The Accordion in the 19th Century - Gorka Hermosa

FOREWORD
By Prof. Dr. Helmut C. Jacobs 1
Gorka Hermosa, born in 1976 Urretxu, Basque Country, is not only one of the
most singular and versatile interpreters among the most relevant Spanish accordionists,
but also a knowledgeable authority on the international literature written for the
accordion. In his study, he has canvassed all the literature written since the 19th c. for
the instruments that –like the accordion- have a metal free reed as a principle for their
sound such as the physharmonica, the harmonium, the concertina etc., whose
interpretation with the accordion is possible without hindrance and implies, enriching
the extension of its repertoire. Gorka Hermosa completed his accordion degree at the
Jesús Guridi Conservatoire, Vitoria. He has received numerous awards at national and
international accordion contests. In 1998, he started his career as concertist and as
soloist of different music ensembles, playing since then in Spain and other European
countries. In his recordings, he introduces the accordion in unusual and extraordinary
ensembles (among other, with the hurdy-gurdy, the flamenco guitar, the harpsichord or
the bass clarinet) and opens new stylistic paths for the instrument when he integrates
elements from jazz, folk, pop and flamenco in his music. Gorka Hermosa displays a
versatile and original perception of the instrument not only in his arrangements for
different instrumental ensembles, but also in his compositions for accordion solo.
In his first book El Repertorio para acordeón en el Estado Español, 2003, Gorka
Hermosa describes, systematically and thoroughly, almost all the compositions written
in Spain for accordion solo, accordion with other instruments or with symphonic
orchestra. In the second part of his book, he includes short biographies of the
composers. This valuable reference book is necessary for those interested in the
repertoire for the accordion. Oposiciones para acordeonistas is his second book. It is a
complete guide, in two volumes, enormously useful for those interested in preparing
entrance exams to be an accordion teacher in Spanish conservatoires. His third book El
acordeón en Cantabria, describes the history of the accordion in this Spanish region,
where he lives.
In his fourth book, The accordion in the 19 th century, which we are now
presenting, Gorka Hermosa focuses on 19th c. works that were written in Europe for
instruments with metal free reed. Not only are the works documented, but also the
diversity of the multiple types of instrument with respect to their structure. The first
chapter deals with the predecessors of these instruments, for example, the tcheng in
Asia or the guimbarde, the glass harmonica or the different types of organ in Europe. In
this context, he also describes an extremely interesting sketch drawn by Leonardo da
Vinci of a small pipe organ, with a hand-operated bellows. This organologic idea is
enormously similar to the concept of the portable keyboard musical instrument, which
the accordion fulfils. In the second chapter, he presents, in a very accessible way, the
complex organologic developments in metal free reed instruments all through the 19 th c.
starting from the accordion patented by Cyrill Demian in 1829 in Vienna. In the third
chapter, he describes the music written during the 19 th c. for instruments such as the
physharmonica, the harmonium or the concertina and their interpreters.
In his book, Gorka Hermosa has succeeded in efficiently describing a panoramic
view of the history of metal free reed instruments and their abundant literature,
1 Helmut C. Jacobs (Bonn, 1957) is a Professor of the Romance Philology department at the University of Duisburg-Essen. His
remarkable work as an accordionist and musicologist has focused on the history of free reed instruments, publishing monographic
CDs about different composers (Karg-Elert, Regondi, Beckman, Lundquist, Brehme, Jacobi, Klebe, Graham...) and books of great
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