has been crucial to my research, including those of the National Library of Scotland (in particular Ruzena Wood and Roger Duce of the Music Library), The British Library, The Reid Music Library and the Main Library of Edinburgh University, the Central and Music Libraries of The City of Edinburgh District Council, The Mitchell Library, Glasgow, The National Sound Archive, London, B.B.C. Radio Scotland and The Irish Traditional Music Archive, Dublin. The Inter-Library Loan Service has been invaluable. Iris Bishop, Librarian of the International Concertina Association must be mentioned for her help in providing access to the organisation’s archive.

There are many others who should have been mentioned for their assistance and encouragement including Jo Miller, Steve Sutcliffe, Peggy Duesenberry, Frank Bruce and, of course, Márín, Maeve and Calum Eydmann who allowed me to indulge in this project.

Finally, this edition could not have been possible without the assistance of Robert Gaskins who managed to prod me into action and was able to address all technical issues with ease and no little style. The www.concertina.com web site is a true example of the democratisation of information and one with which I am delighted to be associated.

Stuart Eydmann
Edinburgh, July 2005

Note: the last item in the list below is a link to the full document in one file,
containing all the sections listed, to read or download.

 

chapter 01 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 1: Introduction
by Stuart Eydmann
The dissertation in context including some background to the project, its relevance to Scottish music studies and the methodology adopted. In particular it considers options for musical instrument based studies which can accommodate economic and social considerations alongside the musical and organological aspects. Pages 1–22.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
chapter 02 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 2: The Modern Free-Reed Instrument in Context
by Stuart Eydmann
A brief introduction to the free reed instruments of the world and in particular the experimental development and subsequent incorporation of the means of sound making into viable musical instruments with a commercial potential. Pages 23–37.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
chapter 03 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 3: The Invention of the Concertina
by Stuart Eydmann
Following on from the previous chapter this looks at the arrival of the concertina on the musical scene. Attention is paid to the motivation behind its creation and design including, of course, the central role of Charles Wheatstone. Pages 38–58.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
chapter 04 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 4: Concertinists, Concerts and Composers
by Stuart Eydmann
A look at the principal early champions of the concertina and their musical activities. William Bridgman of Edinburgh is considered in some detail. Pages 59–78.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
chapter 05 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 5: The English Concertina: Instrument of the Victorian Middle Classes
by Stuart Eydmann
A discussion of how the English concertina was taken up by middle class amateur musicians and the development of an extensive infrastructure of teachers, composers, publishers, manufacturers and retailers. Pages 79–109.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
chapter 06 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 6: The Anglo-German Concertina: Product Diversification in an Expanding Market
by Stuart Eydmann
How the Anglo-German concertina found favour with the working classes of the nineteenth century including its popularity in Scotland in the period between 1850 and 1875 after which the button accordion became a more attractive option. Consideration is given to the implications of the performance of Scottish traditional music on the instrument. Pages 110–150.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
chapter 07 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 7: The Concertina in the Music Hall and Variety Theatre
by Stuart Eydmann
Consideration of the lives and music of the second wave of professional concertinists—those who made their living within the flourishing music hall and variety theatre circuit in Scotland and beyond. Pages 151–193.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
chapter 08 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 8: Concertina Bands
by Stuart Eydmann
The concertina band movement which developed in parallel with the brass band and other communal music making activities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Contains examples of repertory and musical arrangements. Pages 194–211.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
chapter 09 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 9: The Concertina as an Instrument of Sacred Music
by Stuart Eydmann
How the concertina was adopted and used by the evangelical groups which came to prominence in the British Isles from the 1880s onwards. A number of key musicians are considered in some detail. Pages 212–243.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
chapter 10 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 10: Working Class Adoption of the English Concertina in Scotland 1900-1945
by Stuart Eydmann
An in-depth look at the amateur use of the concertina in urban Scotland, particular attention to the inter-war period when it was particularly popular in Glasgow. Contains musical transcriptions, photographs and oral testimony from a number of important players who are representative of the period. Pages 244–283.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
chapter 11 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 11: Twentieth Century Revivals
by Stuart Eydmann
How the concertina enjoyed a flourishing of interest through the activities of the International Concertina Association and how, around the same time, the instrument was "rediscovered" by the folk music revival. Pages 284–317.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
chapter 12 of Eydmann, Life and Times Chapter 12: Current Developments
by Stuart Eydmann
A 1994 snapshot of the current use of the concertina with some discussion of how its role might develop in the future. Pages 318–340.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf
bibliography of Eydmann, Life and Times Bibliography
by Stuart Eydmann
Comprehensive bibliography, over 400 items. Pages 341–365.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full chapter in pdf

