Accordion History in Italy Castelfidardo: international centre of Accordion production in Italy Before discussing the history of the accordion, it is important to point out that in the first half of the 19th century Italy was not the geographical and political entity we know today. Instead it was an 'ensemble' of small states, in sharp contrast with some European Powers which had already achieved their political union.

• Scandalli Accordion Value

It is around this period that we find the first mention of the musical instrument named 'accordion'. The territory known as Italy today was then under the dominion of several different 'powers'. Sicily and the Neapolitan region were ruled by the Bourbons and Piedmont was ruled by the Savoy family, sovereigns of French extraction. Furthermore, while the Lombard and Venetian regions were under the power of the Austrians, the Vatican State, with the Pope as the supreme spiritual and political leader, backed by the continental powers, France and Austria, occupied most central territories. Therefore, although a certain degree of common cultural identity existed in the peninsula at this time, the customs and culture of various regions were strongly influenced by those foreign powers that ruled them. The defeat in 1860 of the pontifical army at Castelfidardo by the Piedmontese troops, marked a fundamental move towards Italian unification. The annexing of the central regions of Marche and Umbria in the Italian kingdom meant the birth of new hopes and ideals for the people who had been, until then, under the dominion of foreign powers.

All Hohner accordions bear the distinctive Hohner logo, but not all include the specific model name and number. Hohner does not maintain a central database of all its musical instruments by serial number, which makes it difficult to determine the specific age and model of its accordions. Hi Shirley, Even with the serial number, I still am sure that your value is between $750.00 - $1,000.00 depending on the condition and the playability of the accordian. You can try selling it on ebay, or on amazon.com. Probably the two best places for it.

Immediately after the annexing of the territory of Marche - particularly in Castelfidardo - we witness the birth of the first accordions and concertinas which were probably introduced to the Italians by French troops allied to the Papal State. These instruments were soon adapted to suit Italian taste. Around the same time, another centre for the production of accordion developed in the north of Italy, in a town called Stradella within the Trentino region, thanks to the initiative of Signore Dallape' who may well have come across some rudimentary accordions used in Austrian popular music, such as that trademarked by a certain Mr Demian. After the unification, liberated at last from the foreign political domination of the last few centuries, Italians broke free from their former constraints and discovered a new sense of identity and love of life. The accordion, with its uncomplicated and cheerful sound, its ease of use and transportation, was the ideal instrument to adopt in opposition to the elitist and costly music of previous years.

Scandalli Accordion Value

Paolo Soprani, a farmhand from Castelfidardo, captured the mood of the time in the early 1860s and started what was to become the first industrial production of accordions. Earlier, 'pioneers' such as Giacomo Alunni from Nocera Umbra in 1850, Giovanni Cingolani from Recanati in 1856 and Lorenzo Ploner from Trieste in 1862, attempted to manufacture concertinas, but they only contributed to the statistics of the accordion's history, never managing to elevate the production of the instrument to an economic force to be reckoned with. The intuitive Signor Soprani, however, managed to revolutionize life in the Marche region, creating a new industry which in a short period of time succeeded in transforming the local economy from one based on agriculture, to an industrial one open to the international market. A decisive role in the development of Soprani's new family business was played by the nearby town of Loreto, a religious, cultural and commercial centre, packed with visitors from far and wide. It may well have been in Loreto that Soprani bought the first Austrian or French accordion, and certainly the energetic nature of the town enabled him to promote and popularize the accordion. Thanks to excellent sales figures and the fact that orders were coming in from all over Italy, Soprani's brother Settimio, who until then had worked with his brother, decided to set up business alone and in 1872 opened his own workshop imitating Cesare Pancotti who in 1865 had started one of his own in Macerata.