This website began in 2008 as a personal collection of research articles written about the Anglo concertina and its players. In 2010 it has expanded to include the new Concertina Press, with its first product being the two volume The Anglo-German Concertina: A Social History .
Why the "Anglo"? German system concertinas (German and Anglo-German concertinas) held a truly unique place in late nineteenth century society. Along with a few other small free reed instruments, the German concertina was among the first inexpensive, mass produced and globally marketed musical instruments. It and its English-made counterpart, the Anglo-German concertina (the "Anglo"), were easy to play for those with no prior music training, enabling millions of working class people to learn to play music...which they did, from Inuit villages in the frozen north of Canada, to remote Polynesian Islands, to African settlements, throughout industrialized Europe and North America, and in all the colonies of the former British Empire. Its global use was an early harbinger of the modern world of global pop music. It formed an important part of the nineteenth century craze in ballroom dances (polkas, waltzes, schottisches, quadrilles and the like), taking these popular dances into rural houses, barns and wool sheds around the globe. German or Anglo-German concertinas were typically played solo for these dances in rural settings, where they filled an essential role closest to that of the electric guitar today. Just as did the "twist" in the 1960s, each new ballroom dance fashion and its first tune moved very quickly from its inception (most were from central Europe) to urban and rural dance venues in western Europe and around the world. German system concertinas and the banjo were key instruments in the equally global minstrel craze, the edgy lyrics and grotesque dancing of which comprised the bad-boy hip-hop of its time. With the global spread of jazz and later rock 'n roll in the twentieth century, German and Anglo-German concertinas along with ballroom dancing retreated into the shadows, later to re-emerge in yet one more global craze: the folk and traditional music revival of the late twentieth century.
Why this website? I first saw an 'Anglo' in a shop window in Austin Texas, back in 1975 or thereabouts. I knew nothing about it, and in those pre-internet days, my opportunities to learn more were seriously limited. Nonetheless, I bought that inexpensive little jewel and began a lifelong hobby, first teaching myself the basics of playing it, and then, slowly but surely, meeting a fascinating array of people in the US, Ireland, and England who taught me how to improve my playing (or attempted to!). I also discovered several now-defunct magazines that concentrated on concertinas (Free Reed, Concertina and Squeezebox, The Concertina Magazine); each drew me further into the circle.
With the advent of the Internet in the past ten years, the ability to meet more players around the world and to learn even more about this instrument has simply exploded, with superb sites like the Forum at www.concertina.net, and the Concertina Library at www.concertina.com. And yet, there seems to be much more of interest regarding the Anglo's history, and the styles of its players, than anyone has yet been able to capture. In 2004 I began a little hobby quest to research some of these topics. My first attempt, a book on William Kimber's playing, was published by the English Folk Dance and Song Society in 2005, and it was followed in 2006-2007 by research articles on the history of the Anglo concertina in the US and Ireland, respectively; both were published at the Concertina Library (www.concertina.com). With the launch of this website in early 2008 I released another article, a history of the concertina as played by sailors at sea. Since that time, I have continued to look at this instrument's history of use in England, South Africa, Germany, Australia and New Zealand; these have resulted in my new two volume book, The Anglo-German Concertina: A Social History (see Home Page).
Because learning this history seems to be turning into a regular hobby with me, I decided in 2008 that it was best to consolidate my work, so that I could make it all available at a single site. Bob Gaskins, owner of the Concertina Library site, encouraged me to build this website, and helped me learn enough HTML to cobble it together.
I have found that I learn many, many useful things from people who read my articles....there is always someone who knows that other fascinating story I haven't heard, or has a photograph that I haven't seen. I hope this site will help me find more such readers, and perhaps inspire some with stories to tell, to drop me an email. I hope you enjoy the site, and if you have a good 'Anglo' story...please pass it on!
Dan Worrall, 2010
Biographical Note: Dan Worrall has previously written "The Anglo-Concertina Music of William Kimber," published by the English Folk Dance and Song Society in 2005, as well as numerous articles on the history of the concertina at The Concertina Library (www.concertina.com) and in the Papers of the International Concertina Association. He holds a Ph.D. in geology, is retired from petroleum industry research, and lives on a farm in southeastern Texas. He has played both the Anglo-German and English concertinas for over thirty-five years.