An excerpt from S.A. Ozerov's thesis "Harmonic-accordion art of the Nizhny Novgorod region: formation, development, current state"

Nizhny Novgorod accordions have their own individual technical and acoustic features. One of the striking distinctive features is located right on the "facade" of the instrument (the front part of the right half-case) - the initials of the master are indicated here as an individual mark. On the "facade" Nizhny Novgorod craftsmen also made individual case decorations. Thanks to this, it was visually possible to find out which master this instrument belongs to. Not only the jewelry itself was individual: the number of veins on the body, the fastening of the belts, the body processing with metal, the pattern of the grilles, etc. matter.

Since the end of the 80s, two-row, and then three- and four-row harmonics, called St. Petersburg harmonics, began to spread in St. Petersburg. The appearance of the St. Petersburg harmonica was shaped under the influence of foreign samples, which came to St. Petersburg in fair quantities.

Historically (at the end of the 19th - the first half of the 20th centuries), the area of \u200b\u200bexistence of the St. Petersburg harmonica included Northern Belarus, Estonia, Latgale, Lithuania, Pskov, Leningrad, Novgorod and the north of the Tver region, the west of the Vologda region, Karelia, that is, almost the entire East Baltic region. The entry of this region into the Russian Empire and its geographical proximity to St. Petersburg led to cultural exchange with the capital, which, in particular, contributed to the spread of musical instruments.

The accordion is one of the favorite musical instruments of the Russian people. It is believed that the very first accordion was invented in Germany, but the Germans themselves are confident in the Russian origin of this keyboard-pneumatic instrument. In this article, we will look at some types of accordions that are popular in our country.

Chroma: can you play a chromatic scale on it?

It is with the limp that many Russians associate the word "accordion". Some people "savvy" from a musical point of view are surprised by one fact: the sound range of the chrome is based on the major scale, while the accordion is called chromatic. You can't play everyone on it, but it still has 3 semitones in the upper right corner of the keyboard.

There are several varieties of chrome, the most famous of which are Nizhny Novgorod chrome, Cyril's chrome and Vyatka chrome. They all have the same design, but each of these varieties has its own sound, unique. Therefore, it is very easy to distinguish them by ear.

Tula is of the same order: it turns out that the sound is not the same when the furs are stretched and compressed ...

If we take all types of harmonicas that exist today, then the Tula single-row clearly stands out from the general row, it is everyone's favorite. The sound capabilities of most harmonicas are determined by the interval structure of the scale, but in the case of "The Guest from Tula", the determining factor is the correlation with the movement of the fur.

The Tula single row has many varieties, the main difference between each of them is the number of buttons on the keyboard of the right and left hand. The most popular option is considered to be an accordion with 7 buttons on the right hand keyboard and 2 buttons on the left hand keyboard.

Elets accordion: semi-accordion accordion?

Some types of accordion are not such "in their pure form", one of the examples of such an instrument is the Yelets accordion. It cannot be called a "purebred" accordion as it is considered the direct ancestor of the accordion. The right keyboard of the instrument has flats and sharps, that is, a full chromatic scale. The left keyboard can be called an extension neck with chords and bass keys.

Throughout its development, and the first Yelets accordion appeared in the distant 19th century, its functional part and appearance changed. But one thing has always remained unchanged - great musical and technical capabilities.

Turtle: for lovers of little accordions

The main feature of the instrument is its compact size. The first varieties of Turtles had no more than 7 keys, the range of more modern versions increased by expanding the keyboard to 10 keys. The accordion has a diatonic structure, when the bellows are pressed and unclasped, different sounds are emitted.

There are several varieties of the Turtle: "with four keys", "Nevsky turtle" and "Varshavsky turtle". The last version is considered the most modern, all the keys corresponding to the reeds and melodies are transferred from the left keyboard to the right.

These and other varieties of accordions, such as the Russian "wreath", talianka, Pskov rezukha and others, have been, are and remain the favorite instruments of Russian residents, despite the fact that more than 150 years have passed since the appearance of the accordion!

It is impossible to say for certain where exactly the hand accordion was first invented. It is widely believed that the accordion was invented in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century by Christian Buschmann, a native of the city of Friedrichrod. However, there are other data as well.

The Germans themselves consider the accordion to be a Russian invention, and according to the research of Academician Mirek, the first accordion appeared in St. Petersburg in 1783 through the efforts of the Czech organ master Frantisek Kirchnik (he invented a new way of extracting sound - with the help of a metal tongue vibrating under the action of a stream of air).

There are other views on this problem.

