Scandalli reeds are some of the best in the world and really shine in the older vintage models. This particular accordion is the one given to me as a gift many years ago, a gift that brought me back to music after a long journey apart from playing. These reeds have a distinctive sound with a nice assortment of treble (8) and bass (4) voices. For an instrument with 4 treble reed-blocks and 5 rows of bass reeds, this is a fairly lightweight model (about 20 lbs.) with a rather petite 17 inch keyboard. The Scandalli occasionally breathes with a kind of orchestral splendor which I have not heard in many accordions. The bass can growl with some very deep notes and the treble voices can sing with charming ease and thorough acoustic enchantment. This American Spiritual is a good example of the range and tonal colors available on this vintage instrument. Special thanks to Karissa and Elisa and also to my friend Jerry.
An American Spiritual song with lyrics written by Hap Palmer. The sheet music is published by Price Stern Sloan, part of the "Wee Sing" series collected and arranged by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp. Performed upon my vintage 1950's Scandalli accordion, a 4/5 reed instrument in LMMH configuration. I believe that these may be handmade reeds, a noteworthy example of Scandalli's exceptional quality and very fine tuning. Partial restoration has been done on this instrument by my friend Jerry Sleger.
Scandalli reeds are some of the best in the world and really shine in the older vintage models. This particular accordion is the one given to me as a gift many years ago, a gift that brought me back to music after a long journey apart from playing. These reeds have a distinctive sound with a nice assortment of treble (8) and bass (4) voices. For an instrument with 4 treble reed-blocks and 5 rows of bass reeds, this is a fairly lightweight model (about 20 lbs.) with a rather petite 17 inch keyboard. The Scandalli occasionally breathes with a kind of orchestral splendor which I have not heard in many accordions. The bass can growl with some very deep notes and the treble voices can sing with charming ease and thorough acoustic enchantment. This American Spiritual is a good example of the range and tonal colors available on this vintage instrument. Special thanks to Karissa and Elisa and also to my friend Jerry.
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This traditional Irish folk song is also known as "Cockles & Mussels," or under the title "In Dublin's Fair City." It was first published in 1883 at Cambridge, Massachusetts, but the song may be of earlier origin. This song is featured on the soundtrack for the notable film "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn," directed by Elia Kazan and released in 1945, also known as "Lazos Humanos." In that film, James Dunn plays Johnny Nolan who sings and plays the piano in a touching and memorable scene. As Johnny sings for Francie (Peggy Ann Garner) and Katie (Dorothy McGuire) and Neeley, one can feel the passion of the artist who offers up portions of his soul as he shares his talent with others. Performed on my vintage Scandalli accordion, an instrument from the 1950's still capable of touching hearts and influencing modern minds. This Scandalli is one of my favorite accordions, sounding good on folk music, Classical compositions, popular tunes and improvisation. The reeds are of very high quality, probably handmade and mounted on beautiful reed-blocks which exhibit great Italian craftsmanship. This tune appears in Elia Kazan's film "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" as Johnny Nolan walks to and from his apartment in turn-of-the-Century urban America (circa 1900). James Dunn won an Academy Award for his sensitive portrayal of the life and relationships of Johnny Nolan, and Peggy Ann Garner won an Academy Juvenile Award for her dramatic portrayal of Johnny's beautiful daughter Francie. This Russian folksong pays tribute to the life of Stepan (Sten'ka) Timofeyevich Razin (1630-1671), a Cossack leader who revolted against wealthy nobility. Alexander Glazunov composed a symphonic poem to celebrate Razin's colorful history, and Dimitri Shostakovich composed a cantata upon this subject matter. Vasily Shukshin wrote a popular novel entitled "I Have Come to Give You Freedom" based upon the events of Razin's adventurous life. A popular folksong entitled "Ponizovaya Volnitsa" remembers Razin's legendary times, with the words "Volga, Volga mat' rodnaya," written by Dmitri Sadovnikov in 1883.
A film was produced in 1908 entitled "Stenka Razin," directed by Vladimir Romashkov, featuring a screenplay by Vasily Goncharov and music by Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. Performed upon my vintage 1950's Galanti accordion, a 4/5 reed instrument in LMMH configuration. The bassoon reeds are in the single tone chamber. Although the Galanti company ceased production of accordions many years ago, they now produce pipe organs worldwide under the name Ahlborn-Galanti. Many thanks to my friend Max for his enthusiasm for Galanti accordions. Without Max's help I would not have found this very beautiful instrument nor fully appreciated the legendary qualities of this venerable brand. I love the beautiful Italian reeds of this vintage Galanti and also the wonderfully shaped ergonomic design which allows the instrument to be played for hours at a time without fatigue or stress. I am not sure of the exact date of manufacture of this accordion, but I have seen similar models advertised in 1948, 1949 and through the early 1950's. Wedding Dance - Good Luck to the Bride and Groom A traditional Jewish song arranged by accordionist, scholar and teacher Elsie M. Bennett (nee Blum), published by Pietro Deiro Publications in New York City. The title of this collection is "Hebrew and Jewish Songs and Dances, Volume One," with all of the selections compiled and arranged by Elsie Bennett, recipient of a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University Teachers College (New York) and a Music Bachelors degree from Wayne University in Detroit. This song is also spelled "Choson Kale Mazel Tov," or "Good Luck to the Bride and Groom." Henry Lefkowitch of Metro Music Company and Harry Coopersmith of the Jewish Education Committee of New York also helped in the compilation of this music collection, with Ester Youlous and Ester Golbert assisting in editing of the text. Performed upon my vintage 1950's Hohner Tango II M accordion, a 3/5 reed instrument in LMM configuration. Although I have never been married, I think that this song would be a lovely addition to any festive wedding celebration. Hohner produced this model between 1953 and 1961. It is a fairly lightweight accordion but with a very strong wooden frame. The reeds feature that distinctive Hohner sound with a nice range of treble voices and a very deep bass section. Of the