Flutina - The Name "flutina"

The Name "flutina"

The term "flutina" is actually a more specific English name for a version of the accordéon diatonique, accordéon mélodique, clavier (keyboard) mélodique, or even accordéon romantique. Instrument makers of the 19th century often invented many distinct names for all these "new" versions of the same instrument. In addition, English musical instrument dealers would switch the brass reeds out of the French instruments, and replace them with steel reeds. Then, these English dealers would stamp their own company name inside the instrument, or the stamp of the specific store that was selling the accordion. This was a common practice in the 19th century and has continued to be used by many reputable, as well as disreputable, musical instrument dealers.

All these names, which the French makers gave these instruments, have the pallets on the outside, but the name "Flutina" implies an accordion with the pallets opening on the interior side of the face, just above the buttons, and the air exiting from a narrow slot in back of the protruding keyboard. This feature was supposed to give a more "flute-like" tone to the reeds. Whether the French makers ever used the name "Flutina" is not known.