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Pentateuch Of The Cosmogony

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The accordion family tree has roots that reach back hundreds of years. This fascinating history can be traced to an ancient Chinese instrument known as a Sheng or Cheng. Played during the era of Confucius, from about 551 BC to 479 BC, this musical instrument is believed to be the first one to have used a free vibrating reed principal. This sound production provided by this principal is still the foundation of many of today's modern accordions.

More recently, a Viennese instrument maker by the name of Cyrillus Damian was credited with creating the first "true" accordion in 1829. Mr. Damian is believed by many historians to have held the first patent on the instrument, and he received royal patronage for his invention. Other reports suggest that the first true accordion was presented by Christian Friedrich Buschmann in 1822. Buschmann put expanding bellows onto a small portable keyboard, and placed a vibrating reed within the instrument. This new musical invention was called a "hand-aeoline", and Buschmann toured in 1828 to raise public interest in the instrument.

While the accordion's inventor may be up for debate, no one can argue the instrument's popularity. Several varieties of free-vibrating reed instruments were developed in the following years, some of which are still considerably known and appreciated today. Of course, as popularity grew, more people wanted to play the accordion, and the demand for accordion manuals began to rise. Certain historical resources suggest that the first accordion textbook featured original music and arrangements of familiar pieces. This book was written by Adolf Reisner and published in Paris in 1832. Since then, countless manuals, songbooks and textbooks have been written and distributed.

From 1830 onwards, the development of the accordion continued at a rapidly accelerating pace. Several varieties of instrument were further developed such as the bandoneon, a chromatic model and even the harmonica, all of which still exist today. Perhaps one of the interesting developments from this period was the introduction of the Schrammel, a complicated instrument that made its debut onstage with a Viennese quartet comprised of a bass guitar and two violins. The Schrammel became popular at Viennese gatherings and can still be heard today.

The first piano accordion was introduced to the public in 1863. Many performers regarded it as a means of liberating themselves from the confines of their massive, immobile walls of pipes. Pietro Diero, a musician of the time, brought his custom built piano accordion to the United States, and would gain the title of "the Father of American accordion playing".

In the early part of the twentieth century, enterprising individuals began opening accordion manufacturing companies. These manufacturers made further enhancements to meet the needs and demands of professional accordion players. From these changes grew the modern size and shape of the accordion that we know today.

The accordion remains an international phenomenon, even hundreds of years since its ancestors were first introduced. There are some accordion manufacturers in the United States, but far more can be found in Europe. Russia, France, Germany and Italy are all important players in manufacturing and exporting modern accordions.

As you listen to traditional musical pieces from all around the world, you will often hear the distinctive notes of the accordion. It is an instrument that boasts a rich history and lasting universal appeal.

Pentateuch Of The Cosmogony

* Rebuilding the camaraderie of Vietnam-era veterans and providing a sense of self-worth and pride in service.

* Holding biennial National Leadership Conferences and National Conventions, which provide a forum for veterans and their families to interact with community leaders and their counterparts from across the country.

* Creating and maintaining our Vietnam Veterans Assistance Fund (VVAF), a philanthropic effort that provides financial assistance to VVA, its state councils, and its chapters.

* Taking the lead in working with homeless veterans, including sponsorships of national and local symposiums and stand-downs. Among many other milestones in this area, VVA worked with congressman Lane Evans to hold the first-ever hearing on homeless veterans in the House of Veterans Affairs committee in September of 1986.

* Developing a unique program as a national advocate for Vietnam veterans who were subsequently incarcerated, helping them gain access to VA benefits and services to which they are entitled.

* Leading the fight for full accounting of POW/MIAs for twenty years. We hold as a profound trust and obligation the responsibility to account for those American service members who remain unrepatriated, missing, or otherwise unaccounted for as a result of their service to our country during the Vietnam War.

* Initiating the successful Veterans Initiative program, a veteran-to-veteran effort that, since 1991, has promoted the direct exchange of information on unaccounted-for American servicemen and Vietnamese war casualties between American and Vietnamese veterans. The Veterans Initiative has produced measurable results towards full accounting on both sides.

* Taking the lead on women veterans' issues, including ensuring recognition of service access to benefits and appropriate medical treatment of women veterans in VA facilities.

* With "never again will one generation of veterans abandon another" as its founding principle, VVA has reached out to veterans of other conflicts, including providing office space and significant tangible support to the National Gulf War Resource Center.

* Single-handedly leading the fight for judicial review of disabled veterans' claims for benefits. The result: In 1988, Congress passed a law creating the U.S. Court of Veterans appeals. This allowed veterans to appeal VA benefits denials to a court and required VA to obey the rule of law.

* Spearheading a long and successful lobbying effort to establish and maintain the Vet Center program.

* Providing unwavering advocacy for congressional passage of laws supporting increased job training and job-placement assistance for unemployed and underemployed Vietnam-era veterans.

* Taking the lead on minority veterans' issues, including early and staunch support for the creation of the Center of Minority Veterans and the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans Affairs.

* VVA has been the major force on the issue of Agent Orange for the past two decades. Our Nehmer v. Veterans Administration lawsuit, filed in 1986, forced the VA to begin compensating veterans with diseases linked to Agent Orange. VVA convinced Congress to pass the Agent Orange Act of 1991, which required the National Academy of Sciences to report on what diseases were related to Agent Orange. As a result, VA now pays compensation for nine such diseases.

* Being responsible for a 1996 law that, for the first time in our nation's history, provides medical care and compensation to the children of veterans whose parents suffer genetic damage from their military service-in this case Vietnam veterans' children with the birth defect spina bifida, which has been linked to their parents' exposure to Agent Orange.

* Running the Veterans Benefits Program, which provides education to veterans about government benefits to which they are entitled and trains individuals to represent veterans in their claims to secure benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Appeals.

* Consistently winning a higher percentage of cases at the VA's Board of Veteran's Appeals than any other veterans organization. VVA also has increased the number of cases they handle at the BVA, to an all-time high in FY 1998.

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Both Flora Murkett & Tom Berger are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Flora Murkett has sinced written about articles on various topics from Music, Interest and Family. Author Flora Murkett writes for a variety of interesting Internet sites, on and

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