“Everything was decided by chance ... The Tula gunsmith Ivan Evstratievich Sizov would not have gone to the fair in Nizhny - we would not enjoy the amazing sound of concert accordions“ Russia ”,“ Appassionata ”,“ Jupiter ”today. “And it was like that. On a Sunday in July 1830, Ivan Sizov walked around the Nizhny Novgorod fair, admired all kinds of goods - both overseas and Russian: Semyonov's painted dishes, Gorodets gingerbread, Balashikha and Vologda laces, blacksmiths and jewelry works of Kostroma, and suddenly ... he heard juicy, deep sounds, melodious, then I saw an instrument that gave birth to music for some unknown reason: folds like cloth and wooden slats with spatulas and buttons under both hands. "Harmonica," the owner explained, "is a rare thing, overseas." And he asked for an unheard-of price - 40 rubles in banknotes! But Ivan could no longer leave: everything returned to the harmonica. And then he paid off and took him home - to Tula, to Oruzheynaya Sloboda. "

Tula handicraftsmen were the first in Russia to make accordions. Their first Tula accordions had only one row of buttons on the right and left hand (single rows).

It was not so difficult for a craftsman to repeat the pattern, although he had to tinker with adjusting the metal tongues, which were inside the harmonica, and with the fret.
Ivan Sizov made several harmonics: for himself, for people as a gift, and then he began to make and for sale. Behind him, others, who were more intelligent, began to get along harmonics.

During the oil week of 1831, in one hut or in another, they danced not to a balalaika or a horn, but to a harmonica “which caused such a dance in which the life, energy and sweeping nature of a Slav would be expressed without artificiality. This is where the harmonica is a real treasure! "

In 1851 in Tula, apart from small family artels, there were six factories that got along with harmonics. From here they left for the nearest provinces: Pskov, Ryazan, Orel, and reached Kazan and Vyatka along the Volga.

As the well-known connoisseur and collector A. Mirek wrote: "If in Germany the harmonics were made where the masters were, then in Russia, where the harmonics were brought, the masters appeared."

Yes, what! Everyone tried not only to make it more smart, to decorate it to their taste, but also to adapt it to the local songs and dances!

The Saratov accordions that appeared after the Tula accordions were structurally no different from the first ones, but the Saratov masters were able to find an unusual sound timbre and therefore these small accordions gained great popularity among the people.

The accordion design has been constantly improved. Vyatka handicraftsmen have expanded the range of sound of accordions (they added buttons to the left and right hand). The version of the instrument invented by them was called the Vyatka accordion.

“And if the accordion player wanted a bright, noticeable instrument, then he went to Vyshny Volochok, to Bologoye. "Bologovka" was distinguished not only by its extraordinary decoration: carved copper, burning "like a devil's eye", calico, mirrored glass, but also by its two-row system on the right (the sounds of the first row - when the furs were squeezed, were also created by the second row, but when unclenching). "Bologovka" on the left had both basses and chord sets of both major and minor. Its sound was reminiscent of those cheerful harmonica, with which italians (“Talians”) walked around the courtyards. "

“The Novorzhevsk talyan girl looked like a big dandy, who began to get along in the south of the Pskov land (not without the influence of the Bologov masters!). Imagine: a dark brown lacquered harmonica body, covered with a carved pattern of a fancy ornament of yellow copper, cupronickel, silver! 14 deep folds of fur are framed by a metallic patterned strip. The furs are glued with smooth crimson, purple, blue silk. "

The next stage in the development of the accordion was the so-called. double-row accordions. By this time, additional buttons had already begun to appear in the previous two-row single-row accordions, but they had not yet "pulled" onto an independent second row. A two-row harmony could also be called a "two-row", because a certain scale was assigned to each row of buttons in the right hand. Such accordions are called Russian wenches.

But the harmonica of the Yeletsky masters - "Yeletskaya piano" ("royal", "rusianka") became the prototype of an elegant accordion. The black and white keyboard on the right had all the sounds of the full chromatic scale of the grand piano, and on the left there was an extension neck with bass keys and chords in Russian and European style. The Yelets master “built” the finished harmonica, listening to the sounds, comparing it with the singing of a sample harmonica, which each master had his own. So all the “royalties” sounded differently, taking the master's handwriting into the world.

Well, and the most hilarious accordions could be bought in Cherepovets: it seems that they are not harmonicas, but so - the kids are pampering, the size of a mitten, and the accordion player will pick it up - it's fun! They called them "turtles".

Once the already well-known accordionist Pyotr Eliseevich Emelyanov, performing under the pseudonym Nevsky, toured in Cherepovets and, seeing the "turtle", decided to go out with such an accordion to the public. He sang humorous couplets, then folk songs, then potpourri, playing along with the "turtles". The success exceeded his expectations and was very surprised: although he was self-taught, he already had considerable acting experience and knew the audience very well!
In St. Petersburg, Pyotr Eliseevich ordered the famous harmonica master Paramonov a whole set of "turtles" - different in form and sound - and successfully performed with them in Germany, England, France, Italy. "Turtles" are still revered by pop artists.

The works of the remarkable master Petr Yegorovich Sterligov became an event in the history of Russian harmonica. He lived in a village near Ryazan, and at first out of curiosity, then to earn money he began to repair harmonics of any type! He himself did not play. I adjusted the system by ear.

