L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE I n the middle decades of the twentieth cen- tury, the sound of the accordion was not that unusual in the United States: it came from r a d i o p r o g r a m s , v a r i e t y shows, dance halls, and, just a s o f t e n , o r d i n a r y l i v i n g rooms where children prac- ticed scales after school. Pho- tographs from the period show young students seated upright beside large instru- ments nearly the size of their torsos, watched closely by p a r e n t s w h o c o n s i d e r e d l e s s o n s a s a r e s p e c t a b l e accomplishment, not unlike piano study. What is easy to forget now is how recent that familiarity once was: only a generation earlier, the accor- dion was still regarded as a foreign curiosity, associated with immigrant neighbor- hoods and traveling perform- ers. Much of the transforma- t i o n b e t w e e n t h o s e t w o moments passed through Italian hands. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the instru- ment entered American pop- ular entertainment through v a u d e v i l l e , a c i r c u i t t h a t loved novelty and virtuosity. Among the performers who stood out were the Italian- born brothers Guido and Pietro Deiro, musicians who promoted the piano accordion, a keyboard-style version of the instrument, on major stages and recordings. It was their performances that helped audiences recog- nize the instrument outside ethnic contexts and under- s t a n d h o w t h e a c c o r d i o n could accompany comic rou- tines, sentimental songs, and dance numbers in theaters across the country. By the 1 9 1 0 s , l i s t e n e r s w h o h a d never set foot in an Italian neighborhood could already recognize its sound. The same period also pro- duced another important d e v e l o p m e n t , U S - b a s e d instrument making. By then, Italian immigrants were not only performing with the accordion; they were build- ing, repairing, and selling it, as exemplified by a well- known Pacific Northwest e x a m p l e , t h a t o f C a r l o Petosa. Born in Italy and brought to the United States as a child, he first encoun- tered the instrument through performance circuits before apprenticing with the Guer- rini Accordion Company in San Francisco. In 1922, he opened his own workshop in the basement of his Seattle home, crafting and adjusting instruments for a growing clientele. The enterprise that began as a small family oper- ation became the Petosa Accordion Company, a business that remained in operation for generations and is still associated with American-made accordions today. D u r i n g t h e 1 9 2 0 s , t h e accordion turned into a com- m o d i t y : m a n u f a c t u r e r s , teachers, and music promot- e r s r e c o g n i z e d t h a t t h e instrument was portable, expressive, and easier for beginners to produce satisfy- ing sounds on than the violin or trumpet. Instruction stu- dios appeared in storefronts, offering lessons to children whose parents viewed music education as both cultural growth and social advance- ment. Historians of Ameri- can music culture describe t h i s m o m e n t a s a k i n d o f "Americanization" of the instrument: although its making and early champions were closely tied to Italian communities, it was increas- ingly marketed to families who had no direct connection to immigration at all. The expansion accelerated during the 1930s and 1940s, when the accordion experi- enced what commentators later called a craze. Method books circulated widely, stu- dent orchestras formed in schools, and competitions drew audiences. Radio and, later, television played a deci- sive role, especially thanks to p e r f o r m e r s s u c h a s D i c k Contino, who appeared reg- ularly on national broadcasts. Even the immensely popular television host Lawrence Welk made the instrument part of a carefully curated image of wholesome enter- tainment. In that environ- ment, the accordion was no longer an ethnic marker but a familiar presence in middle- class leisure. Parents who might once have associated it with European street music now regarded it as suitable for their children's musical training. Ironically, the very quali- ties that made the instrument successful also contributed to its later decline: by the early 1960s, musical tastes shifted toward electric guitars and amplified bands, and the accordion's association with family-oriented entertain- ment began to feel old-fash- ioned to younger audiences. Yet its earlier rise left a last- ing impression: the infra- structure created during its p e a k – t e a c h e r s , r e p a i r shops, manufacturers, and music societies – did not dis- appear completely, and busi- nesses such as the Petosa company continued to oper- ate, serving both longtime players and new enthusiasts drawn to folk and traditional music revivals. T o d a y , t h e i n s t r u m e n t survives in multiple musical worlds at once: it appears in folk revivals, regional tradi- t i o n s , a n d c o n t e m p o r a r y e x p e r i m e n t s , s o m e t i m e s reclaimed precisely because it carries memories of earlier migration. The sound that once traveled from vaude- ville theaters to living rooms and classrooms now circu- lates through festivals and recordings, reminding listen- ers that cultural integration and mixing often follow indi- rect routes. The accordion did not become mainstream simply through advertising or fashion; it did so through a chain of human activity made of performing, teach- ing, crafting, and learning, w h i c h m a n a g e d t o l i n k immigrant neighborhoods to national culture. The story, to be truthful, is more about a wider process than a single instrument: Italian families who arrived w i t h m u s i c a l t r a d i t i o n s adapted them to American conditions, building busi- nesses and reputations that a l l o w e d t h e a c c o r d i o n t o move outward from commu- nity celebrations into com- mon life. Even after its peak faded, traces of that passage remained – and still remain, here and there – audible. The instrument's rise and transformation mark one small but telling example of how immigrant contribu- t i o n s c a n e n t e r e v e r y d a y experience, becoming famil- iar enough that their origins are gradually forgotten, even while their sound continues to be recognized. When the accordion went mainstream in America LUCA SIGNORINI Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors.

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