Before
discussing the history of the accordion, it is important to
point out that in the first half of the 19th century Italy
was not the geographical and political entity we know today.
Instead it was an "ensemble" of small states, in sharp contrast
with some European Powers which had already achieved their
political union.
It is
around this period that we find the first mention of the musical
instrument named "accordion". The territory known as Italy
today was then under the dominion of several different "powers".
Sicily and the Neapolitan region were ruled by the Bourbons
and Piedmont was ruled by the Savoy family, sovereigns of
French extraction. Furthermore, while the Lombard and Venetian
regions were under the power of the Austrians, the Vatican
State, with the Pope as the supreme spiritual and political
leader, backed by the continental powers, France and Austria,
occupied most central territories. Therefore, although a certain
degree of common cultural identity existed in the peninsula
at this time, the customs and culture of various regions were
strongly influenced by those foreign powers that ruled them.
The
defeat in 1860 of the pontifical army at Castelfidardo by
the Piedmontese troops, marked a fundamental move towards
Italian unification. The annexing of the central regions of
Marche and Umbria in the Italian kingdom meant the birth of
new hopes and ideals for the people who had been, until then,
under the dominion of foreign powers. Immediately after the
annexing of the territory of Marche - particularly in Castelfidardo
- we witness the birth of the first accordions and concertinas
which were probably introduced to the Italians by French troops
allied to the Papal State. These instruments were soon adapted
to suit Italian taste.
Around
the same time, another centre for the production of accordion
developed in the north of Italy, in a town called Stradella
within the Trentino region, thanks to the initiative of Signore
Dallape' who may well have come across some rudimentary accordions
used in Austrian popular music, such as that trademarked by
a certain Mr Demian.
After
the unification, liberated at last from the foreign political
domination of the last few centuries, Italians broke free
from their former constraints and discovered a new sense of
identity and love of life. The accordion, with its uncomplicated
and cheerful sound, its ease of use and transportation, was
the ideal instrument to adopt in opposition to the elitist
and costly music of previous years.
Paolo
Soprani, a farmhand from Castelfidardo, captured the mood
of the time in the early 1860s and started what was to become
the first industrial production of accordions. Earlier, 'pioneers'
such as Giacomo Alunni from Nocera Umbra in 1850, Giovanni
Cingolani from Recanati in 1856 and Lorenzo Ploner from Trieste
in 1862, attempted to manufacture concertinas, but they only
contributed to the statistics of the accordion's history,
never managing to elevate the production of the instrument
to an economic force to be reckoned with. The intuitive Signor
Soprani, however, managed to revolutionize life in the Marche
region, creating a new industry which in a short period of
time succeeded in transforming the local economy from one
based on agriculture, to an industrial one open to the international
market.
A decisive
role in the development of Soprani's new family business was
played by the nearby town of Loreto, a religious, cultural
and commercial centre, packed with visitors from far and wide.
It may well have been in Loreto that Soprani bought the first
Austrian or French accordion, and certainly the energetic
nature of the town enabled him to promote and popularize the
accordion. Thanks to excellent sales figures and the fact
that orders were coming in from all over Italy, Soprani's
brother Settimio, who until then had worked with his brother,
decided to set up business alone and in 1872 opened his own
workshop imitating Cesare Pancotti who in 1865 had started
one of his own in Macerata.
During
these years, both in Marche and the nearby region of Abruzzo,
various workshops began to spring up, such as those of Sante
Crucianelli in 1888, Giuseppe Janni from Giulianova in 1882,
Pasquale Ficosecco from Loreto in 1889, Giovanni Chiusaroli
from Recanati and Raffaele Pistelli from Teramo in 1886, all
of whom produced what was essentially a product which was
simple and cheap to manufacture: the "du botte" - or the two-bass
diatonic accordion.
At this
time there were two other centres of production; Stradella
in Lombardy, and Vercelli in Piedmont, both important for
the future development of the instrument. Mariano Dallape'
who, as mentioned earlier on, was from Trento, began his activity
in Stradella in 1876. In a brief space of time, he managed
to improve the piano-accordion invented by Monsieur Buton
in 1852.