“The moon is shining, it is shining clear. .. "(he could do that!) Will play and either postpone the accordion, or, satisfied, will give it to the customer. Many harmonics passed through the hands of Pyotr Yegorovich, when he pulled himself to improve the harmonic, add his own ...
In 1905, when he was already a mature, 33-year-old master, the famous YF Orlansky-Titarenko ordered him a harmonica for his solo performances, who performed both alone and with his son. For two years the master created that harmonica! And when she sounded in the hands of the virtuoso, Yakov Fedorovich was delighted. He named her after the epic singer - "Bayan".

The master's button accordion has not been extinct even today. About 5,000 music schools, about 120 music colleges and 12 conservatories have been opened in Russia. In any of these educational institutions there is an accordion department.

"The old encyclopedic dictionaries about the harmonica were written like this:" Invented in Vienna, in 1829 ... Distributed in Russia ... It had a harmful effect on the development of musical taste ... "How good that they turned out to be wrong!"
In recent years, the traditions of both the Tula and Saratov accordions have been actively reviving.

The works on the production of old instruments were revived. And, of course, to preserve and popularize the forgotten tradition. So, for example, "TULA HARMON" today is not only the production of tools. The company sees one of the strategic directions in the preservation and development of the cultural traditions of Russia - the art of playing reed instruments. The company sponsors music festivals and competitions, establishes prizes for winners, and provides targeted support for young talents in the field of playing the accordion and accordion.
At the Ladya fair held recently in Moscow one could not only hear, admire, but also buy a wonderful instrument.

Saratov harmonica

Does not lag behind Tula and Saratov. In 2010, after a long break, the production of Saratov harmonics began. Over the past three years, the restored tradition has become the “brand of the region”.

From the history

Saratov harmonica - a kind of accordion having bells
The production of the Saratov harmonica began in the 60s of the 19th century. The first mention in print of a harmonica with bells dates back to 1866. The newspaper "Saratov reference sheet" wrote that the passengers of the ship, sailing past Volsk, asked the captain to come closer to the shore, "so that gentlemen could better hear the playing of the harmonica with bells."

Saratov accordions were made by harmonious artels in Saratov. The first harmonious workshop in the city was opened by Nikolai Gennadievich Korelin in 1870 on Nikolskaya Street (now Radishchev Street). His instruments were so unique in sound that Korelin began to be called "Stradivarius of the Saratov Harmonica". On August 18, 1879 Korelin was the first among harmonious masters to receive "a certificate for the title of a craftsman of the Saratov Craft Council." In this certificate in the heading "what skill" the clerk wrote: "harmonious". Soon, next to Korelin's workshop, on Nikolskaya Street, other workshops for the production of Saratov harmonica began to open: D. Zharkov, G. Gvozdev, A. Emelyanov, and across Gogol Street, closer to the Glebuchev ravine, S. Borisov's workshop was opened.
The first harmonics were small in size with no metallic finish. The body was made colored, painted and varnished, and on custom-made tools it was pasted over with veneer in the form of a set of different types of wood. The planes of the custom-made accordion were decorated with inlay with the image of a bow and two arrows - above and below. This kind of finishing required a special skill. The cases for the best custom harmonics were made by handicraftsmen, for example, in the famous furniture workshop of V.V. Melnikov.

In 1903 Dmitry Zharkov accompanied with his performance the play by M. Gorky "At the Bottom", which was staged in Saratov for a close circle of people in the presence of the author of the play.

In the 1920s, handicraftsmen-accordion workers were united in the artel "Saratov accordion" and allocated a room for them at 5 Tsyganskaya Street (now Kutyakova Street). Over time, the artel expanded and turned into a whole enterprise, producing up to 8 thousand accordions per year. Custom-made concert accordions were also made for masters. In 1968, the accordion production shop became part of the Saratov Musical Instrument Factory, and in the early 1980s, it became part of the Engels Factory for the production of wind and percussion instruments. However, the activity of the harmonious artels was short-lived, immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, production ceased, and eventually stopped altogether. The workers could not make accordions with their own money, and production gradually began to decline. By the beginning of the XXI century, the serial production of the Saratov harmonica ceased.
In 2009, on Kirov Avenue in Saratov, a monument to the Saratov Harmonica was erected, presented to residents by Express-Volga Bank in honor of the city's day. At certain hours the monument plays the compositions of the local Saratov instrumental group and reminds of the historical symbol of the city - the accordion.
Revival
In 2010-2011, a pilot workshop for the production of the Saratov harmonica was created on the basis of SSTU. Several young people wishing to try themselves in this field were admitted there, as a result, in the spring of 2011, an official presentation of the new Saratov accordion, made from scratch by Saratov craftsmen, took place. This experiment to revive, practically lost, skill turned out to be successful and now this workshop produces permanent sets for training in the specialty "master of the production of Saratov harmonica".
Tula and Saratov managed not only to bring the old instrument back to life, but also to show it to the world.

