Bandoneon
The bandoneon in five languages — bandoneon, bandonéon, Bandoneon, bandoneon
Related
Five languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 班多钮 |
| English | bandoneon |
| Italian | bandoneon |
| German | Bandoneon |
| French | bandonéon |
The bandoneon is a square, handheld free-reed instrument covered in buttons on both sides, with no piano keyboard. German emigrants carried it to South America, where it became the core colour of tango in Buenos Aires; the player works the bellows while pressing buttons, and each button gives a different note on push and pull. German Bandoneon and French bandonéon keep the name.
Watch out: the bandoneon is often called a "bandoneon accordion", but it is not an accordion. The accordion has a piano keyboard or orderly bass buttons; the bandoneon belongs to the concertina family, is square in body, and differs in button layout and range. In a tango band it carries melody and harmony with a tighter, more nasal tone.
Read deeper → The bandoneon
Sources
- 各语种乐器名与班多钮的构造，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Bandoneon"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.