During
these years, the success and rise in popularity of the accordion
in Italy was simply astonishing. So much so that the famous
composer Giuseppe Verdi, - the president of the ministerial
commission for the reform of musical conservatories during
the 1870s - put forward a proposal for the study of the instrument
to the Italian conservatory. Further innovations and improvements
to the accordion were introduced during this time: firstly
Mattia Berardi and then the Ranco family in Vercelli, improved
the button-accordion. In 1890, the artisan Rosario Spadaro
from Catania in Sicily registered a copyright for an accordion
free-bass accordion, and Pasquale Ficosecco in Loreto, and
subsequently in his workshop in Castelfidardo, was the first
to create the box-accordion. In Stradella, artisans such as
Ercole Maga and Renato Massoni, who worked for Dallape' subsequently
set up their own workshops. Likewise, others in Castelfidardo
such as Giacomo Antonio Busilacchio, Dario Dari, and Francesco
Serenelli also started their own businesses.
Accordion
production really took off at the end of the 19th century,
as suggested by the data available from the time, and the
number of employees within the industry, although data from
this period was not always be reliable. The director of the
regional exhibition of Marche's products in 1905, wrote that
there were 500 workers within the accordion sector, although
data from around this time speaks of 24 and 30 workers from
the two largest production companies. Discrepancies of this
nature can be explained by the fact that the fourteen official
accordion factories used entire families within their labour
force who worked from home. This enabled the accordion producers
to remain competitive and increase flexibility in times of
fluctuating demand. Significant data is given by the historian
Olivelli who writes that in 1905, when "nothing was mass produced,
but everything was handmade" Paolo Soprani produced a staggering
1200 accordions a month. During this time the majority of
production was absorbed by the Italian market, as the official
data explains that in 1907 only 690 accordion were exported.
However, by 1913 the export figures had risen to 14365! Impressive
data such as this can be explained by the important role played
by the emigration of talented local artisans, workers and
musicians who promoted their craft in accordion making within
their adopted countries. They were aided in this by the high
quality of the accordion made in Italy, which outclassed competition
from France, Germany, Russia and Czechoslovakia.
Between
1899 and 1905, pioneers such as Americo Magliani, Enrico Guerrini,
Pasquale Piatanesi, Francesco Serenelli, Adriano Picchietti,
Paolo Guerrini and others managed to 'conquer' the overseas
market such as those of the United States, Canada and South
America. Enrico Guerrini and Colombo Piatanesi in San Francisco,
and Egisto Pancotti in New York started overseas production
units from the humble beginnings of workshops which originally
only specialized in repairing accordion.
Italian
emigrants did not only import and distribute the brand names
from Castelfidardo, but also had the intuition to open musical
schools dedicated to the teaching of accordion, employing
talented teachers and musicians (including the Deiro brothers,
Pietro Frosoni, Viaggio Biaggio, Quattro Ciocche etc). Experienced
artisans from Castelfidardo also moved to other European countries,
such as Nazzareno Piermaria who in 1922 opened a workshop
in Rue de Charenton in Paris. Today the third generation of
the Piermaria family still retains links with the birthplace
of their great grandfather.
But to
return to Castelfidardo. In the first half of the 1900s strong
demand for the accordion pushed the Soprani family from making
handmade instruments, into starting a fully integrated production
line. In publishing a commemorative leaflet for the 50th anniversary
of the battle of Castelfidardo, Cesare Romiti wrote; "the
machinery for the fabrication of the reeds were put into action
by the generated electricity….to the great advantage of the
Soprani company, creating a strong economic base which allows
the Italian factory to gain ground against the competition
from abroad." The newly established production line therefore
allowed the Soprani firm to substantially increase its profit
margin. Testament to this success was the great building that
Paolo Soprani erected adjacent to the town's centre between
1907 and 1909. However, work on a new huge factory complex,
also undertaken during those years, was never completed.
The
first sign of decline in the so far rapid, unstoppable growth
of accordion production came in 1929 when Wall Street's Stock
Exchange crashed - a crash which greatly affected the musical
instrument sector. A drop from 26000 units exported in 1926,
to 17000 in 1932 was of great consequence to the region's
employment figures.
