Concertina Music has assembled the following historical timeline of concertina-related events to provide you with a perspective on the long history of the concertina, and specifically the chemnitzer concertina in the United States.
2000 B.C.
In ancient China, under the rule of Emperor Huang Tei, a mouth blown musical instrument is created. It uses free reeds placed in resonator pipes and is named a tscheng.
Late 1700s
The Abbey Vogler brings a tscheng back to Europe after seeing one while on a visit to Russia.
1810
Grenie of Bordeaux, France, invents an organ which uses free reeds in resonator pipes as well as the traditional flue pipes.
1814
Eschenbach of Bavaria, Germany, produces the Organo Violine which uses free reeds.
1816
Slimbach produces the Aeroline, Eoline or Elodion, and adapts two air pumps to his instrument in 1820.
1821
Haeckel of Vienna, Austria, produces the Physharmonica to be fitted under a piano keyboard.
Friedrich Buschman of Berlin, Germany, produces the Aerolina, a free-reed instrument blown by the mouth. This was a predecessor to the modern harmonica.
1822
Buschman produces a bellows-driven version of his Aerolina, calling it the Handaeoline.
1825
Hotz begins making harmonicas in Knittlingen, Germany. The factory eventually becomes part of the Hohner Corporation.
1827
Messner begins making harmonicas in Trossingen, Wurtemburg, Germany, where a Hohner factory is eventually situated.
1828
Bouton de Vougirard of Paris, France, invents the first accordion with piano keys.
1829
Jacob Alexandre founds his firm of reed organ Harmonium builders in Paris, France. J.W.Glier founds the Klingenthal Harmonica Industry in Klingenthal, Germany.
Cyrillus Demian in Vienna, Austria, improves upon Buschmann’s Handaeoline and produces an instrument he calls the Handharmonica.
English physicist Charles Wheatstone was granted a patent for a harmonica, which was later known as the English concertina. The patent was titled “Improvements to Musical Instruments.” The main subject is a keying system and keyboard layout, and the application is to a mouth-blown Symphonium.
1834
Carl Friedrich Uhlig of Chemnitz, Germany, an accomplished button accordion musician, constructed a small musical instrument with each side having five buttons, and each button two notes (alternating tones). He presented it in the Chemnitzer Anzeiger as his “Accordion of a new kind” (“Accordion neuer Art”). Uhlig modeled the name on the accordion of the Viennese organ and piano builder Cyrill Demian, who acquired a patent for a new instrument in 1829. The name accordion came to designate all instruments in which either a piano key or a button is underlaid with a chord. However, Uhlig’s instrument was not an accordion as we know it today, as the buttons on his instrument are not underlaid with chords, but with single notes. Although Uhlig’s instrument was later called the concertina, it has little to do with Charles Wheatstone’s English concertina. Unlike Uhlig’s instrument with a square case, the English concertina had a hexagonal shape and does not have alternating tones, but the same tone, whether you push or draw the bellows. To differentiate between the two, Uhlig’s instrument was later called the German concertina or the Chemnitz concertina.
1836
Carl Friedrich Uhlig modified his concertina to add five more buttons to each side aligned in two rows. His son-in-law, Johann David Wünsch, wrote in the Leipziger Tageblatt about publishing lessons for the instrument.
1838
Alexander-François Debain, a reed organ maker in Paris, France, produces an expressive reed organ with two different air pressures in an attempt to strengthen the melody over the accompaniment. He also calls his instrument a Concertina.
1840
Carl Friedrich Uhlig further modified his concertina and manufactures a three-row keyboard with 56 notes, tuned in G, A and E major.
Henrich Band, a music teacher and bandmaster from Krefeld on Rhine, Germany, learns Uhlig’s concertina and tries to play it in his town band. Band continues to look for ways to improve the instrument for orchestral use.
1844
Charles Wheatstone receives a patent for “An Improved Concertina,” a detailed design for an instrument similar to those produced today. The patent covered various duet keyboard systems and also included other features like the ability to tune the reeds externally with a watch key and plucking the reeds to make them speak faster. His patent covered a flap valve arrangement that allowed the same reed to be used for either pushing or drawing the bellows, playing the same note in both directions.
