German - Russian's MEMORABILIA Continued:
MUSICAL ITEMS
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Small accordions are known as concertinas.
If an instrument was present, it was usually a concertina played by one of the older men in the group. I don't recall anyone playing musical instruments in my father's family, accept my step-great grandmother Hoffer's children, the Benders. One of the girls had married a Bennett. She, her husband and son had accordions and organs. They had two organs in their home and the house filled with their music. Their son won all kinds of awards with the organ but was known best for his accordion. I don't recall the step-cousin's first name. I remember seeing a photograph of him with his accordion next to the California governor with a huge smiles on their faces in the newspaper. However, my mother's family seem to have a good deal of talent. My grandmother, Christina, nee Schweikert, Hein's family had a handful of concertinas as well as the accordions. They, also, won contests and played for bands..... I have photographs with Albert Schweikert and his son with their accordions. It was their father, Reinhold Schweikert, who was younger than my grandmother, but was her uncle, who never visited my folks without playing his concertina.
I remember the variety of voices singing the old German and German-Russian songs when I was quite young. Everyone sang in German. If I could have learn how to speak German it would have been through the songs. But, I was usually just told "This one is a love song." or "This one is a sad song," which never left a dry eye among the older generations, or "This is a Christmas song." I remember learning Silent Night and my grandfather, Ludwig Hein, always wanted me to sing it. He'd whisper something in German to my mother who would later tell me, "Grandpa said you have the voice of an angel." I'd puff all up with pride and next time, I'd try to sing even better the next time... How I loved to sing. Now, my voice carries a scratchy alto sound which reminds me of how most of those old voices around my grandparents sounded. And, I'm the grandma, now. It was my grandfather Hein's brother, Christoph, who had a concertina who taught me the words to a love song. I don't recall the name of the song anymore, but there are times I start to hmmmm this old song. Great uncle Chris was the on.y one who tried to teach me how to play the concertina but I was too small to pull and push together the squeeze box but I could play the old ivory buttons.
In the Hein Genealogy section, I talk about the Hein family and Lawrence Welk who with his brothers worked in my grandfather Hein's sugar beet fields and at night, the Welks practice their music in the huge bedroom of my uncles'. On the weekends the Welk boys played their music at dances... and weddings....
My grandfather's, Edward Remick's, second wife, Lucille, played classical music as well as popular songs on her grand piano. She, also, sang in he Sacramento chorus which was part of the Sacramennto Symphony. Grandfather Remick loved listening to music.
My own music story started in grammar school band. I chose the clarinet... My great uncle Daniel Hein played the clarinet for Tsar Alexander III.... Also, I liked the music the Big Band leader Benny Goodman played on our old 78 records. But, I didn't have the patience and never played long enough to rid my clarinet of those shrill squeaks and shrieks.... Also, I suddenly realized I couldn't blow and sing at the same time. And, I still loved to sing.... There wasn't a popular song I didn't know the words... Then Mrs. Thompson and her husband moved next door to my family. She made extra money by teaching piano. I remember hearing her playing such marvelous music with her grand piano. She had more talent than anyone I had ever heard playing. It wasn't the old German polka stuff nor religious tunes. Mrs. Thomson played classical music with proper timing and without errors.... I asked my parents if I could learn to play the piano with Mrs. Thompson as my teacher. Because we didn't have a piano, Mrs. Thompson said I could practice on her old upright piano.... To make a long story short. Mrs. Thompson had been a student of the old music school known as Juliard. It's difficult to realize how lucky I was to have had her as my teacher.
My husband wanted to learn the piano but ended up with a very fancy accordion his father had purchased and he played on it for a short time. He still can play a few songs like Anchors Away and the Marine Hymn.
I grew up in Lodi, CA. In the center of town is a park. As a small child, [1940s] I watched them build a large grandstand in that old park. On Sunday summer afternoons the Lodi band played music. The accordions were important in producing the music they played. One of my favorite songs was, "Blue Moon". When the band broke into a fast polka, many of the adults danced around in time to the sounds so familiar to most of us who had roots connected to the German-Russians. The dominate sound was the accordions...
*From Alfred Hein's
Photo
Collection - 2003
 Hein. Genealogy
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Hubert |
Schweikert Genealogy |