History of Concertinas

Directory

Resources in the Concertina Library for concertina history.

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 Some previously unpublished photographs are included.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
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worrall-anglo-in-united-states Notes on the Beginnings of Concertina Playing in Ireland, 1834–1930
by Dan Worrall
Although the Irish are known for their long folk memory, the story of how of concertina playing began there has been largely lost; it is often tagged to a threadbare tale of mariners bringing them up the Shannon estuary to Clare. This paper reconstructs its history by using period accounts from newspapers, books and family histories to document the social gatherings where it was played, and the vendors who sold it. The Anglo-German concertina was enormously popular all across Ireland during its heyday, amongst people of nearly all social and economic groups. The concertina is a much-favored instrument in County Clare, Ireland, and a few players there bridge the gap in time between the instrument’s heyday in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century and the current revival, which began in the 1970s. Its later concentration in Clare was not a result of how it arrived, but of local cultural and economic factors that aided its barest survival there while it was completely dropped—and all but forgotten—elsewhere in the country.
Posted 15 November 2007
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atlas-ladies Ladies in the Wheatstone Ledgers: the Gendered Concertina in Victorian England, 1835–1870
by Allan W. Atlas
This study looks at the 978 women for whom there are 1,769 transactions—about 12% of the total—recorded in nine extant Wheatstone & Co. sales ledgers that list the firm’s day-to-day sales from April 1835 to May 1870. It is in two parts: (1) an Introduction, which analyses the data presented in the Inventory from a demographic-sociological point of view and places Wheatstone’s commerce with women into the context of its business activity as a whole; and (2) the Inventory (with three appendices), which lists every transaction for each of the 978 women, identifies as many of them as possible, and offers a miscellany of comments about both the women and the transactions. Royal Musical Association Research Chronicle v. 39 (2006). 239 pages. Briefly, the roster of Wheatstone’s female customers reads like a list of Victorian England’s rich-and-famous: the Duchess of Wellington and 146 other members of the titled aristocracy (more than twice as many as their male counterparts), the fabulously wealthy philanthropist Angela Burdett Coutts, members of the landed gentry, and such mainstays of London’s musical life as the guitarist Madame R. Sidney Pratten, the organist Elizabeth Mounsey, and the contralto Helen Charlotte Dolby, as well as a large number of Professors of Concertina.
Posted 21 March 2007
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patent-collection Historic Concertina Patents
Directory
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
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williams-concertina-history The Concertina History Resource
by Wes Williams
This site (still early in its development) contains historical information about concertinas and concertina makers. A timeline helps to organize information about the changes of name and address among the major makers as bits of data are discovered. One use for this information is to help in answering the question “when was my concertina made?” which is very difficult to answer for most makers.

