History of Accordion Makers
GARY BLAIR
THE HOME OF THE ACCORDION
Although many people are inclined to think that the accordion originated in
Austria,
it first saw light many years before in some other country but, nevertheless,
we are still somewhat in the dark as to its real source even though Stradella
and Castelfirdardo made the first real Accordions. so, really, Italy can be said
to be the home of the Accordion.
Fro more than a hundred years artist-craftsmen have worked to achieve the
perfection of the modern Accordion. Those first young pioneers came from the
ranks of Carpenters, blacksmiths and even farmers; in fact, from all trades and
walks of life. from them came the Accordion traditions which have been handed
down from Father to Son. These sons in turn, devoted their lives to the
instrument, emigrating to different parts of Italy and, later, across the World,
especially to the New World- to America.
Even today, certain names in the Italian Accordion manufacturing world have
been handed down to the third generation such as Dallape, Anelli, Soprani,
Scandalli, Massoni, Maga and many others. Some of these factories are run by two
or three brothers including those belonging to Frontallini, Crosio, Galanti,
Scandalli, Borsini, Busilachio, Bocci, etc.
To supply the World demand for instruments, new factories have sprung up next
to the original ones so that today hundreds of thousands of experienced workers
are employed- and this does not include all those small home-worklshops where
every member of the family helps to make certain small parts.
There are factories in Stradella, Castelfirdardo, Nuumana, Camerano, Osimo,
Ancona, Mondaino, Pessaro, Recanai, Macerata, Potenza, Piceno, Fano, Valla
Lomellina, Giaveno, Vercelli, Cremona, Parma, Mondovi, and many other places.
Let us visit some of these centres and see whose factories are to be found.
First, to Castelfirdardo (Ancona) where we see Paolo Soprani, Settimo Soprani,
Scandalli, Sante Crucianelli, Borsini, Ballone Burini, Ubaldo Bontempi,
Francesco Serenelli, Saverio Soprani, Enfonica, Marino Pigini, Primo Carbonari,
Marino Guerrini, Invicta, Pasquale Ficosecco, Umberto Magi, victoria, Giuseppe
Moreschi, Accoroni, elettra L'Artigiana etc.
In Stradella (Pavia) we find Mariano Dallape, Fratelli Crosio, co-Operative
Armonica, Felice Bianchi, Renato Massoni, Guido Tizzoni, Salas, Ereole Maga, La
Stradellina, FIAS, Luchini Giustini, Voce D'Or, Paolo Rogledi, L'Aurora, M.Losio
etc.
At Numana (Ancona) there are Nazzareno, Frontallini, Maggi, daily di Monaco,
Petrolinni, La diamante, etc.
In Osimo (Ancona) are Busilachio, Aborfeo, Cagnoni, La Voce di
Castelfirdardo, Antonelli, Nota D'Or, Ottavianelli, CIFD, Pesaresi, Italfisa,
etc.
In Pesaro co-Operativa, La Nuova Stella, G. Fontanella, Mancini, Sirena, etc
In Mondolfo (Pesaro) are Aldo Silverstrini, Paolo Sora, Corinaldes, etc.
In Recanti (Macerata) we see Virgilio Soprani, Cingolani, Guidobaldi,
Castelfisa, Chiusaroli, Marinucci, Silvio Soprani, Beccaresci, etc.
In MAcerata are Cesare Pancotti, Fratelli Gentili, La ritmica, etc.
In Ancona La dorica, FISAR, Harmony, Mazzieri, SAIPA, etc.
In Valle Lomellina is clemente Serra.
In Giaveno (Torino) is eugenio Guglielmetti
At Vercelli are Co-Operativa Armonica, Gugliemo Ranco, Bartona And Locatelli,
etc.
In Mondaino (forli) is Galanti
In Parma, Bocchi
In Fano, remolo Galassi
In cremona, S.A.Anelli
In Torino, Antonio Lajolo
In Malva, renato Pacini.
Also worthy of mention are the makers of Accordion and Harmonica reeds and
others who are responsible for various accesories. These include Egiziano
Carloni, Fratelli Forlani, and Voxnova, of Stradella; SAVAC, Fratelli Breccia,
Nazzareno Pietrella and Attilio Mandolini of Castelfirdardo.
Yes, Italy can truly be said to be the Home of the Accordion!!!
This article was taken from Accordion Review, December 1950 and was written by
Prof. G. Pizzuto
Its frightening to think of how many Accordion Factories there were back then.
But unfortunately , like everything else, times change. Lets hope things change
for the better and we see (at least) a partial return to the old days.
Regards
Gary Blair(Scotland)