cmc2 (9K)

C15: Free-reeded instruments related to the concertina, and other Wheatstone material in the Collection.

Many early European instruments relevant to the early evolution of the concertina are represented, including the Demian accordions , the Ǽolina , Wheatstone's Symphonium , the Frenchaccordéon or 'Flutina', and many of the concertina-like instruments produced in Germany, Saxony, Austria and France from the 1850s onwards , in competition with the higher quality instruments being made by the growing number of English-based makers.

There are examples of Wheatstone & Company's woodwind, 'flute embouchures' , harp-lutes , 20th century Harmonicas , and an archive of the Wheatstone company's sheet music produced for the concertina, much of it in original bound volumes. Many original concertina-makers' catalogues, instrument price lists, and Dealers' brochures are within section NC:2:1 , plus examples of all the dealer labels found on concertinas marketed in the UK and Europe.

There is a selection of early harmoniums, by both Wheatstone and other British makers , and those created and labelled for Wheatstone's by noted French makers.

The section C:15:6: Wheatstone Museum Instruments includes a number of rare survivals originating in Sir Charles Wheatstone’s Museum in King’s College, London. These were rescued from disposal when the old attic store-rooms, into which the remnants of Wheatstone’s collections had been stored after his death, were finally cleared in the early 1960s. These items were rescued by a young King’s staff member in the ‘60s, and were acquired from him in 2005. In addition to the non-concertina instruments in sections C:15:6 of the web-site, the acquisition included one of Wheatstone’s first prototypes of the concertina, which is fully described and illustrated as Item C.001 and which forms the basis of Wayne’s 2009 paper: “The Invention and Evolution of the English Concertina” in the Galpin Society Journal Vol 61, May 2009.

The main links to the many headings and sub-headings within the Related Free-Reed and Wheatstone Instruments section of the database are summarised here:

  • C:15:1: Wheatstone’s Symphonium
  • C:15:2: Æolinas
  • C:15:3: Accordéons
  • C:15:3:1: Austrian Accordéons
  • C:15:3:2: French Accordéons
  • C:15:3:3: German Accordéons
  • C:15:3:4: Other Accordéons
  • C:15:4: Keyboard Instruments & Harmoniums
  • C:15:4:1: English
  • C:15:4:2: Wheatstone
  • C:15:4:3: Other
  • C:15:4:4: French
  • C:15:5: Woodwind Instruments (Now illustrated in an NC.1.2.8 section)
  • C:15:5:1: Wheatstone Woodwind (Now illustrated in an NC.1.2.8 section)
  • C:15:5:2: Wheatstone Embouchures (Now illustrated in an NC.1.2.8 section)
  • C:15:6: Wheatstone Museum Instruments – [Intro Text]
  • C:15:6:1: Wheatstone Harp Lute
  • C:15:6:2: Javanese Fiddle
  • C:15:6:3: Shengs and Shos
  • C:15:6:3:1: Wheatstone’s Sheng
  • C:15:6:3:2: Other Shengs
  • C:15:6:4:Wheatstone’s One-string Fiddle
  • cmcdiv (1K)
    The Concertina Museum Concertinas Related Instruments Related Items Back


    The Concertina Museum Collection

    Created August 2009 by Neil Wayne
    Modified February 2012 by Wes Williams
    This page created Monday 20 February 2012.