CVCAS.CA Literature Valley Voices
I went to the Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society’s Accordion Festival in Waterwheel Park not having much of a clue about an instrument, which I placed in the ‘contraption’ category. But I discovered that a ‘squeezebox’ in the lap of an accomplished player produces an amazing range of complex and subtle music. Which begs the question: why don’t we see accordions in the hoity-toity world of symphony orchestras?
According to Quora, “The accordion wasn’t developed until the early 19th century, well after the symphony orchestra had already been established. As a fixed-pitch instrument, it lacks the flexibility to tune to other instruments, so it’s not a good fit with any orchestra except as a kind of special effect.” In other words, the accordion’s unique, beloved sound is too nonconformist for the upper-crust symphonic crowd, although it is
considered ‘special’ and does have a marvellous ‘effect’ on audiences throughout Europe, North America,
and South America. Accordions consist of keyboards on each end of their bellows—the flexible, expandable, and contractable compartment between them, which functions sort of like a lung. More than most musicians, accordionists have to dance to their own music, making their instrument breathe while they tickle its keyboards and modulate its inhalations and exhalations through sets of reeds to produce its unmistakable moaning and skirling melodies.
Audiences respond joyously or mournfully to accordion music, depending on its key and tempo, and the fans at the Chemainus Bandshell showed their appreciation with cheers and applause. “We know of it to be quite popular
in Quebec and Newfoundland, but we have our own accordion community here in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, many of whom will be performing on the open stage,” said festival organizer Jim Hamilton.
He picked up the instrument in Northern Ireland. For him, the accordion’s complexity is part of its appeal. “The accordion is a challenging instrument to learn because both hands are working independently up and down the keyboards while at the same time you are squeezing the bellows horizontally in and out.”
“Besides reading the music,” Hamilton said, “you must concentrate on your bellows so that you can apply the correct pressure for the dynamics required by the music score. You must also be aware of the position of your bellows so you don’t run out of air, which drives the reeds to produce the sound.”
Imagine how daunting it would be to make sure your guitar was breathing properly while your hands were busy strumming and fingering cords. The accordion, it seems to me, is an instrument you bring to life with the musical equivalent of cardiopulmonary resuscitation—stop pumping, and it wheezes into silence. So, you might be wondering: What would convince someone to try their hand—or hands—at such a difficult instrument? “First of all, it’s fun to play an accordion. It’s challenging and rewarding at the same time. And, as with any instrument, the player is able to express themselves in their music,” Hamilton explained. And expressive it was. Festival goers were treated to a musical blend that was both local and international: pieces composed in British Columbia,
some Latin American hits, Irish folk songs, and fast-paced French melodies. Regardless of their origins,
the songs had a rich and reedy sound that entranced listeners. But as much as the music, I was delighted by the almost intimate relationship between accordion and player. Accordionists swing and sway with their instruments, almost like they’re chair-dancing. And I can imagine a sort of bumper sticker affixed to the polished surfaces of their accordion cases saying, Hug an accordion today!