Ivan and Martin: the history of the accordion
Musicians Ivan and Martin perform an accordion concert, interspersing mountain folk songs with historical and cultural insights
Ivan and Martin, the history of the accordion: the duo of musicians from the valley perform a cheerful concert that ranges from folk music to rock n roll tunes. The performance is accompanied by short cultural and musical speeches and explanations. Like all musical instruments belonging to popular culture, the accordion has very ancient origins and its history is glorious all over the world, in the East as in the West, in the North as in the South, especially between the 19th and 20th centuries. For some, this instrument is the child of a design by Leonardo da Vinci, but the first historically documented version of the accordion, albeit in a still rudimentary form, appeared in Vienna in 1829 at the hands of the Austrian piano maker Cyrill Demian. It was American organist Anthony Faas who patented the modern accordion in 1854. But it was only when it arrived in Italy ten years later that it was transformed into the instrument we know and use today. In 1864 Paolo Soprani set up a real accordion industry in Castelfidardo, in the province of Ancona, which was to grow to 13 production sites. And so did Mariano Dallapé in 1876 in Stradella, in the province of Pavia. All of today's accordions descend from his polyphonic accordion.
At 9.15 p.m. in the multi-purpose hall of "La Gran Ciasa" community building in Soraga; admission free.
