"On the Tip of Every Tongue"

The Deutsches Harmonika Museum in Trossingen, Germany, picked a fine town for this exhibit focusing on harmonicas and accordions, since Chicago is ground zero for both blues and polkas (and you’ll never find two more drastically different styles of music). Admittedly, the exhibit focuses more on harmonicas than accordions, and at times seems to be more a history of Hohner (a German-based company that remains the No.1 harp manufacturer) than the instrument itself. But the research involved is impressive.

There are two stories here. In one, Matthias Hohner, a German watch maker, decided in 1857 to start a harmonica company after realizing how limited the competition was; he intended—and succeeded—to rise to the top of the field. Like guitar manufacturers, Hohner wasn’t afraid to try odd-looking shapes, including boomerangs, bullets and (no shit) bananas. The accordions are a little more standard, not getting off into shapes and sizes that make the harps such a gas, but still fun to see.

The other story centers on the artists who have popularized the instruments, including classical musician Larry Adler and several blues blowers. Curiously, a pic of Clifton Chenier—the most famous accordion player in his field—is captioned “Zydeco Musician,” which is like calling Elvis Presley a “Rock & Roller.” In addition to huge glass cases jammed full of harps, interactive features, video screens and audio loops also tell the tales.—James Porter