Harmony, accordion!
The songs are ringing loudly
For every wattle that swayed ...
Harmony, accordion!
Dear side!
Poetry of Russian villages!

Everything was decided by chance ... Tula gunsmith Ivan Evstratyevich Sizov would not have gone to the fair in Nizhny - we would not enjoy the amazing sound today

concert button accordions "Russia", "Appassionata", "Jupiter".
And it was like that. On a Sunday in July 1830, Ivan Sizov walked around the Nizhny Novgorod fair, admired all kinds of goods - both overseas and Russian: Semyonov's painted dishes, Gorodets-kimi gingerbread, Balashikha and Vologda laces, blacksmiths and jewelry works of Kostroma, and suddenly ... he heard juicy sounds, deep, melodious, then I saw an instrument that gave birth to music for some unknown reason: folds like cloth and wooden planks with spatulas and buttons for both hands ... "Harmonica," the owner explained, "a rare thing, overseas ..." And asked for an unheard-of price - 40 rubles in banknotes! But Ivan could no longer leave: everything returned to the harmonica. And then he paid off and took him home - to Tula, to Oruzheynaya Sloboda ...
It was not so difficult for a craftsman to repeat the pattern, although he had to tinker with the tuning of the metal tongues, which were inside the harmonica, and with the fret ...
Ivan Sizov made several harmonics: for himself, for people as a gift, and then he began to make and for sale. After him, others, who were smarter, began to get along with harmonics ... During the oil week of 1831, in one hut, then in another, they danced not to a balalaika or a horn, but to a harmonica “which called for such a dance in which it would be expressed without artificiality life, energy and sweeping nature of a Slav. This is where the harmonica is a real treasure! "
The German harmonica, similar to which the Tula artisans learned to make, had a diatonic tuning, that is, the sound created when the bellows were unclenched had one tone, and when compressed it had another.
Some unnaturalness for the Russian performer was immediately noticed: the accordion player had to unclench the bellows before the start of the game, and ... then the dance music would start! The Tulyaks overturned the bar - the harmonica, remaining diatonic, acquired the so-called "Russian system": the sound that it created when squeezing the bellows now arose when unclenching, and vice versa ... So it is called today - "harmonica with the Russian system."
In 1851 in Tula, apart from small family artels, there were six factories that got along with harmonics. From here they dispersed to the nearest provinces: Pskov, Ryazan, Orel, reached Kazan, Vyatka along the Volga ... As the famous connoisseur and collector A. Mirek wrote: “If in Germany harmonics were made where there were masters, then in Russia - there where the harmonics were brought, the masters appeared ”. Yes, what! Everyone tried not only to make it more smart, to decorate it to their taste, but also to adapt it to the local songs and dances!
Harmonics changed tone, scale, range, instead of a button system, a keyboard was born, local handicrafts left an imprint on the style of finishing the case.
In the village of Popovka, near Kasimov (a city famous for many crafts), craftsmen began to make harmonics with the Russian system, but with a wider range than the Tula sample. Under the left hand - only bass, no ready-made chords. And at least a little "Kasimovka" with inconspicuously trimmed bodies spread around the world, but the Murom, Ryazan, Kolomna accordionists preferred only the "Kasimov popovka".
And if the accordion player wanted a bright, noticeable instrument, then he drove under the Vyshny Volochok, in Bologoye. "Bologovka" was distinguished not only by its extraordinary decoration: carved copper, burning "like devil's eyes", calico, mirrored glass, but also by its two-row system on the right (the sounds of the first row - when the furs were squeezed, were also created by the second row, but when unclenching). "Bologovka" on the left had both basses and chord sets of both major and minor. Its sound was reminiscent of those cheerful harmonica with which italians (“Talians”) walked around the courtyards.
But the Novorzhevsk she-girl looked even more dandy, who began to get along in the south of the Pskov land (not without the influence of the Bologov masters!). Imagine: a dark brown lacquered harmonica body, covered with a carved pattern of a fancy ornament of yellow copper, cupronickel, silver! 14 deep folds of fur are framed by a metallic patterned strip. The furs are glued with smooth crimson, purple, blue silk. "Play, play, tell, my talyano ..."
But what harmonics were invented in the Oryol province in Livny! Under both hands - buttons: 18 on the right, 14 on the left; chromatic scale, left and bass, and major chords, and minor. The uninitiated will also distinguish the “livenka” from other harmonics: it is narrow, only 8-9 centimeters in width, and not very high, but the bellows! .. Up to 40 borin (folds) instead of the usual eight, ten, well, finally, fourteen!

Oh, what intricate figures you can surprise the listeners with if you stretch the "livenka" over the entire span of the arms, and then a porcelain, then a month, then a bridge! “On a clear evening, the blue recruits walked along the village along a crooked path with a swaggering crowd of Levenka” - this is from Sergei Yesenin.

