Who was
first? Pietro Deiro and Guido Deiro: both pioneers of the piano
accordion in America and both in disagreement as to their early
playing dates and places.
Guido
asserts that he was the first one to introduce the piano accordion
to the stage, at The American Theatre in San Francisco, in 1910.
Pietro asserts that he first played the piano accordion in 1907,
at the Washington Square Theatre in San Francisco and that his
was the first instrument with a piano keyboard constructed in
America and presented to the American public.
Guido
and Pietro each have a great following in the accordion world
and their conflicting claims have divided accordionists into two
controversial camps. They both offer proof substantiating their
respective statements and Accordion News earnestly opens its columns
to all those who may have enlightening data to add so that accordion
history can be documented. Guido has not made a direct statement
to Accordion News and this magazine and it's readers cannot form
an opinion until all facts are verified.
The
well-reputed Santo Santucci, of Lyon & Healy, Inc., Chicago,
says:
"Being
one of the first accordion players ever to bring this instrument
on the stage in the United States and abroad and having irrefutable
proofs of what I write below, I feel it is my duty as an honest
man, to correct a statement made by a speaker at the convention
of the National Association of Music Merchants, held at the Steven's
Hotel in Chicago. The speaker is unknown to me, but it is evident
that he is new in the accordion field and certainly misinformed.
The statement I wish to correct was to the effect that Pietro
Deiro was the first player to introduce the piano accordion on
the stage. This is not true, as all those who are aware of the
true facts know.
Guido
Deiro, the elder of the Deiros, was the first to introduce the
piano accordion on the stage. The year was 1910 and the place
the "American Theatre" in San Francisco, California.
Guido Deiro was billed as "The Premier Piano accordionist"
in recognition of this primacy. Guido Deiro was also the first
to make "Victor" records. If I remember rightly, this
honor was also wrongly credited to Pietro Deiro by the unknown
speaker.
I
believe it is only fair to give credit where it belongs and I
trust the honest policy of Accordion News to give publicity to
this letter. Pietro Deiro and Guido Deiro are friends of mine,
and it is for this reason that I feel compelled to write these
lines. The truth will never hurt anybody".
(Ed. Note: The speaker referred to is assumed to be George M.
Bundy, President of Accordiana, Inc. and Secretary of Excelsior
Accordion Mfg. Company, who introduced Pietro Deiro at the first
of the two concerts given at the Steven's Hotel in Chicago during
the recent Music Trades Convention.)
Undoubtedly
Santo Santucci represents the opinion of many hundreds of accordionists
in Chicago and other cities of the Western states and Accordion
News is pleased to give space to the views of those who apparently
represent the views of a great accordionist nucleus and most probably
those of Guido Deiro himself.
Accordion
News' Chicago correspondent, Andy Rizzo, talented and active young
accordionist and accredited teacher, takes up the story at this
point and reports:
"Cheered
by the accordionists of Chicago, after a stay of over a month
in our City, Guido Deiro left for the West and North West on July
26th, accompanied by the best wishes of all his old and new friends.
As the readers of this magazine know, Guido Deiro came to Chicago
to sign a contract with the Italo-American Accordion Mfg. Co.,
by whom he was granted all the states of the Pacific Coast and
British Columbia in Canada as his exclusive territory for the
sale of Italo-American instruments. As a demonstrator of these
accordions, Mr Deiro attended the convention of the National Association
of Music Merchants in Chicago.
On
July 25th on the initiative of the aforementioned company, a banquet
was given in honor of Guido Deiro attended by accordionists, manufacturers,
dealers in musical instruments, lovers of music and personal friends
of the guest of honor.
Guido
Deiro needs no introduction to anyone. He, who first introduced
the piano accordion on the stage as "a solo" instrument
introduced himself at the banquet, giving a sketch of his adventurous
life and mentioning the fact that, besides introducing the piano
accordion on the stage, he was the first to play this instrument
over the radio, in concerts, on records, and on the Vitaphone.
This part of his speech was met with approval by Santo Santucci,
his old friend, who knows all this to be nothing less than the
truth, and who bitterly complained that full recognition is wilfully
withheld from Mr Deiro in certain quarters.
Guido
Deiro is a fine speaker but it must be admitted that he is a better
player of the piano accordion. He was applauded in his speech
but admired and loved as a great artist for his playing. He played
his new 'Guido Deiro Italotone' which was just out of the factory.
Santo Santucci and his son Nick played after Guido Deiro and they
had their share of applause, none more sincere than that coming
from Mr. Deiro himself who embraced his friend Santucci.
The
success of the banquet was assured by the presence of all the
leading accordionists of Chicago, including Mario DeBiase and
Walter Litus- 'the two inseparables' as they are called around
Chicago, your correspondent (Andy Rizzo) and many others. Manufacturers
of piano accordions and dealers in musical instruments were present
too: Messrs.: Petromilli, Piatenesi and Roscinani of the Italo-American
Accordion Co., Messrs. Keenley and Parker of the Lyon & Healy
Co., Inc., etc. Mrs. Litus must also be mentioned, being the only
lady present and therefore the life of the party."
