In 2009, an unusual musical sculpture appeared in the center of the city of Saratov. It is a monument to the Saratov accordion, a unique musical instrument, the birthplace of which is this city. How can an ordinary street statue be musical? It's simple: two times a day, the harmonic record starts playing from the hidden speakers. What is the history of this monument, and is there a unique tool today?
History of the Saratov accordion
In the city of Saratov, the center of the Saratov province, harmonic production was started in 1855-1856. The musical instrument was different from analogues by the presence of bells and a special timbre of sound. Already in 1870, Nikolai Gennadievich Karelin opened the first workshop for the production of accordions. It is worth noting that at that time every musical instrument was the most real work of art. Harmony richly decorated with carvings, inserts of leather and velvet and nickel-plated. Gradually, the number of craftsmen engaged in this difficult craft increased, and very soon the accordion became one of the symbols of Saratov. In 1920, all artisans were united into the Saratov Harmonie artel, they were also given a production room at the address: 5, Tsyganskaya Street. This enterprise produced about 8,000 accordions a year.
The Harmonious Shop eventually became part of the factory that produces musical instruments. The Saratov harmonics lasted 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
A sculpture dedicated to one of the symbols of the city was presented to Saratov for his next birthday, marked on September 12, 2009. The sculptural composition consists of a bench and a harmonica sitting on it in traditional Russian clothes with a tool in their hands. The monument to the Saratov accordion is cast from bronze, its author is the sculptor V. Palmin. Interestingly, a 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". Real magic happens twice a day, when music begins to play from hidden speakers.
Where is the Saratov harmonizer?
The monument to the Saratov accordion is set in the very center of the city, on the main pedestrian street - the local "Arbat". Find it easy, the road to an interesting sculpture will tell any local resident. Saratov harmonizer is popular among tourists, as with him you can make original photos for memory. On the bench specially left enough free space, so that anyone could sit next to a bronze musician. If you decided to look at the monument to the Saratov accordion with your own eyes, it's easy to remember the address: Kirov avenue, 9. The nearest landmark is the Pioner cinema.
The revival of the tradition of the accordion production
The sculptural composition was solemnly opened at the celebration of the city day. The ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Saratov - VL. Somov. The head of the administration in his speech said that the monument to the Saratov accordion is not a dedication to the past, but the first step towards the revival of the ancient craft. What is interesting, and today the traditional musical instrument from Saratov is not only a museum exhibit. Many music groups in the region still boast the use of accordion with bells in their performances. Today the sounds of the harmonica can be heard during the performances of such ensembles as "Silver Bells", "Bell", "Saratov accordion", and the State Academic Russian Folk Choir. M.E. Pyatnitsky. It is possible that the uniqueness of this local instrument will indeed be able to remind the public of the monument to the Saratov accordion. Saratov is a large city, in which today there are all resources for the renewal of ancient crafts. Accordingly, we can only hope that the accordion with the bells again began to be released, and not remained preserved only in the bronze guise.