Hi, I’m Josh Tomiak. I created this site to share the story and sound of a Chemnitzer concertina passed through the Tomiak family. The Chemnitzer is a squeezebox instrument primarily used in polka music in the US Midwest, and my great-grandfather Walter Maczka bought one in the 30s in Chicago. He learned to play quite well and performed with a polka band in the city.
Many years later, my grandparents showed me his instrument and encouraged me to try playing it. I’d never seen anything like it, and had no idea it was once a treasured item in my mostly nonmusical family! This site has become my medium for learning more about my family and this unique instrument tied to our history.
Acknowledgements
This work wouldn’t have been possible without help from a few key supporters. Special thanks to Professor Noel Lobley, my research advisor at UVA and a great friend, for many hours spent dreaming about this site and how to improve it, and for his archival and curatorial expertise. Thanks to Matty Metcalfe, accordionist extraordinaire, for repairs, resources, and info on the Chemnitzer.
If you appreciated any of the images on this site, my talented friend Lily Garay (@lilyggaray) is almost certainly responsible. One 15-minute photo shoot yielded approximately 90% of the visual content for the site! Truly a wizard with the camera.
Ken Yagelski has created a lovely site at concertinamusic.com that’s a must-see for anyone interested in Chemnitzer. Thank you for this detailed archive and resource Ken! And thanks to Mr. Zupe at Music Publishers of America for permission to display some historic Vitak-Elsnic Co. PDFs in a limited form.
Finally, I must thank my grandparents Bernie and Wayne Tomiak for their support of this project from the beginning. I’m so glad you two introduced me to the concertina and let me run off with it - this has been a very special way to learn about the family and hear more of your stories.
