The Anglo-German Concertina: A Social History

Concertina Press, 2008, two volumes, 606 pages with 465 illustrations, charts, and maps

German and Anglo-German concertinas were by far the most popular forms of the instrument in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and were a favorite of working class people around the world. They were played by Irish peasants, London street musicians, Yorkshire mummers, Boer trekkers, Australian diggers, Salvation Army Lassies, and Zulu mineworkers. By sailors in the age of sail, Mormon pioneers in covered wagons, New Zealand sheep-shearers, and Inuit dancers in the high Arctic. By bushrangers and smugglers, music hall artists, street beggars, and just plain folks.

These concertinas were a true global phenomenon, in many ways shaping the popular music of that era. They also are a modern phenomenon, enjoying a revival of interest that crosses international and cultural boundaries. This is the first comprehensive history of the instrument, and makes extensive use of primary sources from period newspapers, books, and journals.

HOW TO ORDER: Available at amazon.com, at these links for Volume 1 and Volume 2. Also available for reading in their entirety on GoogleBooks, at no charge.