Flutina?

[El Dorado]

Do any of you play or know anything about the 19th century accordion called the flutina? Is it the same as a "melodeon"? I would like to buy one but first, I would like to know more about them. In the book "C. F. Martin and His Guitar" by Philip F. Gura, there is a nice picture of one of them in a dag on page #23.
There is also a fella playing one in an ambrotype on page #49 [figure 2-6].

Thank you,
Chris Ownby

[Old Cremona]

Re: Flutina?

Chris,

From what I've been reading the Flutina was the progenitor of the accordian and concertina. I've seen chordal and single-note Flutinas, so there is no single type of instrument.

BTW, talk about taking up an under-represented instrument! We must play music together some day!

Carl Anderton