Performing organ works on the bayan accordion

Marko Petričić, D.M.A.

University of Indianapolis

Early predecessors

English concertina (1830s) by Wheatstone, (shows exterior air-valves, concealed in later models)

CONCERTINA

• Buttons produce only single notes (rather than chords)

FLUTINA

• Early precursor to the diatonic button accordion

The first accordion • Patented in Vienna in 1829 by Cyril

Demian, together with his sons Guido and Karl

• Two key-activated single-action

harmonicas connected by bellows.

• Diatonic accordion: produced one set of pitches when pulling, and a different one when pushing the bellows

• Some buttons of the left side were able to produce full triads,

hence the name “accordion” (akkord in German and accord in French are equivalent to the word chord in English).

Piano accordion and button accordion

The bayan

Chromatic button accordion: the melody-side keyboard consists of uniform rows of buttons arranged so that the pitch increases chromatically along diagonals.

Russian origin. Increased range.

3 to 5 rows of treble buttons. In a 5 row chromatic, two additional rows

repeat the first 2 rows to facilitate options in fingering.

Chromatic button accordions are preferred by many classical music performers: the treble keyboard with diagonally arranged buttons allows a greater range than a piano keyboard configuration

Anatomy of the accordion

Anatomy of the accordion

Treble keyboard action

When a button on the bayan is depressed, it raises the palette and enables air to pass through the reed block to activate the corresponding reed

The bayan accordion

Diagonal and transversal bars comprise the slide mechanism Pallete mechanism: vertical bars attached to the rectangular palletes

Slide and pallete mechanisms

Bayan accordion: right side (treble)

Seven chin registers of the bayan

chin registers

treble grill treble registers

5th row: GBbC#

4th row: FAbB 3rd row: F#AC 2nd row: EGBb

1st row: FAbB

Bayan accordion: right side (treble)

Upper chamber: Three reed

blocks

Lower chamber: Three reed

blocks

Treble side tone chambers and reed blocks

Bayan accordion: right side (treble) Right-hand side (treble) registers of the bayan and accordion

Clarinet 8’ Bayan/Violin 8o + 8º Bassoon 16’ Bandoneon 16’ + 8’ Bayan with Bassoon 16’ + 8’ + 8º Piccolo 4’ Oboe 8’ + 4’ Organ 16’ + 4’ Harmonium 16’ + 8’ + 4’ Bayan/Violin with Piccolo 8o + 8º + 4’ Tutti/Master 16’ + 8’ + 8º + 4’ Concertina 8º Concertina with Bassoon 16’ + 8º Concertina with Piccolo 8º + 4’ Organ with Concertina 16’ + 8º + 4’

Bayan accordion: left side (bass)

Bass registers Converter bar (Stradella and freebass)

Air-release valve Bass buttons

Bass hand-strap

Bayan accordion: left side (bass)

Stradella bass system Freebass system

F#

C#

G#

B

E

D

A

E

G

C

G#

G#

G#

G#

G#

M

M

M

M

M

m

m

m

m

m

D7

D7

D7

D7

D7

°7

°7

°7

°7

°7

F#

C#

G#

B

E

D

A

E

G

C

G#

G#

G#

G#

G#

G#

B

d

F

D

A

C

eb

F#

D#

Bb

C#

e

G

E

B

D

f

Ab

F

stradella freebass

Bayan accordion: notation examples

Bayan accordion: notation examples

Questions?