The musical instrument created by the Armenian master is 197 years old.

May 23 is celebrated around the world Accordion player’s birthday, but few people know that the author of the first accordion patent in the world is the Armenian craftsman Kiril Demyan. On this occasion, events are often organized in musical educational institutions and other centers of Armenia, where Armenian accordionists perform. And Armenia has traditionally had great masters of the accordion who shone on different stages of the world.

And so the author of the accordion, a maker of musical instruments is Armenian master Kirill Demyan (1772-1847). He was born in a town founded by Armenians who migrated to Romania in the 16th century after the fall of the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia. Armenopolis (present-day Gerla) city.

Kiril or Kyuregh Demyan was a master maker of musical instruments: pianos, organs, he had his own shop where he sold the parts he made for these instruments, as well as individual parts for keyboard and brass instruments. By the way, today the samples made by Kirill Demyan are exhibited at the Vienna House of Music.

Demyan has been thinking about creating his musical instrument for many years. He drew up blueprints, made calculations in an effort to create an improved instrument, and created the accordion with his sons Carl and Gwydon. Damian’s instrument had only five keys, designed for the left hand only. Each key corresponded to one chord, which gave rise to the instrument’s name, “accordion” (from the Latin “accordo”).

In 1829, Kirill Demyan completed the construction of the accordion. On May 6, 1829, it was patented in Vienna. 17 days later, on May 23, 1829, Demyan’s patent was officially recognized, after which, until today, May 23 is celebrated all over the world as the birthday of the accordion.

The accordion created by Demyan could play simple melodies in one key. However, this did not stop music lovers from purchasing the newly created instrument from music stores and accordion factories.

It is noteworthy that today the accordion, which is popular all over the world, includes features of various instruments. in its appearance it resembles the bayan instrument, in its technical structure it is related to the harmonica, in sound it is closer and “compatriot” to the organ, and in terms of keyboard and capabilities it is close to the piano. It can give the impression of an ensemble with its sound.

Since its creation, the accordion has undergone rigorous development and renewal, becoming more and more perfected, becoming an irreplaceable instrument in various types of orchestras. In the Soviet years, including in Armenia, the accordion was more applicable and accepted in folk instrument ensembles, but it should be emphasized that especially in Europe and around the world, the accordion is used in classical music works: Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, Rossini, Verdi, Brahms, Liszt, Chopin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Schubert, Shostakovich, Aram Khachatryan and many others. and famous works of many other famous composers, as well as waltz, jazz, Argentine tango, folk and for reproduction of works of other genres.

After the advent of the accordion, the popularity of the harmonica began to fade in Central Europe. The accordion gained widespread recognition and popularity in the British Isles, and in the 1840s in the United States. Adolf Müller in his book “Accordion School” presented descriptions of different types of the instrument.

Once upon a time, decades ago, in Armenia, almost every family had to send a child to a music school in order to learn an instrument. Among those instruments, the accordion had its stable and stable place, which competed equally with both folk instruments and the most popular classical instruments: violin, piano, and guitar. The accordion was an integral part of every gathering. Today, it has significantly lost its spread among the people.

There are not many accordion masters in Armenia, but they exist and are highly respected among musicians. Just as there are few high-quality and expensive accordions with which Valery Kovtun, Nick Ariondo, Richard Galliano, Pasquale Coviello, Alexander Hrustevich and other world-famous accordionists have demonstrated their skills.

However, Armenian accordionists note one important feature of this instrument. many people are not familiar with this instrument, but there is not a single listener who hears the accordion’s magical sounds and does not fall in love with it. Maybe this very love will cause a new revival of the accordion in the homeland of Kiril Demyan’s ancestors. Who knows…

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