Chemnitzer Concertina
Chemnitz system, 100 tones
bisonoric
(Collection Oriwohl, Nr. 414)
Manufacture: Co. Birnstock (Crimmitschau, 1886-2007) around 1910, (H: 26cm, D: 32cm, 6,59kg)
This Konzertina is an f-sharp instrument
The Birnstock company was one of the few that continued to exist in private hands in the GDR. Gerhard Birnstock (1921-2007), with instrument in war and captivity, continued to carry out tuning and repair work to a ripe old age. Withhis death, the traditional company ceased to exist after 140 years.
Left side:
4-choirs (16'+16°+8'+4' and 6x16'+16°+8'+4'+2')
With 18 keys, 4 reeds sound simultaneously. With 6 keys even 5 reeds. Since the instrument has no stops to switch off individual choirs, always sounds the full multi-choir sound.
Right side:
5-choirs (16'+8'+8°+4'+4°)
E.g. when pressing the key for the tone c, it sounds five times. Twiceas tone'c' (through 2 reeds=8'+8°), once an octave lower as a tone C (1 reed=16') and twice an octave higher than tone c1 (2 reeds=4'+4°).
Compared to a 2-choirs instrument, more than twice as many reeds are needed, whichis noticeable in the weight and the greater depth of the case (32cm).
Left casing
Left side:
Mother-of-pearl inlay
Eye colour pearl
"Bandonion Club "Fresh-Ahead, Horstermark 1910"
A youth association with few accompanying instruments (flutes and percussion). Bandonion music was group music. In addition to the joint playing of polkas, country dances, marches, opera excerpts and concert pieces, the conviviality of the club meetings was at least as important.
The training of the players took place pragmatically on the repertoire of the club, without spending a lot of time on theory or playing exercises. The declared aim of all efforts was the sound of the group and not virtuoso performances by individuals. This approach was made possible by the fingering notation (number system).
"Folk Music Association Morgenroth, Hannover 20.7.32"
In contrast to the authoritarian state leadership of the Kaiserreich, associations of all kinds were also a school of democratic co-determination, as later found its way into the Weimar Constitution. Left, a bandonion orchestra at the time of the Weimar Republic.
However, the accompanying instruments redeemed the claim of an orchestra. Violins, wind instruments, double bass and lyre were responsible for the second and third voices and ornamentation. The bandonion players usually played the first voice in unison. Multi-voice bandonion playing was not common. And this until well into the middle of the 20th century, as the following lines from Halle show for 1965:
"With his [new orchestra leader] we took an upswing, which mainly affected our pieces, but also the way we played. In the past, everyone played the same voice. Now we played (polyphonically)."