The harmonica of the Yeletsky masters - “Yeletskaya grand piano” (“royal”, “rusianka”) became the prototype of an elegant accordion. The black and white keyboard on the right had all the sounds of the full chromatic scale of the grand piano, and on the left there was an extension neck with bass keys and chords in Russian and European style. The Yelets master “built” the finished harmonica, listening to the sounds, comparing it with the singing of a sample harmonica, which each master had his own. So all the “royalties” sounded differently, taking the master's handwriting into the world.
It happened to someone who visited Cherepovets - they brought hilarious accordions from there: it seems that they are not harmonicas, but for the kids, pampering, the size of a mitten, and the accordion player will take it in their hands - it's fun! They called them "turtles". And once the already well-known accordion player Pyotr Eliseevich Emelyanov, performing under the pseudonym Nevsky, toured in Cherepovets and, seeing the "turtle", decided to go out with such an accordion to the public. Pyotr Nevsky - strong build, with a short-cropped head, with unusually expressive facial expressions - sang humorous couplets, then folk songs, then a medley, playing along with the "turtles". The success exceeded his expectations - an actor, although self-taught, but already experienced, who knew the audience well! In St. Petersburg, Pyotr Eliseevich ordered the famous harmonica master Paramonov a whole set of "turtles" - different in form and sound - and successfully performed with them in Germany, England, France, Italy. "Turtles" are still revered by pop artists.
The works of the remarkable master Petr Yegorovich Sterligov became an event in the history of Russian harmonica. He lived in a village near Ryazan, and at first out of curiosity, then for a living he began to repair harmonics of any type!
I didn't play it myself. I adjusted the system by ear. “The moon is shining, it is shining clear. .. "(he could do that!) Will play and ... either put off the accordion, or, satisfied, give it to the customer. Many harmonics passed through the hands of Pyotr Yegorovich, when he pulled himself to improve the harmonic, add his own ...
In 1905, when he was already a mature, 33-year-old master, the famous YF Orlansky-Titarenko ordered him a harmonica for his solo performances, who performed both alone and with his son. For two years the master created that harmonica! And when she sounded in the hands of the virtuoso, Yakov Fedorovich was delighted. He named her after the epic singer - "Bayan".
Five years later, P. Ye. Sterligov created the first five-row button accordion model, which is still good. Bayans began to be made in both capitals - "with a Petersburg and Moscow grip." The demand for them grew steadily both in the 20s and in the 30s of our century.
From the first days of the Great Patriotic War both button accordions and accordions went to the front. (It seems that there is no monument to the warrior-accordionist. And there should be ...) "The fire is beating in the small stove, resin is on the logs, like a tear, and the accordion sings to me in the dugout ..." Those accordions that were left waiting for the owner's return, stood in the most prominent place in the hut, covered with a velvet cloth. "Sing, harmonica, in spite of the blizzard ... Call for lost happiness ..." And the most favorite at the front was P. Sterligov's five-row button accordion. P. Ye. Sterligov was released a long life, he died 87 years old, in 1959.
The master's button accordion has not been extinct even today. About 5,000 music schools, about 120 music colleges and 12 conservatories have been opened in Russia. In any of these educational institutions there is an accordion department.
Old encyclopedic dictionaries about the harmonica were written like this: "Invented in Vienna, in 1829 ... Distributed in Russia ... It had a harmful effect on the development of musical taste ..." How good that they turned out to be wrong!

A. Kuznetsova

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Harmony (accordion) - reed keyboard-pneumatic musical instrument with bellows and two push-button keyboards. The left keyboard is for accompaniment: pressing a single button plays a bass or whole chord. A melody is played on the right keyboard.

Harmony-lame

The main version is that the progenitor of this type of accordion came to the central regions of Russia at the end of the 19th century from the Russian north and had the original name "northerner" (I will not say exactly, but perhaps it means the Kirillov accordion).

However, there is some evidence that the chrome accordion already existed in the 60s of the 19th century, so it is likely that it is much older than we think.

A person who even has some basic ideas about musical notation, at the first acquaintance with the lame, arises a completely natural question: why, in fact, this accordion is called chromatic, if its scale is based on a major scale, which itself is diatonic (up to -re-mi-fa-sol-la-si-do) and does not contain sharps and flats, except for the three placed at the very top of the right keyboard? But the presence of these three semitones in the chromatic scale still does not give it the right to be called a chromatic accordion! the same, as many other varieties of accordion are not called chromatic, such as Saratov, for example, which also have several chromatic steps extended up the keyboard.

The thing is that at the time when the lame accordion began to actively spread (the beginning of the 20th century), the button accordion was invented, which, in fact, is a truly chromatic harmonic without any assumptions and indulgences, since it has octave all 12 existing semitones - 7 main (included in the major scale) and 5 additional. True accordionists of that time quickly noticed the similarity of the accordion scale arrangement and the "northerner". For them it was practically the same thing, only on the accordion "maybe sounds". In this way the name "chrome" was assigned to this kind of accordion.

