Bandoneon

The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta tipica, the tango orchestra. The bandoneón, called bandonion by its German inventor, Heinrich Band (1821–1860), was originally intended as an instrument for religious music and the popular music of the day, in contrast to its predecessor, the German concertina (or Konzertina), considered to be a folk instrument by some modern authors. German sailors and Italian season workers and emigrants brought the instrument with them to Argentina in the late nineteenth century, where it was incorporated into the local music, such as tango.