What partimenti and galant schemata share with school algebra: a musician and former maths teacher on pattern recognition and converging interests.
The Mirrored Bandoneón
How Olivier Manoury Made the Chromatic Bandoneon’s Left Hand Symmetric Olivier Manoury needs no introduction to anyone who has spent time with the chromatic — or unisonoric — bandoneon. Back in the 1920s, the French accordionist Charles Péguri devised a keyboard logic that broke with the old German Rheinische system: the same button gives the […]
Louise Jallu: The Bandonéon Has No Borders
A conversation with the French musician who is taking tango’s soul in bold new directions — and reshaping the future of one of the world’s most singular instruments. Let’s start from the beginning: you began studying the bandonéon at five years old, at a conservatoire on the outskirts of Paris. How does a child that […]
5 Movies Soundtracks with Bandoneón
The Bandoneón through the Eyes of the Cinema. The bandoneón is perhaps the most melancholic instrument of all, as well as the very symbol of tango. Thanks to its unique sound, the bandoneón is increasingly being used in cinema to add a distinctive touch to film scores. But the bandoneón is not only about melancholy […]
Duruflé meets the Bandoneón: the Project
The project Duruflé meets the Bandoneón proposes an innovative exploration of the music of the great French composer Maurice Duruflé through the bandoneón, an instrument usually associated with tango. Project Creator My name is Omar Caccia. I was born in Italy in 1984. After studying Physics and graduating in 2008 from the University of Milan […]
Fred Dömpke, Pioneer of Jazz Bandoneon
Who is Fred Dömpke and why should deserve more consideration among the bandoneon players? The bandoneon is conquering a significant role in jazz. Many bandoneon players are exploring this genre and are enriching it with interesting sounds and musical feelings, especially from tango. Thanks to an assiduous German reader of this blog, I discovered a […]
Interview with Baltazar Estol, Bandoneon Maker
Discussing Bandoneon Making with Baltazar Estol A few years ago I saw a video by M. Rodolfo Daluisio playing a bandoneon built by Baltazar Estol. Until that moment I thought that brand new bandoneons were prerogative of Europe. When I arrived in Buenos Aires I often heard about Baltazar Estol and his prodigious instruments, and […]
Pedro Maffia: the Innovator of Tango and Bandoneon
August is a special month for tango enthusiasts as we celebrate the birth of Pedro Maffia, a pivotal figure in the history of tango and a great innovator of bandoneon technique. Pedro Maffia: a genius of tango and bandoneon In another post, I discussed Walter Porschmann, a forgotten bandoneon virtuoso. The case of Pedro Maffia […]
History of Bandoneon in Germany during Nazi Era
An History of Bandoneon from its genesis to its decline in Germany during and after WWII Foreword This article is not an apology for Nazism nor an indictment of Germany’s past.It’s just the history of bandoneon during a specific period of Germany: It is based on historical evidence and public documents, and should be considered as a historical and […]
The Mystery of Bandoneon’s 442 Hz Tuning: Why?
Anyone familiar with the bandoneon often encounters the magical number: 442. When we say that the bandoneon tuning is 442, this value represents the frequency in Hertz of the central A that serves as a reference point for tuning all the other notes of the bandoneon. If you’ve ever wondered why this precise value instead […]