1846
Henrich Band produces and markets an improved version of Carl Friedrich Uhlig‘s instrument. The new design has 50 buttons and he called it a Band-Union concertina because his family and relatives were all involved in creating it. The number of buttons gradually increases over the next thirty years to 53, 56, 64 and finally 65 (the 130-key bandoneon).
1849
Carl Friedrich Zimmermann of Carlsfeld, Saxony, Germany, introduces the Carlsfelder concertina which is based on the earlier work of Carl Friedrich Uhlig. Zimmermann unveiled his instrument at the 1849 Industrial Exhibition in Paris, France.
1851
J.M.Stroh, known for the Stroh Violin that featured a horn and sound box for better acoustics, works with Charles Wheatstone to patent a design for a harmonium. Though Wheatstone patented a concertina, it is Stroh who is thought to have perfected its sound by determining the correct size for the tone chambers.
1852
Bouton de Vougirard of Paris, France, revives his piano accordion with new innovations.
1854
Carl Friedrich Uhlig chairs a committee of eleven other concertina manufacturers in Chemnitz, Germany, to develop the standardized Chemnitzer keyboard and music notation. It is thought to be based on a system originally conceived by Henrich Band in 1846. At this point, a split begins between the bandoneon and the chemnitzer. The bandoneon captures the German market and the chemnitzer becomes mainly an export to the United States.
Carl Friedrich Uhlig’s concertina receives a medal of honor at the General Industrial Exhibition in Munich, Germany.
Carl Friedrich Zimmermann and his brothers began industrial production of Uhlig’s concertina in Carlsfeldt, Germany, for export to the United States.
1855
Constant Busson of Paris, France, invents the Harmoniflute, which could be seen as a transformation of the church organ into an instrument that could very easily be carried or transported.
1861
William Wheatstone, Charles Wheatstone’s brother, patents a new action to move the buttons nearer the top of the instrument.
Death of Louis Lachenal, a subcontractor to Wheatstone. Lachenal & Company continues making concertinas for Wheatstone up to about 1865.
1863
Carl Friedrich Uhlig turns over the manufacture of his concertina to longtime employee, Friedrich Anton Lange.
1864
Carl Friedrich Zimmermann and his brothers emigrate to America and hand over their business to the former factory foreman Ernst-Louis Arnold. Under the name “ELA” high-quality instruments are made and exported around the world.
1865
Friedrich Lange moves his concertina factory to Chemnitz-Bernsdorf, Germany.
1868
The number of reeds in a chemnitzer concertina are doubled, sounding an octave for each tone.
1873
Constant Busson of Paris, France, invents another instrument called the Bussophone, an accordion with a piano keyboard played flat on the lap.
1874
Carl Friedrich Uhlig passes away.
1875
The keyboard of the Carl Friedrich Uhlig-designed chemnitzer is expanded to 38 buttons (76-key).
1880
Otto Georgi emigrates from Chemnitz, Germany, to Chicago, Illinois, where he plays, teaches, promotes, imports and publishes music for the chemnitzer concertina.
1884
Professor MacCann patents a system for a duet type concertina, similar to William Wheatstone’s ideas in 1861.
1885
Henry Silberhorn emigrates from Bavaria to Chicago, Illinois, where he plays, teaches, promotes, imports and publishes music for the chemnitzer concertina.
1889
Lachenal & Company registers a design for their Edeophone.
Otto Georgi organizes the Chicago Concertina Club in Chicago, Illinois.
1890
Henry Silberhorn begins instructing students to play the chemnitzer concertina in Chicago, Illinois.
The Milwaukee Concertina Circle is organized in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1891
Ernest Glass begins to produce chemnitzer concertinas in Chicago, Illinois, under the brand name of Glass.
Friedrich Anton Lange passes the Lange Concertina Company to his son, Friedrich Emil Lange.
1892
Friedrich Anton Lange passes away.