nine treble registers four are repeats, giving five different treble sounds. The bass features three different registers with an especially powerful master switch. You can stroll with this accordion because of the manageable weight, allowing the player to entertain guests at a restaurant, public gathering, wedding or special event. This accordion sounds perfectly at home with European melodies, Latin American styles and traditional American folk songs, as well as being versatile enough for Classical music, contemporary music and improvisation. Accordion Impressions: Along a Country Road An improvisation reflecting upon memories of a day hike along Possumtown Road in Piscataway Township, New Jersey in 1958 or 1959. My friend Bobby and I were Cub Scouts invited by the local Scoutmaster to attend a day hike with about 8 or 10 other Scouts along one of the country roads in rural New Jersey. We started out early in the morning on either a sunny Spring or Summer's day, traveling south to Cedar Avenue by crossing the railroad tracks of the Jersey Central and Erie Lackawanna lines and following the rural road to Possumtown Road where we began to travel eastwards along a two-lane country road heavily surrounded by densely wooded forests. It was a clear and breath-taking morning, dotted with wonderfully colorful scenes and crisp aromas of the country outdoors. We walked beneath a railroad overpass made of stone and steel and then continued our adventurous trek down this lovely country lane. Here and there were simple fields dotted with wildflowers, filled with butterflies, sometimes adjacent to crops and rows of tall corn bordered by tall weeds and the tangles of nature. We took great delight in the fabulous adventure of the day, enjoying the sights, sometimes slowing our pace to take in the abundant details spread so enchantingly before our impressionable eyes and senses. Across from an old stone house, someone had tied a small goat to a metal post. The little fellow greeted us with warm affection and we tarried just a moment to pet him and admire his quaint hideaway tucked next to the verdant wilderness. Somewhere down along the road, our leader asked us to pause and find a place to eat our lunches in the vicinity of a beautifully still pond strewn with rocks and green ferns. We took a well-deserved rest and enjoyed our hand-packed lunches, admiring the quiet stream and feeling the full nourishment of both the food and the spirit of the moment. When the time came to leave, we headed back the same way we had entered this lyrical domain, looking forward to begin our trek homewards and to share our adventures with our respective families. Today this area has been substantially changed, although Possumtown Road is still there in a four-lane version with a small length of the original two-lane design left in place. Now the vicinity is populated by light industrial buildings, commercial factories, parking lots and condominiums, all bordered by the fast-moving freeway known as Highway 287. There are some thickly wooded pockets of forest still situated along Possumtown Road, along with the remnants of a small pond and a nicely landscaped park. But the two-lane country road which we once traversed has been radically altered, probably no longer to be recognized through modern eyes.
Program notes: The opening theme begins at 00:14 and is quickly followed by a development section, continuing with still more development at 00:52 and the shift to stronger bass and a stirring sense of majesty at 01:26. The full master register sounds at 02:00 with a brief coda at 02:22. At 02:23 a quieter episode begins with the bassoon register, then the clarinet register at 02:44, leading to another quiet closing figure at 03:06. At 03:08 the violin register speaks, then the musette voice and a repeated development section. Further development takes place at 03:51, with the bassoon register bringing forth the lower notes in the treble section at 04:07 and a "walking bass" phrase displayed via the bass section. At 04:25 an introspective portion ascends to the fore, with the full master again introducing the original theme and development at 04:40. At 05:03 there is an impressionistic portrayal of climbing notes, as if one is reaching, walking, dreaming and marching all in continuous order. The ending portion begins at 05:21 with the closing chord heard at 05:31 until the final sounds fade away. Performed upon my vintage 1950's Scandalli accordion, a 4/5 reed instrument in LMMH configuration. The keyboard length is 17 inches. This accordion was given to me as a gift from friends around the year 2000. USA and Canada Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. This video is made solely for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis purposes only. I call this "Painting with Reeds" because I love the evocative sounds of these vintage Italian reeds. In the same way an artist would paint with a full range of impressionistic colors or in an impressionistic style, I find that the reed voices of a good accordion are capable of creating an atmospheric environment readily descriptive of an event, a person, a time, a mood, a specific setting or a range of ideas. This accordion has 3/5 reeds in LMM configuration, with the typical 41 treble keys and 120 bass buttons (in Stradella pattern). Patti Brothers accordions were made in Italy by Lo Duca, with the US headquarters based in Milwaukee. This particular accordion exhibits a remarkable baby blue color along with a rather petite 16 inch keyboard. I love the tones and treble registers of this accordion, a testament to the high quality of the tuning and design of those fabulous Italian reeds. This instrument is light enough in weight that you could easily stroll with it, as if you were serenading the guests at a wedding party or atmospheric restaurant. The sheet music for this Sea Shanty is from Volume Two of "Das Grosse Akkordeon-Buch" (Le Grand Album pour l'Accordeon), published by Edition Melodie, Anton Peterer Music & Books, Zurich, Switzerland. All of the four volumes in this series of books have been collected and arranged by Herwig Peychaer.
The Hat The hat I am wearing is a reproduction of a Naval hat worn by sailors in both the Northern and Southern Navies during the American Civil War (1861-1865). This item was purchased from Port Columbus, the National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, Georgia. Port Columbus is a sensational source of historical information, books & CD's, authentic reproduction uniforms of the period, marvelous gifts, ironclad ship models, and superb pieces of china for the setting table. The Museum features Living History re-enactments with authentically clothed soldiers, sailors and civilians of the Civil War era. It is an award-winning resource for history buffs and Civil War enthusiasts of every age. |
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