Read or Download the Whole Document in a Single File

stuart-eydmann-thesis-all The Life and Times of the Concertina:
the adoption and usage of a novel musical instrument with particular reference to Scotland
by Stuart Eydmann
The entire dissertation as a single PDF file. Includes all 13 sections above, in order. Size is about 25 megabytes. Click on the title or picture to open the document in PDF, or right-click and choose “Save Target As …” to save a personal copy of the entire file to your computer. 365 pages.
Posted 15 June 2005
» read full document in pdf (or right-click to download)

Author

Stuart Eydmann ( ) was born and educated in Fife. Since graduating from the Glasgow School of Art in 1975 he has pursued a career in heritage conservation. In 1987 he received a Glenfiddich Living Scotland Award for his oral history of the free-reed instruments and in 1995 gained a PhD from the Open University for his thesis on the concertina and its players in Scotland. He has taught history of popular and traditional music with the Open University and the the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. As a fiddle and concertina player he performs and records with the Scottish traditional music ensemble the Whistlebinkies.


picture postcard circa 1904
Picture postcard,
circa 1904

Links to related documents

wayne-galpin The Wheatstone English Concertina
by Neil Wayne
Survey article covering the Wheatstone English Concertina, the only published source for much of Neil Wayne's path-breaking research. As published in The Galpin Society Journal 44 (1991), 117-149. (The online version does not yet perfectly match the printed version.)
Posted 01 January 2005
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concertina-history-homepage History of Concertinas
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Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about the history of concertinas.
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eydmann-folk-music-revival The concertina as an emblem of the folk music revival in the British Isles
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The post-war folk and traditional music revival in the British Isles was a complex phenomenon which involved more than just the simple rediscovery and promotion of neglected music and song. The ideology of key individuals was important in determining the scope and subsequent diction of the revival including the sources of the revived repertory and how it should be re-packaged. The selection and use of appropriate musical instruments was a major issue and, for a time at least, the concertina family was endorsed by the revivalists to the extent that it could act as a symbol of the revival itself. This paper identifies and discusses the processes involved. First published in British Journal of Ethnomusicology, vol. 4 (1995), pp. 41–49.
Posted 15 August 2005
» read full document
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A portfolio of full copies of nine historic concertina patents. Includes the early Wheatstone English patents, Maccann's Duet patent, Jones's Anglo patent, the Crane Duet patent, Kaspar Wicki's patent for the Wicki-Hayden system, and Brian Hayden's much later patent for the same system. Includes: C. Wheatstone 1829; C. Wheatstone 1844; Wm. Wheatstone 1861; Maccann 1884; Jones 1885; Alsepti and Ballinger 1885; Butterfield 1896; Wicki 1896; Hayden 1986. None of these patents has any current force, all have either lapsed or been abandoned.
Posted 15 December 2004
» go to directory
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Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about historic concertina makers, so far including C. Wheatstone & Co., Lachenal & Co., C. Jeffries Maker, George Jones & Sons, H. Crabb and Son.
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» go to directory
pricelists-concertinas Concertina Pricelists
collected by Chris Algar
A unique collection of nearly 40 pricelists for vintage concertinas, mostly found in old concertina cases. From internal evidence it is possible to date the Wheatstone pricelists with more or less accuracy, but the Lachenal pricelists and others from dealers still have some uncertainty in dates.
Posted 07 March 2005
» go to directory
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Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about how to assign manufacturing dates to concertinas.
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» go to directory
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Historical business records of C. Wheatstone & Co. from the Horniman Museum in London. Earlier ledgers from the Wayne Archives contain company sales records from the late 1830s to the 1860s along with production records from the 1860s to the 1890s and some early records of wages and other payments. Later ledgers from the Dickinson Archives contain production records from 1910 to 1974. All surviving ledgers have been digitized (some 2,300 pages in total) and made available free on the web for private research. The same material is also available to buy on an inexpensive CD. Includes an introduction to the project by Margaret Birley, Keeper of Musical Instruments at the Horniman Museum, and an article by Robert Gaskins describing in detail how the ledgers were digitized.
Posted 15 June 2003; Updated 15 June 2005
» go to directory
worrall-anglo-in-united-states A 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. Some previously unpublished photographs are included.
Posted 15 April 2007
» read full article
concertina-research-homepage Research on Concertinas
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Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about the research on concertinas.
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» go to directory