The Center for the Study of Free-Reed Instruments at The Graduate Center of The City University of New York flourished under the umbrella of The Barry S. Brook Center for Musical Research and Documentation from 1999 through 2014 and the directorship of Allan W. Atlas.

The Center was devoted to fostering and serving as a resource for research on all aspects of all free-reed instruments, both West and East, both in art and vernacular repertories. To that end it first published The Free-Reed Journal, vols. 1 – 4 (1999 – 2003), and then, in conjunction with the International Concertina Association, Papers of the International Concertina Association, vols. 1 – 10 (2004-2013).

In addition, the Center oversaw the development of a small research archive of primary and secondary materials. The crown jewel of the collection is the DEIRO ARCHIVE, donated to the Center by Count Guido Roberto Deiro and Ms. Sandra Cattani. The voluminous materials are housed at the Graduate Center’s Mina Rees Library, Special Collections, and may be consulted by appointment. There is a detailed catalogue available here. The collection of secondary materials has been deposited among the music holdings of that same library.

The Center also sponsored a series of annual concerts.

Finally, in the course of its fifteen years, the Center enjoyed the support of a number of individuals and organizations. It is fitting that the Center’s homepage ends by acknowledging their support and encouragement.

Christopher Adler – Alistair Anderson – Archeophone Records (St. Joseph, IL) – Appledore Music (Shepton Mallet, GB) – Augemus Verlag (Bochum, D) – Peter Ayers – Henry T. Bahnson – Daniel Barski – Alan Bates – Peter Baumann – Bayerischer Landesverein für Heimatpflege (Munich) – Hugh Blake – Graham Bradshaw – The Button Box (Sunderland , MA) – Cambridge University Press – Sandra Cattani – Celtic Crossings (San Francisco) – Stephen Chambers – Jeff Charnow – James Cohn – The Concertina Connection (Spokane, WA) – James Chowdery – Jenny Cox – Da Capo Records – Det Danske Harmonike Academie (Birkerød, DK) – Rita Weinbuch Davidson – Robert Davine – Alan Day – George Davis – Stewart Dean – Count Guido Roberto Deiro – Roger Digby – Doblinger Musikverlag (Vienna) – Maria Dunkel – Jeanette and Lars Dyremose – Editions Universelles – Ellipsis Arts Reocrds (Roslyn Heights, NY) – Per Elund – Folksound-Roots Records – Bob Godfried – Rachel Hall – Hands on Music (Oxford) – Harmonica Collectors International (Hockenis, DE) – Harmonikamuseum (Trossingen, D) – Karen Hirshon – Sheila Hogg – Hohner Verlag (Trossingen, D) – Clint Hoover – Horniman Museum (London) – House of Musical Traditions (Takoma Park, MD) – Randy Hudson – J.L. Huffer – Emery Hutchins – Petri Ikella – International Concertina Association – JaMar Music (Troy, AL) – Stephen Jardine – Karthause-Schmülling Verlag (Kamen, D) – Ralf Kaupenjohann – Jody Kruskall – Tom Kruskall – Walter Kuehr – Grey Larson – Hazel Leach – Hal Leonard Corp. (Milwaukee) – Laurence Libin – Linda Littleton – David Loeb – Joseph Macerollo – The Main Squeeze (New York) – Tito Marcus – Eric Matusewitch – Cecilia McDonnell – John McNeill Musical Instruments (Dublin) – Randall C. Merris – Séan Minnie – Mauricio Carlos Molina – Wendy Morrison – Richard Morse – Joan Gilyeat Moyer – Rena Mueller – Peter C. Muir – Music from China (New York) – Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin – Göran Rahm – Matti Rantanen – Mark Richli – Alan Richtmyer – Douglas Rogers – Renzo Ruggieri – George Salley – Herbert Scheibenreif – Serpent Press (Oxford) – Simple Gifts (Lamont, PA) – Stiftung Kloster Michaelstein (D) – Suome Harmonikka Instituutti/Sibelius-Akatemia (Helsinki) – Swedish Concertina Society – Bob Tedrow – Dave Townsend – Leo Treitler – Ruth Trippestad – Turtle Hill Productions (Monroe, CT) – James Wadowick – Christoph Wagner – Wim Wakker – Glenn Weiser – Wild Asparagus (Belchertown, MA) – Wes Williams – Ernst Zacharias

Images – Left: English 8-key bisonoric diatonic accordion (c. 1830s) from the collection of Dr. Helmi Strahl Harrington at A World of Accordions Museum in Superior, Wisconsin. Photo by Henry Doktorski (2005). Right: Lachenal English concertina. Photo: Henry Doktorski Tinaman at the German language Wikipedia.