Guido Deiro's career as an accordionist is abound with facts and
activities which have become of great public interest over time.
When vaudeville was at its height, Guido Deiro was living with
Mae West, the now famous motion picture actress. It has always
happened that women have played an important and inspirational
part in Guido's artistic life. Accordion News would like Ms West
to furnish us with any proof she may have to substantiate the
controversial claim that Guido Deiro was the first player to introduce
the piano accordion on the stage in America.
Through
the courtesy of a former Loew Circuit Manager, who booked Mae
West and Guido together at the time they made their famous agreement
not to appear without the other, Accordion News has two photographs
of Mae West dating back to that time, whose value and illustrative
importance cannot be over emphasized. The photographs were taken
at the Mecca Studios in Indianapolis, approximately twenty years
ago.
Our
informer says Mae West's part of the act was to sing and tell
breezy stories and jokes. It will be of interest to Accordion
News readers to know that Mae West had an accordion which was
lent to her by Pietro Deiro and belonged to Mrs. Pietro Deiro.
Apparently, Mae West could not play the instrument, so while she
simulated playing, Guido Deiro, in the wings, would supply the
real music.
At
the end of the playing and on acknowledging the applause, Mae
would open her accordion box and produce a funny, discordant sound
while bowing. Once her accordion disappeared, Pietro Deiro claiming
it after he finally located it in a pawnshop.
Guido
and Mae were the pampered stars of the vaudeville stage at the
time, and so was Pietro Deiro. Pietro was booked for as much as
four hundred dollars a week. Guido and Mae lived together for
a period of about four years - a record for Guido. Usually they
don't last that long!
A
photograph of Pietro Deiro is claimed to have been taken 27 years
ago with the first piano accordion constructed in America by Pascuale
Petromilli (known under the trade name of Guerrini) and played
by Pietro for the first time in the Washington Square Theatre
in San Francisco. Finau Piatenesi made the decorations on the
box; Anthony Petromilli, brother of Pascuale Petromilli (recently
deceased) made the reeds. Another Piatenesi, presently with the
Colombo Accordion Company of San Francisco, made the keyboard.
These gentlemen should remember when they made the accordion as
this instrument was not easy to manufacture. It was "made
over" three times, first playing with two and three sets
of reeds and later with three and four sets of reeds, with a switch
operated from behind the frame of the treble keyboard. It can
be seen in this photo that the treble keyboard had 42 keys instead
of the 41 now in vogue- the extra key consisting of an E on the
lower octave. There were only 108 bass buttons.
Pietro
Deiro says:
"I
am sorry that I have no programs of the premiere of my accordion
performance in the Washington Square Theatre in San Francisco,
27 years ago. At that time it was not customary to issue programs
for this kind of vaudeville performance. Most assuredly such a
program would settle dates, doubts and misinterpretations for
good, but we cannot revive the past in order to procure a theatre
program as documentary data for the history of the piano accordion.
If anyone by any chance has a printed proof of one of my later
performances not more than a year later, I'd very much appreciate
receiving it.
What I remember very distinctly is that the first night of my
accordion playing in San Francisco must have been in the fall.
It was raining very heavily, one of those thick autumn rains of
the Coast. I played with a guitarist and while we were performing
on the stage one of the bass buttons got stuck. I couldn't go
on and the guitarist had to continue alone. We also had a singer
with us, and I still recollect this detail: Anthony Petromilli
was in the audience, realised the predicament I was in and came
rushing back stage, screwdriver in hand. While the singer was
entertaining the public, Petromilli fixed my bass button. It was
then realized that a new accessory was needed to stop the basses
from going all the way in, to avoid a repeat of such an embarrassing
situation.
My
brother Guido was not yet in America. He was still in Italy. I
sent him his ticket a year after this performance. My brother
could not have played in San Francisco at the time of my first
presentation of the piano accordion because I had not yet sent
him the money to come. Let it be well understood that what I claim
is that the first piano accordion built in America and presented
publicly to the American people was made for and played by me.
Before
the piano accordion was introduced to America, Italy had it. I
also remember very clearly that I introduced my brother Guido
on the American stage and that once I paid four dollars for a
second-hand full dress suit for Guido (in Seattle) who was scheduled
to appear with me in San Francisco.
We
played together and we both shared great successes, Guido becoming
rapidly very popular, especially among restaurant waiters for
his large and ostentatious tips. A few years later in New York,
Mae West, Guido and I went for supper to the old Gillette's restaurant.
The meal finished, my brother left a two-dollar tip on the table.
As he rose to leave, I picked up one of the dollars and later
went fifty-fifty with Mae West. This got to be a habit with us.
I owe it to the public and to my respect for truthfulness, to
tell those circumstantial facts which prove convincingly that
the narrator has lived through the great events surrounding the
point of discussion." |