Additional Background Information about our Musical Items

Information about accordions

An accordion is a musical instrument played by the hands to pull and squeeze the central bellows, which then blow air over metal reeds, the melody and chords being sounded by buttons or keys. Developed in Germany in the early 19th century. A player of the accordion is known as an accordionist.

Bell Musical Instruments (UK)

Bell Musical Instruments Ltd was founded in 1947 by Arthur Bell. Initially, Bell produced and sold accordions from their Bell Accordion showroom at 157-159 Ewell Road, Surbiton, Surrey. It became a mecca for accordion players from London and surrounding areas throughout the ‘50s and early ‘60s. The Bell-labelled accordions were manufactured at a sister site on Aycliffe Trading Estate site, near Darlington, Co.Durham.

Bell were taken over in 1961 by German company Hohner, who continued using the Bell Musical Instruments due to its reputation.

Hohner (Germany)

Hohner is a German manufacturer of musical instruments, founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner (1833–1902). The roots of the Hohner firm are in Trossingen, Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. As well as accordions, Hohner has manufactured a wide range of instruments including harmonicas, kazoos, recorder flutes, melodicas, banjos, electric, acoustic, resonator and classical guitars, basses, mandolins and ukuleles. Hohner is most famous for its harmonicas.

Maugein Frères (France)

French accordion manufacturer established in 1919 by Jean Maugein, who made the instruments in a former World War I munitions factory, the company originally employed 290 people in the town of Tulle in the Corrèze in central France. Business boomed after World War II when the arrival in France of jazz and swing boosted sales, but the company began to decline in the 1970s and eventually closed its doors in 2024.

Paolo Soprani (Italy)

An Italian manufacturer of high-quality accordions, founded in Castelfidardo by Paolo Soprani in 1864. The brand still exists today under the ownership of Pasco Italia srl and continues to produce a wide range of accordions, known for their craftsmanship and sound. Known for high quality and well made accordions.

Rigoletto (Germany)

A brand of accordions, concertinas, and harmonicas made by Johann Köstler in Bohemia under the name Köstler & Co. formed in 1891. They later made accordions under the Rigoletto brand in Germany. Interestingly, some instruments have “US Zone Germany” stamped on them. Köstler & Co. produced various instruments, including button accordions, concertinas, and “Helikon” accordions.