Information AboutFlutina |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT FLUTINA | |
| keyboard instruments | |
| sets of free reeds | |
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The flutina is an early precursor to the s C/g, and Dominant G/d, without any Major or Minor Third s. Many of these "Flutina" accordions were imported into the United States and were common photographers' studio props. This imparted a touch of "culture" to the sitter, hence the many Tintype , Ambrotype , etc. images of men and women, with their hands poised over "Flutinas", which they may (or may not) have actually played. Many of the images date from the 1850s through the American Civil War period ( 1861 - 1865 ). The internal construction of the flutina resembles the English Wheatstone Concertina more than the " Reed banks" used in regular accordion construction. Thus, it has a concertina-like sound. Underneath the pallet/keyboard face, there is a rectangular, wooden board, reed pan, with reed chambers, made with air tight, leather covered, thin wooden dividers,. These dividers are between the reeds, for the diatonic scale notes. The brass reed tongues are mounted on reed shoes, with each tongue nailed on with a single metal pin. These reed shoes (or frames) are inserted into dovetail-shaped slots into the top side of the pan. If the keyboard has two rows of keys, the outside row plays the diatonic scale, while the inside row plays the Sharp s and Flat s, and these Chromatic reeds face the interior of the bellows, in dovetailed slots on the backside of the pan board, without any dividers. The face of the pallet/keyboard actually slides out to reveal the inset reed pan, reminiscent of the construction of a pencil box, or a Japan ese Puzzle Box . The accordion bellows has a very short "throw"(the maximum extension of the bellows, when drawn out), with most Instruments having only four folds. Larger versions had 5 to 7 folds in the bellows. The use of the 4 fold bellows made the duration of the note played very short, and the volume of the note comparatively soft, in contrast to the later "German" style accordions, with their larger, multi-fold bellows. THE NAME "FLUTINA" The term "flutina" is actually a more specific English name for a version of the ''accordéon diatonique'', ''accordéon mélodique'', ''clavier'' (keyboard) ''mélodique'', or even ''accordéon romantique''. Instrument makers of the 19th Century often invented many distinct names for all these "new" versions of the same instrument. All these names, which the French makers gave these instruments, have the pallets on the outside, but the name "Flutina" implies an accordion with the pallets opening on the interior side of the face, just above the buttons, and the air exiting from a narrow slot in back of the protruding keyboard. This feature was supposed to give a more " Flute -like" tone to the reeds. Whether the French makers ever used the name "Flutina" is not known. HISTORY The earliest version was known as the ''Clavier Melodique'' ("melodious keyboard"), circa 1831 . It was made by Pichenot Jeune ("Young Pichenot"), and was probably one of the first accordions capable of playing a Melody . The first recorded factory was that of Napoleon Fourneux in Paris. The Accordion of Cyril Demian ( (Austrian National Bibliotheca) has an example, please see the German text. {Link without Title} ) includes pictures and descriptions of many different models. A music journal of Paris, printed in the year of 1831, has many details about the beginning of accordion production in Paris. The article starts out with the statement that the first accordion was copied from a Demian instrument, and later, Demian invented many different scale systems, with some buttons in the second row being divided in the middle. More information about it, is in the German wikipedia. " {Link without Title} " text. Note: After Demian's 1829 patent, there is some controversy about the exact dates of further inventions, and the times of applied manufacture, of accordions. Thus, opinions differ, somewhat, among musical instrument historians. ACCORDEON NOTICES IN CONTEMPORARY PRINT:
A single scale system for these accordions was not universaly adopted, many competing "key layouts" existed. These variations offered slightly differing advantages to the player, and were "championed" by the different manufacturers. layout link Later versions of the "Flutina" had a few open (tonic and fifth) chords available on the bass side, in addition to the silent "air" key. The most famous maker of these "flutina" accordions was Busson of Paris . Busson also is thought to have had a part in the development of the Piano Accordion (circa 1880s ). The heyday of the "Flutina" was approximately from 1840 to 1880 . In the United States of America, the more robust steel-reeded German Melodians "won out" over these brass-reeded, soft, and delicate "''accordeon melodiques''". French "accordeon" manufactures nearly came to an end during the Franco-Prussian War 1870-71. From 1880 on, the Italian accordion makers took over a large share of the French market for accordions. REFERENCE LITERATURE For a more detailed survey of flutinas/accordeons romantiques, please note the reference book "L'Accordeon" below. It is a good history of all types of accordions, and has an extensive section on accordeons romantiques, with many color photos. Note: It is available only in the French language! Title: "L'Accordeon" Author: Monichon, Pierre, Publisher: Payot/ Lausanne, Date: 1985, Pages: 144. |
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