Bandoneon

The bandoneon (Spanish: bandoneón) or bandonion

Bandoneon
is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina
and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango
ensembles. As with other members of the concertina
family, it is held between the hands, and played by
pulling and pushing air through bellows, routing it
through sets of tuned metal reeds by pressing the
instrument's buttons. Unlike most accordions,
bandoneons always employ the same sets of reeds to
produce their sound, and do not usually have the
register switches common on accordions. Nevertheless,
the bandoneon can be played very expressively, using
various bellows pressures and other techniques. The
left and right hand have different timbres due to the
wooden box on the left side which gives the left hand a Other instrument
nasal and muted timbre, in contrast with the right hand Classification Aerophone
which is usually bright and sharp.
Free reed
Wind

History Hornbostel–Sachs 412.132

classification (Free-reed
The Bandonion, so named by the German instrument aerophone)
dealer Heinrich Band (1821–1860), was originally Developed Germany mid-
intended as an instrument for religious and popular 1800s
music of the day, in contrast to its predecessor, German
Related instruments
concertina (Konzertina), which had predominantly
Chemnitzer concertina, concertina, harmonica,
been used in folk music.[1]: 16 It is believed that around
1870, German and Italian emigrants and sailors melodeon, reed organ, yu
brought the instrument to Argentina, where it was Musicians
adopted into the nascent genre of tango music, a Ástor Piazzolla, Aníbal Troilo
descendant of the earlier milonga.[2] However, there is
no documentation of how exactly the bandoneon was introduced in
0:00 / 0:00
the Rio de La Plata region. The instrument was also adopted in the
in genres such as the Chamamé. (play) A bandoneon playing modern
tango
By 1910 bandoneons were being produced in Germany expressly
for the Argentine and Uruguayan markets, with 25,000 shipping to
Argentina in 1930 alone. However, declining popularity and the disruption of German manufacturing in
World War II led to an end of bandoneon mass-production.[1]: 17
The bandoneon was introduced to tango music with prominent
composers and bandoneonists such as Eduardo Arolas and Vicente
Greco and later was developed into the sextet formation (with two
bandoneons) with Pedro Maffia and Pedro Laurenz whose style
and technique established the base for the bandoneon section in
the orquesta típica.[3]
Early bandoneon, c. 1905
Original instruments can be seen in a number of German
museums, such as the Preuss family's Bandoneon Museum in
Lichtenberg and the Steinhart family's collection in Kirchzarten,
Freiburg, which has now been moved to the Tango- and
Bandoneon museum in Staufen since July 2014.

Historically, bandoneons were produced primarily in Germany and

never in Argentina itself, despite their popularity in that country.
As a result, by the 2000s vintage bandoneons had become rare and
expensive (costing around $4,000), limiting the opportunities for Alfred Arnold bandoneon, c. 1949
prospective bandeonists. In 2014, the National University of
Lanús announced its plan to develop an affordable Argentine-
made bandoneon, which it hoped to market for one-third to one-half of the cost of vintage instruments.[4]

Technique
As with other members of the concertina
family, the bandoneon is held between
the hands, and pulling and pushing
actions force air through bellows and
then through particular reeds as selected
by pressing the instrument's buttons. As
with other concertinas, the button action
is parallel to the motion of the bellows,
and not perpendicular to it as with an
accordion.

Bisonoric
Unlike the piano accordion, but in similar
fashion to diatonic free-reed instruments
The left-hand buttons, on the left of the diagram, play bass
such as the melodeon, Anglo concertina, notes, The right-hand buttons, on the right side, play higher-
or harmonica, a given bandoneon button pitched notes. Each button plays a different note if the bellows
produces different notes on the push and are pulled open or pushed closed.
the pull. This means that each keyboard
has two layouts: one for opening notes,
and one for closing notes. Since the right and left hand layouts are also different, the bandoneon player is
faced with learning four completely different keyboard layouts.[1]: 18 Because of this challenge, many
tango players play almost entirely on the draw/pull, and largely eschew the close stroke (using the air
release button to quickly close the bellows, before resuming playing on the pull stroke).