1893
The Czech-American Concertina Club is organized in Chicago, Illinois.
Otto Georgi and Friedrich Emil Lange display chemnitzer concertinas at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
1896
John Butterworth patents another duet system named The Crane. A large firm named Crane takes up the manufacture of these concertinas in Liverpool, England. Lachenal & Company, who assisted Butterworth with his patent builds the instruments for Crane.
1899
Wheatstone & Company produces their first eight-sided Aeola design.
1900
The 102-key chemnitzer is exported to the United States, though photos of Uhlig would suggest that he was very close to finalizing the design back in 1874.
The 142-key diatonic bandoneon is available in Argentina. German sailors are reputed to be selling them in the streets of Buenos Aires. The popular tango emerges with the bandoneon as the principal instrument.
1902
Otto Georgi and Louis Vitak partner (Georgi & Vitak) to sell concertinas and sheet music arranged for the chemnitzer from their store in Chicago, Illinois.
Otto Schlicht and his associates begin to produce chemnitzer concertinas in the United States for Georgi & Vitak under the Pearl Queen brand name.
1907
The Salvation Army starts using Crane duet concertinas, renaming them the Triumph system.
1910
Henry Silberhorn publishes his first version of Henry Silberhorn’s Instructor for the Concertina.
Ernest Glass is joined by his sons Otto and Paul in the manufacture of Glass Concertinas.
Ernst Ludwig (Louis) Arnold (ELA Concertinas and Bandoneons) passes away. Ernst Hermann Arnold, the eldest son takes over the manufacture of ELA instruments.
1911
Paul Arnold and Alfred Arnold begin to manufacture AA Concertinas and Bandoneons in Carlsfeld, Germany.
1915
Andrew Karpek begins to manufacture and sell accordions and concertinas from his store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1917
Rudy Patek begins to sell concertinas and sheet music arranged for the chemnitzer from his store in Chicago, Illinois.
Otto Schlicht and his associates begin to produce chemnitzer concertinas in the United States for Rudy Patek under the Patek brand name.
The International Accordion Company opens in Chicago, Illinois, founded by Walter Kadlubowski Sr., Walter Mojsewicz and Kajetan Perkowski. They manufacture several models of accordions and chemnitzer concertinas under the brand names of International, Schukert, Sitak, and Silberhorn.
1919
The Cicero Concertina Circle is established in Cicero, Illinois.
1925
Otto Georgi and Louis Vitak partner (Georgi & Vitak) end their partnership.
Louis Vitak and his nephew, Joseph P. Elsnic, partner (Vitak & Elsnic) to sell concertinas and sheet music arranged for the chemnitzer from their store in Chicago, Illinois.
1926
The International Accordion Company begins producing chemnitzer concertinas under the brand name of Star.
1930
Henry Silberhorn begins selling the Clarion Concertina, an instrument built according to his own design.
Henry Silberhorn organizes the Clarion Concertina Club in Chicago, Illinois.
The International Accordion Company goes out of business while Walter Mojsiewicz continues to build its Star brand concertinas under a new company, the Star Concertina and Music Company.
1932
Otto Schlicht receives a patent for “Action for a Concertina,” improving upon previous designs from other manufacturers.
1933
Alfred Arnold passes away. His son Horst Alfred Arnold and his nephew Arno Arnold continue to manage the manufacture of AA instruments.
Friedrich Emil Lange passes away.
Louis Vitak passes away.
1934
Lachenal & Company closes for business.
1937
Walter Kadlubowski Sr. passes away.
1938
Otto Schlicht passes away.
Paul Ewald becomes the sole owner of the Otto Schlicht Factory in Chicago, Illinois.
1940
The chemnitzer makes its way into mainstream polka music in the United States. Musicians and arrangers such as Eddie Zima introduce the instrument and extend its popularity to thousands of Polish-American music fans.
1942
Pat Watters begins to sell concertinas and sheet music arranged for the chemnitzer from his store in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1946
Paul Ewald retires and the Otto Schlicht Factory in Chicago, Illinois, is closed.
1948
John Friedl passes away.