Well, there is also a comic version of the origin of this name: the scale is lame, therefore it is lame.

However, here you need to make a small, but important reservation: now few of the ordinary accordion players know about this, but even before the Great Patriotic War, there were models of the accordion-lame, having 27 keys in the right keyboard, and not 25 (which has long been accepted as the standard Not three semitones were moved up, but as many as five, which gave her significantly higher performing capabilities in comparison with our current lame ones. It is not for nothing that in recent years professional harmonists have been actively acquiring just such instruments with an extended scale. Especially often they can be see in the hands of the students of the Oryol composer and teacher Yevgeny Derbenko, who wrote many works just for such an extended, lame.

But in the subsequent ones, when the mass industrial production of accordions was widely developed and the choice was stopped precisely on the lame, as the most convenient for playing and easy-to-learn variety of harmonics, someone with an iron decision from above decided that an ordinary person did not need these two additional buttons, enough and the remaining three, and for the more demanding there is a button accordion. Perhaps in some ways he was right: after all, in the traditional performance in Russia (ditties, dance), chromatic steps of the scale were practically not used, but, probably, it was worth leaving these two sounds and providing accordionists themselves decide where to use them, and where not.

By the way, there is an interesting solution for expanding the scale of an ordinary 25x25 chromium, which, if you have some skills, allows you to enrich it with two additional semitones: by slightly altering the resonators of the right side, you need to shift the entire scale down by two buttons (of course, you will have to get rid of the two highest sounds at the bottom of the keyboard, but they are rarely used anyway) and "put" on the two upper vacant buttons the voice strips, adding two more chromatic steps. Anyone who is familiar with the internal structure of the sound part of the accordion and has at least a little carpentry skills can do this. but it is better, of course, to contact the master.

Sectional accordion-chrome device

Also, attempts to expand the sound capabilities of the chrome dial were undertaken by many craftsmen. For example, the master designer A.A. Glagolev made and prepared for mass production a chrome accordion model with a full chromatic scale, and resembling, rather, a button accordion (with a three-row right keyboard and a five-row-left). But this sample did not go into the series and did not receive wide circulation.

The launch of the chrome accordion into mass production, in fact, became the beginning of the end for all other types of Russian accordion, which, with the flooding of the market with cheap and, as already mentioned, easy-to-learn accordions, began to gradually go out of use and by the middle of the last century, the chrome accordion became the most widespread in country, displacing such wonderful accordions that have a well-deserved right not to be forgotten, such as the Russian wreath (or the accordion of the Russian system), talianka, livenka, Saratov, Yeletskaya and others ... Together with these accordions, many tunes gradually began to be forgotten, which they sounded most fully and colorfully only on them, and when playing on the lame, they lost their pounding. After all, on accordions with a different sound for squeezing the fur, willy-nilly you have to make accents where they are most often not on the lame, and this gives what -that is a unique enthusiasm for the melodies performed, especially dance and ditties.

Nizhny Novgorod chrome

But at the moment, of all types of accordions, it is the lame that dominates both on stage and in everyday life.

Vyatka (or-Kirov) lame

Chromka itself also has several characteristic varieties, differing in both external design and sound. Particularly distinguished from them are the chrome accordions: Nizhny Novgorod (or Gorky), Vyatka (or Kirov) and Kirillovskaya. Each of these varieties has a rather characteristic design and a very recognizable timbre, which makes it easy to distinguish one from the other even by ear. All these accordions are still quite widespread today.

Vyatka accordion

In the 1840s, a fairly large center appeared in the Vyatka province, where accordions were produced. Harmonic craft here was founded by a peasant from the village of Istobensky, Oryol district, Danila Nelubin. Like most peasants who did not have arable land, the Nelubins family was engaged in raging. from merchant barges, and Danila sailed with him to the fair in Nizhny Novgorod, where his father bought him the first harmonica (he was then sixteen years old).

This accordion broke after a few days. With the help of Danila he turned to the shop where the instrument was bought, and the owner of the shop, Akim Vorontsov, having repaired the broken voice, explained to Danila how the accordion was arranged and told about ways to eliminate various breakdowns and defects.

Danila, being a very inquisitive and capable boy, grabbed this science at the meeting and very quickly became known as a bad master who repaired instruments throughout the district. Danila did not have a shortage of clients, since the Tula harmonicas, common at that time, often broke. details of harmonics, their purpose and arrangement, Nelubin at the beginning of 1844 began to make instruments on his own. Danila could not make a copy of the Tula voice plates, since they were made of a thick iron sheet, in which it was impossible to make openings without specialized devices at hand .Voice strips at that time were made using two forged template clips with through openings. Voice openings in the plank sandwiched between these templates were knocked out using a special punching chisel having the width of the opening. Nelyubin did not have such means to order these devices to the blacksmith ... Even if he knew about their existence ... He I simply knocked out the voice openings on the butt of the ax with an ordinary chisel, using thinner brass strips as voice strips. Later, the history of the development of the accordion showed the correctness of this decision, because brass strips had many advantages over iron ones: they did not rust, they tolerated temperature extremes better, They were easier to process, kept the correct tuning longer. But most importantly, brass strips sounded better: an instrument with such strips produced a cleaner and stronger sound. Tula craftsmen also began to use copper for making strips, but only for expensive piece accordions. Later, when Vyatka harmonious craft was widely developed, Vyatka craftsmen also began to use copper strips.

