Monument to the Saratov harmonica: with hope for the revival of a unique instrument

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

In 2009, an unusual musical sculpture appeared in the very center of Saratov. This is a monument to the Saratov harmonica, a unique musical instrument, whose birthplace is this city. How can an ordinary street statue be musical? It's simple: twice a day, a harmonica record starts playing from hidden speakers. What is the history of this monument, and is there a unique instrument today?

History of the Saratov accordion

In the city of Saratov, the center of the Saratov province, the production of harmonica was started in 1855-1856. The musical instrument differed from analogues by the presence of bells and a special sound timbre. Already in 1870, Nikolai Gennadievich Karelin opened the first workshop for the production of harmonicas. It is worth noting that at that time every musical instrument was a real work of art. The accordions were richly decorated with carvings, leather and velvet inserts and cupronickel overlays. Gradually, the number of masters involved in this difficultcraft, increased, and very soon the accordion became one of the symbols of Saratov. In 1920, all artisans were united in the Saratov Accordion Artel, they were also given a production facility at 5, Tsyganskaya Street. This enterprise produced about 8,000 harmonicas a year.

Accordion workshop eventually became part of a factory producing musical instruments. The Saratov harmonica existed for more than a hundred years, but today it is no longer produced. Meanwhile, the instrument can still be heard during the performance of some musical groups.

Monument to the Saratov accordion: description and photo

Sculpture dedicated to one of the symbols of the city was presented to Saratov on his next birthday, marked on September 12, 2009. The sculptural composition consists of a bench and an accordion player in traditional Russian clothes sitting on it with an instrument in his hands. The monument to the Saratov harmonica is cast in bronze; its author is the sculptor V. Palmin. Interestingly, the sculptural composition was made in the Moscow region, in the city of Zhukovsky. The weight of the monument is 750 kilograms, and its height is 3 meters 40 centimeters.

The total cost of making a sculptural composition is about 1 million rubles, according to experts. Such a generous gift to the city was made by the local bank "Express-Volga". The real magic happens twice a day when music starts playing from the hidden speakers.

Where is the Saratov accordion player?

The monument to the Saratov accordion is installed in the very center of the city, on the main pedestrian street - the local "Arbat". It is not difficult to find it, any local resident will tell you the way to an interesting sculpture. The Saratov accordionist is popular among tourists, as you can take original photos with him as a keepsake. On the bench, enough free space was specially left so that everyone could sit next to the bronze musician. If you decide to look at the monument to the Saratov harmonica with your own eyes, it is not difficult to remember the address: Kirov Avenue, 9. The nearest landmark is the Pioneer cinema.

Revival of the harmonica tradition

The sculptural composition was inaugurated during the celebration of the city's day. The ceremony was attended by the mayor of Saratov - V. L. Somov. The head of administration in his speech said that the monument to the Saratov harmonica is not a dedication to the past, but the first step towards the revival of an ancient craft. Interestingly, even today the traditional musical instrument from Saratov is not only a museum exhibit. Many musical groups in the region still boast the use of the bell harp in their performances. Today, the sounds of the harmonica can be heard during the performances of such ensembles as the Silver Bells, the Bell, the Saratov Harmonica, and the State Academic Russian Folk Choir. M. E. Pyatnitsky. It is possible that the uniquenessthis local instrument can really remind the public of the monument to the Saratov harmonica. Saratov is a large city, which today has all the resources to restore the old craft. Accordingly, we can only hope that the harmonica with bells will start to be produced again, and not remain preserved only in a bronze guise.