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Posted 15 February 2003
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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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eydmann-life-and-times The Life and Times of the Concertina: the adoption and usage of a novel musical instrument with particular reference to Scotland
by Stuart Eydmann
This much-anticipated study is the first book-length account of the history and development of the concertina, in the context of the people who played it and their music. It is based on field work as well as historical research, and deals with the concertina in traditional music, art music, sacred music, band music, the music hall, and many forms of popular music—reflecting the richness, contradictions, and complexities of music and society over the more than 150 years since the invention of the concertina as the high-tech sensation of its day. Twelve chapters, bibliography of more than 400 items, over 90 figures and musical examples, 365 pages. Text of thesis for the Ph.D. degree, Open University, 1995. Supervisors: Dr Peter Cooke and Dr Richard Middleton.
Posted 15 August 2005
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christine-hawkes The 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.
Posted 26 March 2007
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britishpathe-concertina-factory The Wheatstone Factory in Islington, 1961
by British Pathe Newsreels
Concertinas are made and played at a factory in Islington, 03 April 1961. From newsreel "Colour Pictorial 327", 1961, Pathe Film ID 137.02. Available for free preview at reduced quality at the British Pathe website. Original title: "Concertina Factory (aka Concert in a Factory)".
Posted 01 January 2005
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concertina-man The Concertina Man
Presented by Peter Day,
Produced by Neil Koenig
BBC programme on the history and music of the concertina, focusing on its inventor Sir Charles Wheatstone as a somewhat belated recognition of his bicentenary in 2002. In addition to the presenter, Peter Day, the program features (in order of appearance) Bob Gaskins, Brian Bowers, Margaret Birley, Stephen Chambers, Frank James, Douglas Rogers, Sean Minnie, and Steve Dickinson. The program was produced by Neil Koenig. BBC World Service programme broadcast 07 September 2004.
Posted 22 November 2004
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cawdell-a-short-account-trans A Short Account of the English Concertina, … by W. Cawdell (1865)
by Robert Gaskins
A full transcription of the booklet published by William Cawdell in 1865 in which he attempts to recommend all the advantages of the new English Concertina providing some history, some opinions about contemporary performers, and some record of press reaction to the instrument. Allan Atlas has provided two contemporary reviews of Cawdell’s efforts. This transcription is based on two copies of the booklet, one in the New York Public Library (“1865”) and the other in the British Library (“1866”). These appear to be two printings of the same type with an altered title page. Links are provided to PDF scanned versions of both original documents.
Posted 15 January 2005; updated 15 September 2005
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» 1865 (N. Y. Public Library), full document in PDF
» 1866: (British Library), full document in PDF
gaskins-lachenal-sisters-edinburgh The Lachenal Sisters Visit Edinburgh, 1865–1866
by Robert Gaskins
At Christmas of 1865–1866, three young daughters of the late Louis Lachenal gave a series of concerts in Edinburgh introducing “concerted music” played on treble, tenor, and bass concertinas. We think this was also exactly the period when Lachenal & Co. had lost their contract to manufacture concertinas for Wheatstone, making it important to publicize Lachenal’s own brand. Based on clippings from The Scotsman newspaper, Edinburgh, notices of concerts and reviews, October 1865 through January 1866.
Posted 01 February 2005
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lachenal-sig-wheatstone-concertina-ledgers Wheatstone Concertina Ledgers
Directory
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
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ledgers-serial-and-date-indexes Serial Number and Date Indexes to the Wheatstone Ledgers
Directory
Indexes listed on this page contain serial numbers and dates from the Wheatstone Ledgers at the Horniman Museum, London. Each item listed is a single index (either serial numbers or dates) to a single ledger. Indexes lead to the ledger identification and page number as a live link: click on it to see the colour photograph of the page from which the information was taken. There is also an automated lookup which finds all records for any single serial number throughout all the indexed ledgers. (Only indexes to nineteenth-century ledgers are yet completed. Additional indexes to the twentieth-century ledgers will be listed here as they are published.)
Posted 15 December 2005; updated 01 February 2006
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chambers-annotated-catalogue An Annotated Catalogue of Historic European Free-Reed Instruments from my Private Collection
by Stephen Chambers
A very important paper describing nineteen instruments which illustrate key points in the development of European free-reed instruments, with large color photographs. This paper was presented at the 20th Musikinstrumentenbau-Symposium at Stiftung Kloster Michaelstein, held 19–21 November 1999, to coincide with an exhibition of the instruments. As Published in Harmonium und Handharmonika (Michaelsteiner Konferenzberichte 62), edited by Monika Lustig, Michaelstein, 2002, pp. 181-194.
Posted 15 January 2004
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wheatstone-music-1848-C823 “Music for the Concertina”
by Wheatstone & Co.
Catalogue of printed music (January 1848, dated 1848. 2 pages. This copy is in the collection of the Horniman Museum, no. C823.
Posted 15 January 2004
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wheatstone-pricelist-1848-C824 “The Concertina, A New Musical Instrument”
by Wheatstone & Co.
Promotional brochure and price list, dated 1848. 2 pages. This copy is in the collection of the Horniman Museum, no. C824.
Posted 15 January 2004
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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
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maccann-concertinists-guide The Concertinist's Guide
by John Hill Maccann
The Most Simple Modern Methods; How to Play Correctly, With or Without a Tutor 8vo. London: Howard & Co., 1888. Images from a microfilm of a copy at the Bodleian Library, replacing a British Library copy destroyed in World War II. (Former British Library shelfmark D-7808.c.14.(14.), replaced by British Library microfilm Mic.A. 10532(4), Bodleian Shelfmark 17426 e 3(2).) Also a full transcription which is searchable in the Adobe PDF reader. 50 pages.
Posted 15 November 2001
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maccann-how-to-play How to Play the Concertina
by John Hill Maccann
A newly-discovered booklet, reliably dated to 1902. The text of the document consists of two parts: (1) a part of the "how to play" text from Maccann's earlier publication The Concertinist's Guide (1888); and (2) an interview with Professor Maccann reprinted from The Era theatrical newspaper of London, issue of 25 January 1902. In addition to the text, the booklet contains some new photographs of Maccann, including the first known photographs of him playing the concertina. There is a sample program of a recital by Maccann, a list of phonograph records for sale recorded by Maccann, and a catalogue of some of Maccann's published music compositions. This copy was discovered in the National Archives of Australia, where it had been deposited for copyright registration.
Posted 27 September 2004
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jones-recollection-english-trans Recollections of the English Concertina, from 1844, by George Jones, born February 29th 1832
by George Jones
A full transcription of a manuscript now in the British Library, catalogued there as: Additional Manuscript 71124 Q, Recollections of the manufacture of the English concertina from 1844, by George Jones; [1912]. Presented by F. E. Butler, Esq., grandson of George Jones, 29 Aug. 1988, and incorporated in 1993. ff. 331 x 207mm. As published in Concertina Magazine, 13 (Winter 1985): 4–5, and 14 (Spring 1985): 4–7. Previously published (with heavy editorial additions) in FreeReed: The Concertina Magazine, No. 16 (November 1973): 14–20. A link is provided to PDF scanned versions of both publications.
Posted 15 January 2004
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» read 1985 publication in PDF
» read 1973 publication in PDF
gaskins-wicki-system The Wicki System—an 1896 Precursor of the Hayden System
by Robert Gaskins
The concertina keyboard system known today as the "Hayden" system, which was independently discovered by Brian Hayden and patented by him in 1986, had also been discovered and patented 90 years earlier by a Swiss inventor named Kaspar Wicki. Wicki's 1896 Swiss patent (CH13329) is clear and unambiguous, including a keyboard diagram labeled in standard musical notation.
Posted 01 March 2004
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csfri-site Center for the Study of Free-Reed Instruments
by Allan Atlas
The CSFRI, part of the Doctoral Program in Music at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, is a resource for the scholarly study of all free-reed instruments (sheng, harmonica, accordion, etc.) and contains much of interest to concertinists. The site has news of upcoming concerts, and a listing of books, articles, recordings, and research material available at the Center's archives. CSFRI published The Free-Reed Journal (four volumes, 1999–2003), and now co-publishes the Papers of the International Concertina Association (PICA) with the ICA (2004–  ).

