Guided tour in accordion museum

[Deleted member 48]

This 24 minutes video from the Alfred Mirek Accordion Museum in Moscow has some very interesting information on Peter Nevsky and the construction of unique accordion models.
Starting at 1100 its about Pjotr Nevski and his miniature accordions.
At 1318 they are showing on the right side a white 3 rows mini accordion without basses. Maybe this one could be a chromatic 3 rows with B-system (At 1330 the museum guide, Gennady Vassiliev, is talking about the miniature accordions, next to him is this white mini 3 rows)
Starting 1930, its about the construction of Russian timbre accordions for ensemble playing.


Museum of Russian harmonic Alfred Mirek

(Pjotr Nevski video: )

 

[Deleted member 48]

I forgot to mention why I think the white 3 rows miniature is a chromatic accordion.

The little white card standing before this instrument says (in Russian):
"Miniature three rows concertina
bayan (made in the year) 1926"

I think this may well be a very compact B-system 3 rows chromatic (no basses).

Anybody having more information on this instrument?

 

[maugein96]

Thanks Stephen,

I don't speak Russian, but found the clip very interesting.

Always great to see and hear anything different.

Most of we western Europeans have very little knowledge of Russian accordions, bayans, garmons etc.
I've never seen an accordion like the white one at 13.18. However if you look at the brown coloured accordion next to it you'll see the treble buttons are of a square profile. I've seen early Russian three row bayans with those square keys, and they were common on Finnish accordions until the 60s.

The Russians make/made smallish bass 3 row bayans to the same general size as normal ones without any reeds in the left hand side, although the small size of those ones in the clip would tend to suggest they are just CBA accordions made without basses. I've never known a C system CBA Russian built accordion, although they will make them to order.

The Italian makers Stocco and Fratelli Crosio both made small PA and C system CBA accordions with no bass reeds in them for Filuzzi players in Bologna, where the music had originally been played on a small organetto without basses.

Unfortunately my knowledge of Russian accordions is minimal as I've indicated above. :tup:

 

[Deleted member 48]

The Russians sure made extremely compact accordions, from the mini garmoshka cherepashkas up to tiny chromatic 3 rows accordions.
This white one from the year 1926 looks to me even smaller than the Bolognese Italian mini chromatics without basses.

Im bad at guessing, but it looks to be smaller than 20 cm (high).
At 1340 in comparison with the rest of this miniatures collection, this white 1926 make is very compact compared with the one row melodeons.
And I count over 30 buttons...

Too bad the white card gives no information about the size in centimeters or the weight.
An inside of this instrument could learn us a lot about the Russian way of building small accordions.

I think this 1926 make is significantly smaller than the recently made mini baby Bonifassi chromatic accordion:

Bella Ciao joué avec le Bonifassi modèle Baby

The Bonifassi has over 50 basses, but the treble side has about the same number of buttons/notes as this Russian 1926 make. The Russian one looks to be more compact. I guess Bonifassi was limited because he had to put in the reeds and action mechanism for the bass side. Im not sure, because AKKO in Russia also made a tiny accordion including bass mechanism.

Every time I think this is the minimal size of a chromatic button accordion, I discover an even compacter one...
And this one was already made in 1926...