People began to look at the sonorous and durable Vyatka harmonica not as a toy, unlike the Tula accordion, but as a full-fledged musical instrument. Young guys preferred the local harmonica, even though they were much more expensive than the Tula harmonica.

Making his harmonica, Danila Neliubin had a good income and, fearing of losing it, did not divulge his secrets to anyone. At that time, a crippled boy Ivan Krylosov, who had the nickname Ivan George (for burr), was wandering around the surrounding villages. He often went to Nelyubin and he sat with him for a long time, observing the work of the master. He did not consider him a competitor and at times, imperceptibly for himself, reasoned aloud, thereby acquainting the boy with many details of his skill. After a while, Ivan Krylosov began to work independently, later becoming a famous master Krylosov and Nelyubin then told this story themselves and, despite the competition, began to give advice and instructions to novice craftsmen.

Sectional diagram of the right half-body of the Vyatka harmonic: 1-neck, 2-keys, 3-grid, 4-valves, 5.9-voice strips tuned an octave higher, 6.8-main voice strips, 7-voice strips, tuned an octave lower, 10-moveable leather thumb loop

The peasants of several villages of the Shalegovskoy volost were engaged in a new craft. In the village of Novosely, near the town of Orlov, Stepan Fedotovich Novoselov, who worked with his students, took up the production of harmonics. His workshop soon took the leading place in the number of harmonics produced. Shelpyaki, who previously was engaged in the manufacture of chiseled wooden dishes and knew how to play the violin. In 1856 Ivan Varaksin from the village of Varaksino began to make harmonics. His sons and grandchildren also became famous masters. Thus, the Vyatka and Oryol districts become the center of harmonious

Vyatka accordion in the Kirov Museum of Local Lore

fishing in the Vyatka province.

Vyatka accordion in the Kirov Museum of Local Lore Masters continued

to improve their instruments, for example, they began to produce accordions that had the same sound for compressing and releasing bellows, while maintaining the tuning of the natural major. And in order to preserve a wide range of the instrument's sound, they increased the number of keys to twelve. The character of the sound also changed: the masters began to make two-part harmonics , with the tuning "on tap", which made the sound stronger and more colorful. Also, voices sounding an octave higher or lower, or even voices tuned in a fifth to the main ones, began to be added to these strips. Vatsk harmonics were also supplied with register engines ( up to five pieces), which made it possible to change the color and strength of the sound, by turning off or on voices in various combinations. The left side of the harmonica practically did not change. There was a bass chord accompaniment, only a squeaky echo was added. Later, at the beginning of the 20th century, in the upper part of the left half-body, two bells were made, which rang when a special lever was pressed. When changing the direction of movement of the fur, the left with the torona sounded differently: when released, a tonic-bass chord sounded, when compressed, it sounded dominant.

They used a Vyatka harmonica without shoulder straps, like most harmonics of that time. Behind the neck of the right keyboard there was a small thong under the thumb that moved up and down behind the player's hand, and the left part had a strap that wrapped around the wrist.

The production of harmonics spread from the Vyatka province to Kazan, where production was established by the master brothers Polovnikovs, who until 1883 were engaged in fishing in the Vyatka province, and then transferred production to the Kazan province: they opened a harmonic workshop in Kazan. It was here that the Vyatka harmonica turned into a Tatar which is common in our time.

The beautiful, juicy, peculiar sound of the Vyatka harmonica did not leave indifferent other peoples of Russia either: in particular, a whole group of Caucasian harmonics repeated the main elements of the Vyatka harmonica.

Vyatka harmonica in its original form is found now in the Kirov and Perm regions and adjacent territories among old accordionists and in amateur performances.

Livenskaya accordion

The Lieven harmonica is one of the simplest, both in terms of accessibility for a musician and in terms of design, varieties of harmonics. The exact date of its birth is unknown, but it was created around the middle of the 19th century in the city of Livny (hence the name), Oryol province , when the Tula masters had already established the production of harmonics based on samples with the German system, which had a different sound for compressing and unclamping bellows. The Levenian masters made a number of significant changes in their harmonics, in comparison with the Tula ones, the main of which was the same sound of each key for compression and opening of furs.

On its basis, such samples as the Vyatka and Yeletsky piano accordion were later created, and design innovations were subsequently used in chrome accordions and button accordions. Livenka was sung by many writers and poets of his time and is often mentioned in the works of S. Yesenin, L. Tolstoy , N. Leskov, I. Turgenev and others.

