Today we were guests in Carlsfeld by zoom at the inauguration of the new bandoneon sculpture.
It was in Carlsfeld where this iconic instrument was born. There was the factory of the famous DOBLE A (AA), made by Alfred Arnold, played by our precious musicians like Anibal Troilo, Astor Piazzolla, Leopoldo Federico, José Libertella and many more. The instruments were previously manufactured by the father, Ernst Luis Arnold (ELA bandoneón). Many years before, the factory belonged to a certain Zimmermann who had the idea to build this kind of foldable, air-powered and transportable instrument.
Heinrich Band from Krefeld sold and shipped them all over the world and changed the pitch. Mistakenly he is considered as the inventor, honestly he gave the sound and name to the instrument. Because of the wall that separated Germany, the truth was not known for many years.
Despite the fall of the Wall in 1989, books are still being written that lack the much needed truth. Ergo: laurels do not always land on the right head….