These keyboard layouts are not structured to make it easy to play scale passages of single notes: they
were originally laid out to facilitate playing chords in familiar keys, for supporting singers of religious
music in small churches with no organ or harmonium, or for clergy requiring a portable instrument
(missionaries, traveling evangelists, army and navy chaplains, and so forth). The original more limited
bandoneon layouts were supplemented more and more over time with extra chromatic keys, as the
musical needs of bandoneon players became more demanding, leading to many variations.

Because of their origin in earlier diatonic systems that were gradually expanded to include other notes of
the chromatic scale over time, bisonoric instruments are often referred to as "diatonic" bandoneons,
although, with the later instruments, as used in tango, this description became a misnomer, as the
instruments are now capable of playing in all keys. Diatonic can also be re-analysed, through folk
etymology, to refer to the two (di) different tones played by each key, that is to say, bisonoric.[5]

Unisonoric
While the standard bandoneon is bisonoric (different note on push and pull), with an idiosyncratic and
difficult to learn layout, some bandoneon variants are unisonoric or monosonoric (same note on push and
pull). These include the Ernst Kusserow and Charles Peguri systems, both introduced around
1925.[1]: 18 [6] These have some popularity in Europe, but in Argentina, the 142-tone 71-key rheinische
system still dominates, as most tango repertoire was written on, and is idiomatic to, this system, and
therefore certain runs and scale passages written for the tango bandoneon are more difficult on the
unisonoric system.

In the 21st century, further efforts have been made to create a simplified bandoneon, with keyboards that
mimic the isomorphic layouts of chromatic button accordions. These "hybrid bandoneons" are internally
identical to the traditional bandoneon, and preserve the tonal qualities and response of the instrument, but
are intended to be easier to learn, more suitable for improvisation, and more accessible to players of other
free-reed instruments. They have a similar aim to earlier chromatic bandoneon systems, but endeavour to
overcome some of their ergonomic limitations by allowing the hands to move more freely, as with the
western chromatic button accordion, or eastern bayan.

Unisonoric instruments, particularly in the Peguri system, are often referred to as "chromatic
bandoneons", having been designed from the beginning with the expressed purpose of being fully
chromatic instruments, unlike their bisonoric cousins.

Players
The Argentinian bandleader, composer, arranger, and tango performer Aníbal Troilo was a leading 20th-
century proponent of the bandoneon. The bandoneon player and composer Ástor Piazzolla played and
arranged in Troilo's orchestra from 1939 to 1944. Piazzolla's "Fugata" from 1969 showcases the
instrument, which plays the initial fugue subject on the 1st statement, then moves on to the outright tango
after the introduction. With his solos and accompaniment on the bandoneon, Piazzolla combined a
musical composition much derived from classical music (which
he had studied intensively in his formative years) with traditional
instrumental tango, to form nuevo tango, his new interpretation
of the genre.

List of manufacturers
A list of some current and historical bandoneon manufacturers:

Bandoneón AZ - Ángel y Gabriel Zullo (Argentina)

Bandoneones A. A. Alfred Arnold (Germany, until 1948)
Bandoneones F. F. - Juan Pablo Fredes (Gambier, La
Plata, Argentina)
Bandoneones Baltazar Estol (https://baltazarestol.word
press.com) (Argentina) Ástor Piazzolla in 1971
Bandoneones Toscano (Mendoza, Argentina), Vicente
Toscano, fabricante y restaurador de bandoneones.
Bandonion & Concertinafabrik Klingenthal (https://bandonionfabrik.de) (Germany)
Mario Bianco (Uruguay)
Castagnari (Italy)
Danielson Industria de Acordeões e Bandoneões (Brazil)
D. & J. Trupin SARL (France)
Oscar Fisher (Argentina)
Giustozzi (Italy)
Handzuginstrumente Carlsfeld (Eibenstock, Germany)
Klaus Gutjahr (Germany)
Harry Geuns Bandoneons (https://bandoneon-maker.com) (Belgium)
Uwe Hartenhauer (Klingenthal, Germany) (https://www.bandoneon-hartenhauer.de)
Museo Luis Alfredo Mariani (La Reja, Moreno, Argentina)
Pigini Fratelli & C. snc (Italy)
Premier Bandoneonbau Peter Spende (Germany)
Stagi Accordions & Bandoneons (Italy)
Victoria Accordions Company (Italy)

