PIETRO COSTANTINI
1872

This is the oldest sample of a Paolo Soprani accordion exhibited at the museum. From an illustrated catalogue dating back 1918 we read: “the perfection of our accordions is obtained by using workers highly specialised in specific tasks: we have experts in making the tone chamber, others who specialise in manufacturing reeds, others who take care of the keyboard or the bellows. There are craftsmen skilled in making inlays of mother of pearl, and finally there are those in charge of assembling all the various parts. This process guarantees a perfect end product as every part of the instrument is taken care by a specialised worker”. Paolo Soprani born in the nearby town of Recanati, started working with “accordions” in 1863 in Castelfidardo and in so doing he kick-started the Italian industry of the Accordion. The photo below shows the inside of an accordion with the warranty label.