The Musette Accordion: A French Popular Musical Tradition
The accordion evolved from the 5,000-year-old Chinese mouth organ called the sheng, the first known instrument to use the free vibrating reed principle, which is the basis of the accordion's sound production. There are several different accounts of how the sheng found its way to Europe and many conflicting versions of the history and evolution of the accordion. However, it is well-known that the popularity of accordion music reached its peak in France before it spread to the rest of the world.
The subject of this article is Musette accordion, the accordion music that was almost synonymous with popular French music for at least fifty years, from the early 1900s throughout the 1950s.
Musette is the name of a goatskin bagpipe that was a popular music instrument in the Auvergne region of France during 19th century. When immigrants from this region came to Paris in search of work between 1800 and 1900, they brought their musettes with them. In the back rooms of these modest cafes and some auvergnat immigrants opened small shops selling coal and wine and, eventually, modest dance halls. Bal musettes was the common terminolgy used. On Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons, their patrons danced the traditional Auvergnat dance to the music of the musette.
During the latter part of the 19th century, Italian immigrant workers toting their accordions began flooding the capital of France. Paris 19th district where the Italians settled came alive with the sound of diatonic accordion music. At first, accordions were accepted into most musette music bands. Where the auvergnat and italian communities of paris gathered to dance to accordion and musette music and the bal musettes, which had been places where the musette instrument was played, had become establishments. The first joint musette and accordion music performance was in 1905.
A few years later, however, with the appearance of the half-diatonic, half-chromatic accordion, the Italian accordionists tried to introduce new dances into the bal musettes, playing music that was outside of the realm of the musette. Further aggravated with the appearance of the chromatic accordion,this led to a serious conflict.
The Italians left to play their accordions in different locations - which they continued to call bal musettes. By drums and the main dance was the waltz and at these new bal musettes, the accordion was the principal instrument, accompained. Accordion music as well as the new bal musettes became popular quickly. Accordionists were playing in the streets and their music soon became the most popular in Paris, and across the country. Accordions had become the preferred accompanying instrument of French singers as well and the musette accordion style, or music genre
The bal musettes re-opened with fervor after World War I, and musette accordion music continued to flourish in the period between the two World Wars. Many new bal musettes opened to cater to the masses in need of entertainment, and members of the upper classes would go to these places looking for adventure. Before the Second World War, certain enterprising dance establishments even organized fake police raids and gunshots for the benefit of these classy visitors.
The musette accordion genre had definitively gained the upper hand over music played by the musette instrument. In the 1930s, jazz penetrated into the musette accordion style and by the 1940s, it was common to hear the 2 styles intermixed. After the Manouche banjoists and guitarists had joined the musette accordion bands, accordion musette music had become the most popular French music of its day,by the early 1950s.
The advent of rock, disco and newer dance music in the 1960s led to a decline of the musette accordion style. However, in the late 1980s and 1990s, popular music groups began to show interest in the musette accordion music and this inspiring music genre is experiencing a revival both in France and across the world. - 2361
The subject of this article is Musette accordion, the accordion music that was almost synonymous with popular French music for at least fifty years, from the early 1900s throughout the 1950s.
Musette is the name of a goatskin bagpipe that was a popular music instrument in the Auvergne region of France during 19th century. When immigrants from this region came to Paris in search of work between 1800 and 1900, they brought their musettes with them. In the back rooms of these modest cafes and some auvergnat immigrants opened small shops selling coal and wine and, eventually, modest dance halls. Bal musettes was the common terminolgy used. On Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons, their patrons danced the traditional Auvergnat dance to the music of the musette.
During the latter part of the 19th century, Italian immigrant workers toting their accordions began flooding the capital of France. Paris 19th district where the Italians settled came alive with the sound of diatonic accordion music. At first, accordions were accepted into most musette music bands. Where the auvergnat and italian communities of paris gathered to dance to accordion and musette music and the bal musettes, which had been places where the musette instrument was played, had become establishments. The first joint musette and accordion music performance was in 1905.
A few years later, however, with the appearance of the half-diatonic, half-chromatic accordion, the Italian accordionists tried to introduce new dances into the bal musettes, playing music that was outside of the realm of the musette. Further aggravated with the appearance of the chromatic accordion,this led to a serious conflict.
The Italians left to play their accordions in different locations - which they continued to call bal musettes. By drums and the main dance was the waltz and at these new bal musettes, the accordion was the principal instrument, accompained. Accordion music as well as the new bal musettes became popular quickly. Accordionists were playing in the streets and their music soon became the most popular in Paris, and across the country. Accordions had become the preferred accompanying instrument of French singers as well and the musette accordion style, or music genre
The bal musettes re-opened with fervor after World War I, and musette accordion music continued to flourish in the period between the two World Wars. Many new bal musettes opened to cater to the masses in need of entertainment, and members of the upper classes would go to these places looking for adventure. Before the Second World War, certain enterprising dance establishments even organized fake police raids and gunshots for the benefit of these classy visitors.
The musette accordion genre had definitively gained the upper hand over music played by the musette instrument. In the 1930s, jazz penetrated into the musette accordion style and by the 1940s, it was common to hear the 2 styles intermixed. After the Manouche banjoists and guitarists had joined the musette accordion bands, accordion musette music had become the most popular French music of its day,by the early 1950s.
The advent of rock, disco and newer dance music in the 1960s led to a decline of the musette accordion style. However, in the late 1980s and 1990s, popular music groups began to show interest in the musette accordion music and this inspiring music genre is experiencing a revival both in France and across the world. - 2361
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