Alfred Arnold Company closes their factory.
1951
Otto and Paul Glass cease the production of the Glass Concertina.
1952
Ernst Louis Arnold Company closes their factory.
1955
Christy Hengel begins to produce concertinas in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, under the brand name of Hengel’s using concertina manufacturing equipment purchased from Otto Schlicht.
1958
Christy Hengel moves manufacturing of the Hengel’s Concertina to Waseca, Minnesota.
1960
Stan Uhlir begins to produce concertinas in Minneapolis, Minnesota, under the brand name of Echo.
1961
Henry Silberhorn passes away.
1963
Walter Kadlubowski Jr. purchases Star Concertina in Chicago, Illinois.
1964
Geraldo Carbonari joins Walter Kadlubowski Jr. as a partner in Star Concertina in Chicago, Illinois.
1965
Christy Hengel moves manufacturing of the Hengel’s Concertina to New Ulm, Minnesota.
1967
Anton Wolfe purchases Rudy Patek’s remaining stock of concertina components and begins to manufacture the Wolfe brand concertina in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
1970
Arno Arnold passes away.
1971
The Central Wisconsin Concertina Club is established in Wausau, Wisconsin.
The last bandoneon is produced by the Arno Arnold company.
1974
Pompilio Rosciani and Umberto Carroci, owners of the Imperial Accordion Company, purchase Star Concertina in Chicago, Illinois.
1975
The World Concertina Congress (“WCC”) is established.
Steve Dickinson purchases Wheatstone & Company.
1979
Art Altenburg opens Art’s Concertina Bar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featuring weekly chemnitzer concertina jam sessions.
Art Ohotto establishes the annual Concertina Bowl music festival held each January in Blaine, Minnesota.
1980
Wheatstone & Company changes their name to Boosey & Hawkes (Concertinas) Limited.
1984
Bob Novak joins Stan Uhlir to assist with the design and manufacture of the Echo Concertina.
Steve and Adele Litwin establish the annual Litwin Concertina Jam at the Polka Fireworks music festival held each July in Champion, Pennsylvania.
1986
Bill Brown of Brown’s Music Store in New Ulm, Minnesota, acquires the remaining sheet music inventory of the Vitak-Elsnic company.
1988
Walter Kadlubowski Jr. and Rich Raclawski begin building Eagle brand concertinas in Prospect Heights, Illinois.
1989
John Bernhardt and Ed Cogana purchase Star Concertina and relocate the company to Cicero, Illinois. Shortly after, Bernhardt buys Cogana’s share to become the company’s sole owner.
Bob Novak becomes the sole owner of Echo Concertina.
1990
Boosey & Hawkes (Concertinas) Limited closes for business.
Imperial Accordion Company closes for business.
1991
Karpek Concertina closes its Milwaukee, Wisconsin store.
1992
Walter Kadlubowski Jr. passes away.
Rich Raclawski becomes the sole owner of Eagle Concertina.
1994
Anton Wolfe sells the majority of his concertina tooling and parts inventory to Jerry Minar of New Prague, Minnesota.
1995
Jerry Minar begins his Hengel Concertina building career, selling concertinas under the brand name Hengel as part of his company, JBM Sound, Inc., located in New Prague, Minnesota.
1996
ConcertinaMusic.com / Concertina Music is introduced to the world via the Internet with a very modest collection of one sheet music title, “All I Want For Christmas Is A Concertina.”
Stanley Uhlir, the original manufacturer of the Echo Concertina, passes away.
2000
Star Concertina of Cicero, Illinois, closes for business.
2002
The Czech Area Concertina Club is established in New Prague, Minnesota.
2007
John Bernhardt, the last owner of Star Concertina, passes away.
Art Altenburg sells Art’s Concertina Bar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Andy Kochanski. The renamed Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall maintains Altenburg’s concertina traditions.
2008
Josh Sellner begins to manufacture the Supreme Concertina in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota.
Sleepy Eye Concertina Club is established in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota.
2010
The United States Concertina Association (“USCA”) is established as a virtual entity.
Back to Top