Ironically,
it was the autarchic regime of fascism that helped rebuild
the industry of the accordion. The propaganda of the time
spoke of the accordion as a musical instrument invented in
Italy, and as being "the pride of our industriousness and
delight of the Italian people." (Review Varietas - Rassegna
Nazionale dell'Autarchia 1941). In 1941 Benito Mussolini ordered
that a quantity of 1000 accordions be distributed to the various
troops fighting in the Second World War. Other initiatives
to protect and increase production of the accordion were taken
at this time. For example, with the patronage of the fascist
regime, a consortium (with headquarters in Ancona) was set
up in 1937 amongst all the Italian manufacturers of accordion
and its accessories. The presidency went to the charismatic
figure of Angelo Manaresi who was an MP, a junior minister
and president of the Italian Alpine Club. Paolo Soprani, nephew
and namesake of his pioneering uncle, was appointed as vice
president.
The
disastrous conflict of the Second World War (1939-1945) had
a devastating effect on the accordion sector. Production went
down from 51000 units in 1938, to 10077 in 1941, to a mere
500 in 1944. The armistice which marked the end of the war
gave the Italian people new hope and a new enthusiasm for
life. In Castelfidardo alone, between 1946 and 1948 nineteen
new companies were founded for the production of accordion.
Exports increased from 57523 units in 1947 to 192058 in 1953,
heralding a boom period for the instrument. This small town
in Marche, with a population of just 9000, gave employment
to over 10000 workers in the musical instrument sector alone.
These workers came mainly from the neighbouring towns of Loreto,
Osimo and Recanati.
This
was also a time of great mergers. The historic company of
Settimio Soprani merged with the F.lli Scandalli from Camerano
to create the colossal firm of Farfisa, the company Excelsior
in New York opened a production line in Castelfidardo and
new entrepreneurs, whose products are mainly sold in the United
States, gave their companies names from the great Hollywood
studios and cinema chains, such as Paramount Accordions, Universal
Accordions, United Artists, Metropolitan, MGM, Iris, Minerva
and Astra. A street in Castelfidardo, today called Marconi
Street, was then called Dollar Street, due to the fact that
most of the company directors of the time built their villas
there.
Another
crisis, however, was looming on the horizon. This time it
was not connected to economic or war factors. Musical tastes
changed forever during the 1960s. A more rhythmic style of
music began to replace the older melodic style. Elvis Presley
followed by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones become the
new idols for the modern youth. Several entrepreneurs of the
Marche region managed, during these years, to adapt their
factories to the production of modern, more fashionable musical
instruments such as electric guitars and keyboards. Unfortunately
a large number of small family run businesses took the brunt
of the crisis. Between 1960 and 1963 seventeen closures took
place. It was therefore inevitable that attempts had to be
made to incorporate new technology to the accordion. In 1962,
a Farfisa technical team led by Gianfelice Fugazza, with the
collaboration of the accordion virtuoso Gervasio Marcosignori
put the first transistors into the accordion. The outcome
was the "Cordovox", an instrument with plenty of potential,
not out of place with the modern music of the day. But to
promote the accordion as a modern musical instrument, the
industry would have needed a different strategy. A list of
factors impeded the accordion becoming a fashionable instrument;
in those years, the entrepreneurs were often divided over
how best to promote the accordion, inspirational accordion
players never became role models as the artists were often
more interested in demonstrating the instrument than being
concerned with musical integrity. Furthermore very little
attention was paid to the arrival of the television as an
important vehicle to promote the instrument, while music schools
were still anchored to old teaching methods.
Today
there is a renewed enthusiasm for the accordion, with increased
attention to custom made high quality instruments rather than
the emphasis being on mass production. The study of the instrument
has been included in some Italian musical conservatories,
while several workshops have started the skillful production
of Bajan style accordions. Furthermore there has been an emphasis
on the attention to musical literature, while the idea that
the accordion is exclusively a solo instrument is gradually
changing, thanks to influential artists such as Richard Galliano
and Marc Perrone in France, Gianni Coscia in Italy and Peter
Soave in the USA. The production of accordion has therefore
found a niche that all those who operate in this sector should
try to build on. There are sixty companies operating throughout
Italy today - thirty of which are in Castelfidardo. These
companies will only have a future if they can correctly interpret
market demands, as Paolo Soprani did in 1863.
Beniamino
Bugiolacchi
Director, International Museum of Accordion Castelfidardo
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