The right keyboard of the Livenian harmonica had from 8 to 15 keys arranged in one row. As already mentioned, the sounds when changing the movement of the fur on the Livenka are the same. These harmonics were usually made two-part, sometimes - three-part. The octave sound of two bars with copper voices is characteristic, and the upper bar has an open sound (even without an outer grid), and the sound of the lower bar is muffled by a special device (like a broken soundboard used in modern button accordions and some accordions), which changes the timbre of the sound (see. diagram) This gives a specific sound.

Cross section of the right half-body of the Liven accordion

Diagram of the device (cutaway) of the right side of the Livenka body: 1 - neck, 2 - buttons, 3 - keyboard valves, 4 - upper vocal bar, 5 - bars with voices tuned one octave lower, 6 - resonator channel (Cosotto), 7 - holes for air access to the resonator channel, 8 - leather loop sliding over a metal bracket.

The left keyboard (right on the front of the case) had 6 or more special "paws", which were responsible for the sound of bass and were located very close to each other. This was done so that you could press 2-3 "paws" with one finger at once ...

On the back of the body there were 2-3 keys that sounded in the second or first minor octaves. There, but in the upper part of the body, there was one more "foot" - a writer, sounding in the second octave, and a "six" valve, which sounded differently for compression and unclamping).

The Lieven accordion was used without shoulder straps. As in the Yelets piano and Saratov harmonica, on the back of the neck it had a leather strap for the thumb of the right hand. The left part had a narrow strap that covered the left hand.

The scale of the Livenian harmonics of various masters was different. Some livens with 8 keys in the right keyboard ranged from the note "G" of the first octave to the note "G" of the second octave. Others, with 12 keys, from the note "to" the first octave, to the note "G" of the second octave.

Due to the small size of the body of the Liven harmonica (about 25 cm in height and 8 cm in width), the craftsmen had to increase the volume of the fur chamber by increasing the number of borins (folds of fur). In the shower, they can have up to 40 and the harmonica can be wrapped with furs twice around the belt! Furs of such length give the Levenka such originality and uniqueness. Besides, it has a very original bass sound, as if a horn, nozzle or pity is accompanying the accordion. This is the merit of the special design of the bass system, including "wheezing", "drums", "squeaks" All these bass names describe their sound very accurately.

The Lieven harmonica gained popularity very quickly due to its low cost (and, consequently, availability) and simplicity of design.

In 1964, the son of Ivan Zanin (one of the last masters to make the Livonian harmonica) - Valentin decided to organize the ensemble "Livenskie accordions". He collected the instruments for the first composition of the ensemble in villages and villages. Later in the village of Belomestnoye there was a Livonian master N.I. Nesterov with his student K.F.Kudryavykh. They resumed the repair and tuning of the showers, and later set up a full production cycle for these harmonics, which became the basis for the created ensemble.

The ensemble very quickly became popular and in 1970 it was first invited to Moscow for the TV festival of folk art. And since 1975, the ensemble began performing in other countries.

Valentin Zanin, as a leader, was replaced by E. I. Moskvin, and then V. M. Demidov. At the present time, the ensemble does not conduct active concert activities ... But it still exists, and along with it there is the Livonian accordion.

Even now accordionists such as Pavel Ukhanov, Gennady Kalmykov and others play accordions-livenks.

Saratov harmonica

The masters of the Saratov province began to make such harmonics in the 60s of the 19th century. Their design was the Saratov harmonica developed on the basis of the Russian "seven-valve", but for some time its range expanded to 20 sounds (10 buttons with different sound for compression-release bellows) .Concert instruments later had up to 12 buttons. The sound of these harmonics was adapted for the performance of popular local ditties and tunes. Gradually, the harmonica became five-voiced, which is now the established standard. The fur was equipped with one or two additional frames for durability. The left keyboard had four buttons, instead of two on the "seven-valve". The most characteristic feature of Saratov is the presence of bells at the top and bottom of the left half-body, which rang when the extreme keys were pressed. Also, in the left half-body there was an air valve (at the top, under the thumb) for silent release of air from the bellows. Saratov harmonics were tuned in different keys. in a major scale

The sound scale of the Saratov harmonica

The arrangement of the Saratov harmonics is quite interesting. In a standard five-voice instrument, the vocal strips were positioned in this way: the main bar and the bar tuned one octave lower, stood on a resonator that had an outlet to a special resonator channel, which gave the sound a characteristic timbre. The bar tuned one octave lower than the main , could be turned off using a register plate as needed. Sometimes the shutdown was made for the main bar. Three whistle bars, tuned an octave higher than the main one, were installed directly on the deck. Due to the location of the valves in different planes, they were made double, one valve on each the lever was located outside the soundboard, the second in the resonator channel. Thus, pressing one key opened two valves at once. This design was later called the "broken soundboard" and is now widely used in professional instruments, such as button accordions and accordions, and in accordions. Saratov harmonics were tuned "on flood", which was their characteristic feature.