Episode 05 – Accordina – A. Borel, 1943

In 1938, on a harmonica, André Borel does not find the sensations of the accordionist that he is, and in particular, the possibility of making chords, he has then the idea to marry the keyboard of the button accordion to this harmonica. In 1943, he developed the accordina.

A patent, to protect this invention, was issued in 1947, for an “improvement to harmonicas”.

Extract from the patent

In 1949, André Borel created the commercial company “Accordina” with the aim of producing and selling his instruments, this commercial company was dissolved in 1954. From the middle of the 1950s onwards, Paul Beuscher in Paris (a musical instrument shop) was responsible for marketing his instruments.

Piano-button model (top), single piano-button model with 2 voices in octave (bottom)

If accordinas are made in Paris, at first, they are very quickly made in the accordion factory MARINUCCI, in Recanati (Italy).

First assembled with brass reeds and with a triangular metal mouthpiece, from 1959, the accordinas are assembled with stainless steel reeds and with a rectangular mouthpiece with a plastic tip.

To be continued…