bandoneon

instrumentsban-doh-NAY-onfrom German

A type of concertina essential to Argentine tango music, with a complex button layout and a distinctively reedy, expressive tone.

In Depth

The bandoneon was invented in Germany in the 1840s by Heinrich Band as a portable instrument for religious music. It migrated to Argentina with German immigrants in the late 19th century and was adopted by tango musicians in the port districts of Buenos Aires. Unlike an accordion, it has buttons rather than a keyboard, and produces different notes on the push and pull of the bellows. Astor Piazzolla transformed the bandoneon from a tango dance-hall instrument into a vehicle for serious concert music, fusing tango with jazz and classical elements in what he called "nuevo tango." The instrument is notoriously difficult to master due to its illogical button layout — a historical accident that players must simply memorize. Original German-made instruments (particularly Alfred Arnold models) are no longer manufactured and command extraordinary prices.
Did you know?

The bandoneon's button layout follows no logical pattern — it was designed by trial and error in the 1840s, and players have been stuck memorizing the arbitrary arrangement ever since.

Related Terms

accordiontangoPiazzolla

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