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Posted 15 February 2003
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atlas-regondis-golden-exercise Signor Alsepti and “Regondi’s Golden Exercise”
by Allan Atlas
Discussion and explanation with new fingering of a celebrated excercise from James Alsepti's English tutor, published by Lachenal c. 1895, with the explanation “The following exercise, which has never before been published, was taught to Signor Alsepti by Regondi. It is very difficult for all instruments, especially the Concertina, and to thoroughly master it with the correct fingering &c. will enable the Pupil to play passages in all keys.”. As published in Concertina World 426 supplement (2003) pp. 1-8.
Posted 22 December 2003
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atlas-regondi-two-letters Giulio Regondi: Two Newly Discovered Letters
by Allan W. Atlas
Although Giulio Regondi was the foremost virtuoso of the English concertina, much about his life and career remains obscure. Two previously unnoticed letters deserve our attention. As published in The Free-Reed Journal, 4 (2002) 70-84.
Posted 01 September 2003
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lawrence-regondi-in-ireland Giulio Regondi in Ireland
by Thomas Lawrence
New information about Giulio Regondi, guitarist and concertinist, who performed on Wheatstone’s patent concertina in Ireland as early as 1834, the earliest reference to the concertina in the British Isles. In PaGes [University College, Dublin, postgraduate students in the Faculty of Arts] 6 (1999), on the web at http://www.ucd.ie/pages/99/articles/lawrence.pdf.
Posted 15 August 2003
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regondi Wheatstone, His Sighing Reed, and The Great Regondi
Presented by Bernard Richardson
BBC programme on the history and music of the English concertina, focusing on its inventor Sir Charles Wheatstone and the first concertina virtuoso Giulio Regondi. In addition to the presenter, Bernard Richardson, the program features (in order of appearance) Allan Atlas, Neil Wayne, Brian Bowers, Alistair Anderson, Douglas Rogers, Jenny Cox, and Dave Townsend. BBC Radio4 programme broadcast 27 November 2007. Includes links to audio files of the entire programme in WMA format and MP3 format.
Posted 27 November 2007
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merris-homepage New Essays on Concertina History
by Randall C. Merris
Directory of contributions by Randall C. Merris.
Posted 01 April 2003
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merris-bibliography Instruction Manuals for the English, Anglo, and Duet Concertina: An Annotated Bibliography
by Randall C. Merris
A comprehensive bibliography with more than 200 citations for concertina tutors that were published from the 1840s to the present. Separate sections deal with English, Anglo, and Duet tutors. The annotations contain considerable historical material on concertina makers, authors and teachers, performers, and publishers in the UK, US, and elsewhere. The web version incorporates citations for tutors that have appeared or were located subsequent to the original publication (about 35 more by 2005) and adds over 100 scanned photographs of tutor covers. A number of the tutors are available scanned in full on this website, and these are indicated in the entries. The original publication was in The Free-Reed Journal 4 (2002): 85-118, and a PDF version of the printed article is also available online.
Posted 01 April 2003; last updated 31 August 2005
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» read Part 1, "English Concertina"
» read part 2, "Anglo Concertina"
» read part 3, "Duet Concertina"
» read original article (without updates) in pdf"
jeffries-man-and-family Charles Jeffries: the Man and His Family
by Chris Algar, Stephen Chambers, Robert Gaskins, David Lee, Randall C. Merris, and Wes Williams
New information about Charles Jeffries and all of his family that participated in the concertina making business. Contains the first known pictures of Charles and Mary Ann Jeffries, and reproductions of birth, marriage, and death certificates where known. Summary table of Jeffries descendants. Brief descriptions of the addresses where Charles Jeffries lived and worked, with maps of the Praed Street area, White Lion Passage, and the Kilburn area. Based on information from members of the Jeffries family.
Posted 15 November 2005
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hopkinson-cornell-re-reuben-shaw Memoirs of a Concertina-Playing Man: Reuben Shaw
as told to Phil Hopkinson, with an introduction by David Cornell
Memoirs of a player, a teacher, a link with the great British concertina tradition, and a fine story teller, who has played the Maccann Duet concertina for over fifty years. Reprinted from Concertina & Squeezebox, issue 29 (1993), pp. 12-17. Posted to honor Reuben Shaw’s 90th birthday, and to commemorate his appearance at the English Country Music Weekend at High Bradfield, Nr Sheffield, UK, 20-22 June 2003.
Posted 15 June 2003
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williams-hayden-chat A Chat with Brian Hayden
by Wes Williams
Brian Hayden was interviewed in 2001 about his background, his invention of the Hayden System, his views on other duet systems, and his suggestions for learning and playing the duet concertina. Contains keyboard diagrams for nine duet systems: the Early Wheatstone Duett, Early Wheatstone Double, Maccann, Jeffries, Crane (Triumph), Linton, Rust ("Piano"), Late Wheatstone Chidley, and Hayden. (There is also a PDF version of the article.) Also published at concertina.net.
Posted 15 February 2003
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williams-timeline-snippets A Timeline of Snippets of Concertina History
by Wes Williams
Facts about concertina history and brief self-explanatory clippings arranged in a timeline. This arrangement frequently gives insight into dating instruments or archival materials through their internal evidence.
Posted 15 February 2003
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hayden-fingering-systems Fingering Systems for Duet Concertina
by Brian Hayden
Overview of all the fingering systems for duet concertina which turned up in Hayden's review of prior art while preparing his own patent application. As published in Concertina Magazine (Australia) 16 (1986): 19-23; 17 (1987): 7-9; 18 (1987): 11-15; 19 (1987): 6-10.
Posted 15 November 2001
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wayne-tommy-williams-interview The Tommy Williams Story
by Neil Wayne
Interview with Tommy Williams, Maccann Duet concertinist and former Lachenal employee. Published in three parts in Free Reed: The Concertina Newsletter, 3 (January 1972): 5–6; 5 (May 1972): 6–7; and 7 (August 1972): 10–12.
Posted 15 November 2001; last updated 15 January 2004
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Historic Concertina Makers:

wheatstone-homepage C. Wheatstone & Co.
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about C. Wheatstone & Co.
Posted 01 January 2005
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lachenal-homepage Lachenal & Co.
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Lachenal & Co.
Posted 01 January 2005
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jeffries-homepage C. Jeffries, Maker
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about C. Jeffries Maker and Jeffries Brothers.
Posted 01 January 2005
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jones-homepage George Jones & Sons
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about George Jones & Sons.
Posted 01 January 2005
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crabb-homepage H. Crabb and Son
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about H. Crabb and Son.
Posted 01 January 2005
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See more under individual concertina systems:

english-homepage English Concertinas
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about English Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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anglo-homepage Anglo-German and German Concertinas
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Anglo-German and German Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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maccann-duet-homepage Maccann Duet Concertinas
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Maccann Duet Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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double-homepage Early Wheatstone Double System Duet Concertinas
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Early Wheatstone Double System Duet Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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duett-homepage Early Wheatstone Duett System Duet Concertinas
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Early Wheatstone Duett System Duet Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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crane-duet-homepage Crane ("Triumph") System Duet Concertinas
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Crane (or "Triumph") System Duet Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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jeffries-duet-homepage Jeffries System Duet Concertinas
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Jeffries System Duet Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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chidley-duet-homepage Late Wheatstone Chidley System Duet Concertinas
by Robert Gaskins
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Late Wheatstone Chidley System Duet Concertinas.
Posted 01 January 2005
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hayden-duet-homepage Hayden System Duet Concertinas
Directory
Concertina Library directory of all information on this website about Hayden System Duet Concertinas, including most of Brian Hayden's published articles.
Posted 01 January 2005
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Receipt for Wheatstone Duet #27170
Wheatstone receipt, for
second-hand duet 56-key
No. 27170, July 1935,
£8.10.–

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