History

The Anglo concertina was created by mixing English and German concertinas. The button arrangements are similar to the original 20-button German concertinas made by Carl Friedrich Uhlig in 1834. A few years later, the German concertina became a popular item in England, Ireland, and North America because it was easy to use and not too expensive. English makers started making their own versions using traditional methods, such as concertina reeds instead of long-plate reeds, separate pivots for each button, and six-sided ends. At first, the term Anglo-German was only used for concertinas made in England, but when German makers started using some of these methods, the term came to include all concertinas that used Uhlig's 20-button system.

Play

The Anglo concertina has two rows of 10 buttons each. These rows are designed to produce a major scale, a system called Richter tuning, created in 1826 by Joseph Richter. Each row has five buttons on both sides. The two rows are a musical interval called a fifth apart. For example, if the row closest to the player’s wrist is in the key of G, the row next to it is in the key of C. A benefit of Richter tuning is that pressing three notes next to each other on one row creates a major triad. Additionally, the direction of note movement changes as the scale progresses, allowing octaves to be played in the main keys when the scale moves from one side of the instrument to the other.

A third row of extra notes was later added, based on the C# scale. These notes, along with existing ones, allow for more chords and easier melodies. This addition made the instrument chromatic over two octaves, though not every note combination was available. The layout of the main diatonic rows is similar across models, but the number and arrangement of the extra notes vary. The most common layouts for the 30-button version are the Jeffries and Lachenal systems. Instruments with 36, 38, or 40 buttons are also common, and some have as many as 55 keys. The most typical key combinations are C/G, with G/D and Bb/F also frequently used. Bb/F and Ab/Eb were popular with the Salvation Army.

To play the Anglo concertina, the hands are placed through a leather strap, with thumbs outside the strap and palms resting on wooden bars. This setup allows four fingers of each hand to press buttons and the thumbs to control an air valve or a drone. The instrument is often linked to Irish music but is also used in English Morris dance and Boeremusiek. Notable English players include Scan Tester, John Spiers, William Kimber, and John Kirkpatrick.

• 1854 London
• sitting
• standing
• paper box
• a keyboard chart

Producers

George Jones is often given credit for being the first person in England to make chromatic Anglo concertinas. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, several British companies produced concertinas. These companies were started by Charles Wheatstone, Charles Jeffries (who mainly made Anglo-style concertinas), Louis Lachenal (who made both English and Anglo-style concertinas and produced the most concertinas of that time), and John Crabb.