The Concertina Museum: 5.4.1-013



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Item Type: Tutor - English Concertina

Summary

Full Description: ‘English’ Concertina Tutor: Two copies of: “How to Learn the English Concertina Without a Master”, by C. Roylance, “Professor of the English Concertina”, London. Originally published from Seymour Street, Euston Square in 1877, and with large diagram of keys & notes layout. Roylance (c. 1840–?) was a musical instrument dealer, concertina performer-teacher, and author-publisher of tutors for English and Anglo concertina and other instruments. In his notes and instructions, (p. 2),Roylance dismissed the difficulties of learning to play: “The fingering of the Concertina is extremely easy, so with ordinary attention to the following instructions, any person with the least musical talent, may in a very short time perform any favourite melody” He offered his own undocumented history of the instrument: “The English Concertina was invented by Professor Charles Wheatstone . . . and was introduced to Public notice in June 1838. The first instrument was sold to Capt. Gardner of the 2nd Life Guards, it was then called the “Symphonian” [sic] with bellows, and not until December 27th of that year, was it named the Concertina”. Each copy is priced at 2/-, though the early edition in Merris’s listings is priced 1/-. Roylance sponsored at least one contest—“ Mr. C. Roylance’s English Concertina Contest, Cambridge Hall, Oxford Street” (July 5 th, 1870), and a large pewter trophy from that contest is Item NC.4.9-001 in the Collection, with the engraving “Presented to Mr W J Corton, by the Umpires, for the best-played Concertina solo at Mr. C Roylance’s Concertina Contest at the Cambridge Hall, Newman Street, Oxford Street, July 5th 1870.”.
The major source for information and listings of all known Concertina Tutors is Randall Merris’s paper at www.concertina.com/merris/bibliography/english-tutors.htm

Source Catalogue No: The Concertina Museum: 5.4.1-013





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The Concertina Museum Collection

Created August 2009 by Neil Wayne
Last Modified 07 February 2012 by Neil Wayne, Chris Flint, Wes Williams

This page created Tuesday 14 February 2012.