List of repair and tuning services

Argentina
Sergio Palestrini (restauration)
Luciano Dujmovic (tuning)
Damián Gutlein
Taller Galvan (retauration)
Daniel Barrientos
Fuelles Rial (bellows)
 Fuelles del Sur

Germany
Carsten Heveling (https://bando-bando.de/heveling.html)

Prominent players
Vicente Greco (1888–1924)
Augusto Berto (1889–1953)
Eduardo Arolas (1892–1924)
Anselmo Aieta (1896–1964)
Osvaldo Fresedo (1897–1984)
Pedro Maffia (1899–1967)
Pedro Laurenz (1902–1972)
Ricardo Malerba (1905–1974)
Miguel Caló (1907–1972)
Aníbal Troilo (1914–1975)
Hector Varela (1914–1987)
Juan Cambareri (1916–1992)
Domingo Federico (1916–2000)
Alberto Caracciolo (1918–1994)
Enrique Alessio (1918–2000)
Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992)
Leopoldo Federico (1927–2014)
Juan José Mosalini (1943–2022)
Rubén Juárez (1947–2010)
Claudio Constantini
Héctor del Curto
Per Arne Glorvigen
Gianni Iorio
Ryōta Komatsu
Rodolfo Mederos
Gabriel Merlino
Dino Saluzzi

Construction
Exterior:
 Alfred Arnold Center Left. Note that each
bandoneon. Right button has its number
or symbol

A look inside a bandoneon:

Bandoneon-like instruments
Although these squeezeboxes are similar in appearance, they are not bandoneons.

Chemnitzer concertina:
 Chemnitzer Chemnitzer
concertina made in concertina made in
1926 2000

Chromatiphon:

BandoMIneDonI (purely electric instrument with a MIDI attachment):

References
1. Drago, Alejandro Marcelo (May 2008). Instrumental Tango Idioms in the Symphonic Works
and Orchestral Arrangements of Astor Piazzolla. Performance and Notational Problems: A
Conductor's Perspective (https://aquila.usm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2138&context=
dissertations) (Thesis). University of Southern Mississippi. ISBN 978-0-549-78323-7.
Retrieved 31 December 2021 – via Aquila Digital.
2. Groppa, Carlos G. (30 December 2003). The Tango in the United States: A History (https://b
ooks.google.com/books?id=WyG_fFUKKLgC&pg=PA69). McFarland. pp. 69–. ISBN 978-0-
7864-2686-7.
3. Solis, Marcelo (2016-03-06). "History of Tango – Part 6: Orquesta Típica. It's [sic] origins" (ht
tps://escuelatangoba.com/marcelosolis/history-of-tango-part-6/). Retrieved 2024-07-04.
 4. Jemio, Diego (6 November 2014). "The musical key to keeping Argentina dancing the
tango" (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-29896409). BBC News. Retrieved
13 November 2014.
5. Interview with Astor Piazzolla on the Bandoneon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x30Yk
kYX9Eo). Retrieved 2023-07-28 – via Youtube.
6. Bugallo, Rubén Pérez (1 January 1993). Catálogo ilustrado de instrumentos musicales
argentinos (https://books.google.com/books?id=Ik3Z5r8r_RUC&pg=PA77). Ediciones Del
Sol. pp. 77–. ISBN 978-950-9413-49-8.

Doktorski, Henry (1998). "The Classical Bandoneón" (http://www.ksanti.net/free-reed/histor

y/bandoneon.html). The Classical Free-Reed. Retrieved 31 December 2021.

External links
Proyecto Bandomecum (http://www.bandomecum.com.ar) Bandoneon's Portal Page
Christian's Bandoneon Page (http://www.bandoneonist.ch/band/)

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