I thought there would be no real connection between “accord” and “accordion,” but I was wrong! Happily wrong!
Accord(!!!)ing to one dictionary site, the 1831-era word “accordion” derives from various words (such as the French accord(er)) that mean “to harmonize.”
And just as “accord” is inside “accordion,” “harmonize” is close to “harmonica.” That accordion-harmonica link is essential, given this:
手風琴 (tefūkin: accordion; harmonica) hand + wind + harp
The same compound means both “accordion” and “harmonica”?!?!?
Well, yes and no. This compound came from Breen. But a native speaker tells me that 手風琴 refers only to what English speakers call an “accordion.” (By the way, the more common word for “accordion” is アコーディオン, whereas “harmonica” is ハーモニカ.)
I tend to put a lot of stock in Breen, and I know he isn’t pulling this accordion-harmonica issue out of thin air. According to the dictionary site I mentioned, the word for “accordion” is harmonika (or something close to that) in lots of languages, including Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Italian, Slovak, and Slovenian. In fact, the Slovak options for “accordion” are akordeón, (ťahacia) harmonika.
This is more than puzzling. But Internet searches can solve all riddles, right? Well, again, yes and no. This is as far as I’ve gotten:
• One site says someone invented the accordion in 1829 to compete with the harmonica, invented in 1822.
• Another site sells both instruments—and only those two—so there’s obviously some connection.
• On a third site I can see that there was once an accordion called “Kirsnik’s harmonica,” as well as another called a “hand harmonica.” Halfway down the article, the author starts referring to accordions as “harmonikas.” Help!!!
• Finally, there’s a site about the history of the accordion in Japan.
I’m sure music historians could parse all this much better than I have. If you know anything about the link between accordions and harmonicas, I’d love to hear it. And then perhaps we could come to some sort of accord on the matter.
In honor of my Japanese-American friend Robert Handa (a most agreeable person), I would call such a thing a Handa Accord.
