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Author Topic: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949  (Read 46661 times)

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Theo

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #160 on: December 03, 2019, 08:34:53 AM »

I recently purchased a set of DG reeds that were originally fitted to this much later (1980s?) Paolo Soprani.
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pgroff

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #161 on: May 19, 2020, 05:12:58 AM »

Hi all,

Reviving this thread yet again to include another early example of a D/G. This G. Galleazzi, made in San Francisco ca 1914, is a purely diatonic DG with diatonic basses, and no accidentals on the melody side. It's an MM box in the normal octave familiar to English players of postwar 2 voice Hohner pokerwork DG boxes (not a low-octave DG as we saw in some early Italian boxes like the Ficosecco I posted earlier in this thread), but the 23 button melody keyboard takes each row down a bit lower.  This box is in quite a high pitch (approximately A 453, non-equal temperament), but that is not unusual for these early San Francisco boxes. I suppose you could consider it a low pitch Eb / Ab box but again the pre-WW1 San Francisco accordions by Galleazzi and Miller tend to be pitched high. Kimric Smythe originally reported the keys of this instrument as F# B, but in the process of passing it on to me he rechecked and found it is in DG which I have confirmed. Will attach Kimric's photo, and will try to get more photos later if there is interest. This accordion was previously discussed in the following thread:

http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/topic,19312.0.html

PG
« Last Edit: June 18, 2020, 09:33:30 PM by pgroff »
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Andrew Kennedy

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #162 on: May 19, 2020, 11:19:51 AM »

I have a D/G heligonka which, to judge by the metal plate attached, was supplied as such (see picture).  The finish is less sophisticated, shall we say, than others by Antonin Hlavacek that I've seen in pictures, but whether this means it's an early or late model I really don't know. 
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Andrew Kennedy

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #163 on: May 19, 2020, 11:29:21 AM »

Here's a photo of the box itself - is there anyone out there who knows about the history of this maker and what the style of the box says about its age?
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Peadar

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #164 on: May 19, 2020, 12:52:13 PM »

Vienna/Italian boxes with both side hook closures and Stradella corners appear to have been in production by 1900.

 https://archive.is/20130702161158/http://www.museistradella.it/pagine.aspx?id=2

The mix of styles appears spectacular....but it all looks original - e.g. the lettering style of Helgonka and Hlavacek is on both the treble cabinet and the bellows.

It starts to look as though Pet er Kennedy didn't invent the D&G tuning but  popularised  within English traditional music what had peviously  been a very unusual key.

(Dons tin hat, retreats to bunker).

ADMIN: edited to remove dodgy url
Edited- Second attempt at URL- From Wikipedia Article on City of Stradella in Lombardy

« Last Edit: May 19, 2020, 05:41:28 PM by Peadar »
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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #165 on: May 19, 2020, 01:13:13 PM »

Vienna/Italian boxes with both side hook closures and Stradella corners appear to have been in production by 1900.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Has the link been hijacked? It goes somewhere different when I try it.
« Last Edit: May 19, 2020, 03:44:35 PM by Theo »
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Mike Hirst

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #166 on: May 19, 2020, 03:30:18 PM »

Looks dodgy to me. i got adverts for f**in' polo shirts.  >:(

Vienna/Italian boxes with both side hook closures and Stradella corners appear to have been in production by 1900.

xxxxxxxxxxxx


Has the link been hijacked? It goes somewhere different when I try it.
« Last Edit: May 19, 2020, 03:44:46 PM by Theo »
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Peadar

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #167 on: May 19, 2020, 05:44:42 PM »

Sorry Chaps- I think this is the correct URL

https://archive.is/20130702161158/http://www.museistradella.it/pagine.aspx?id=2

Archived page - from Museums of City of Sradella, Lombardy, Wikipedia entry. (Shows a box cira 1900 with Stradella corners)

But even better....a live link to the Museum

http://www.comune.stradella.pv.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/163

Relevance to the the thread? Andrew Kennedy's DG Heligonka exhibits both side hooks and Stradella corners
« Last Edit: May 19, 2020, 05:53:28 PM by Peadar »
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Tufty

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #168 on: June 30, 2020, 08:11:28 PM »

I had always assumed that the D/G was a strictly English development but recently I have been playing along with a 1980's recording by Alain Pennec (Breton) and quickly found that I needed the D/G, rather than the G/C I had expected. On the album cover he seems to be playing a two row + 2 with 12 basses. Does anyone know if he did indeed use a D/G at that time and if so, was it common with other Breton players?
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Gary P Chapin

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #169 on: June 30, 2020, 09:27:00 PM »

That's interesting. I new about the fact that A/D boxes had a following in Brittany, but didn't know about D/Gs.
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Thrupenny Bit

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #170 on: June 30, 2020, 10:21:07 PM »

I'm sure I read somewhere Stephane Delincq played a DG but the G was an octave down.... or have I dreamt it?
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I think I'm starting to get most of the notes in roughly the right order...... sometimes!

triskel

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Re: The rise of D/G, since 1949
« Reply #171 on: July 19, 2020, 08:40:25 PM »

I've been told that D/G (in English music) originated with a couple of dance players on Dartmoor in the 1940s, who got their Club Model C/F accordions (which were themselves a new introduction in the 1930s) converted to play in D/G,...
I'm wondering how these conversions were made. Were there many fettlers around in those days?
Did the boxes go back to the supplier or the factory? Were reeds retuned or replaced I wonder

I think I've now identified a very possible candidate for the converting of those two Club Models.

There was a long-standing concertina and chromatic melodeon dealer and repairer named James A. Travers in Bridgwater, Somerset, who was born about 1890 and died at Taunton in the last quarter of 1952.

Winston Smith

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Re: The rise of D/G (and the fall of "English Chromatic" C/C#) since 1949
« Reply #172 on: July 19, 2020, 08:49:41 PM »

How lovely to see a posting with your name on, hope that you're well?
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