162 Pages, Plastic Spiral Binding, Soft Cover. 
Book organized into Four Parts:

The Charles Magnante Story
Magnante Remembered
The Musical Estate Cataloged
Later Editions' Additions 

Book measures 11  tall x 9 wide x 0.5 inches thick. 
17 historic photographs.
Includes excerpts from sheet music.

CD includes 21 favorite Magnante recordings

Accordiana
Accordion Boogie
Dizzy Fingers
Flying Saucers
Green Light
Minuet in June
Dance of the Comedians
Concertstuck
Flight of the Bumble Bee
Holiday for Chords
Holiday for Bass
Hora Staccato
Malaguena
Perpetual Motion
Magnante Boogie
Gitanerias
Rhapsody in Blue
Andalucia
Espana Capri
Czardas
Carnival of Venice

Collector's item. Truly a treasured addition in the library of the discriminating accordion aficionado.

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How to Order

Item is $60.00

US orders: Send $65.00 by check or money order (includes $5.00 shipping & handling charge) to:

Overseas customers: Click here for shipping rates.

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Charles Magnante (1905-1986) was an American piano-accordionist, arranger, composer, author and educator. His artistry helped raise the image of the accordion from an instrument considered suitable only for folk music to an instrument accepted in many music genres.

Magnante's father was a well-known amateur musician, and performed at Italian wedding receptions and other dance venues. Charles sang along with his father beginning at the age of five years, and at the age of seven, he secretly learned to play his father's accordion. At the age of sixteen his reputation as an accordionist had grown so much he was receiving many offers to join tours with stage bands, which he declined due to his continuing musical studies.

Charles Magnante started his professional career playing in Italian restaurants and on the Staten Island Ferry. However, he wanted to break free from the O Sole Mio image of the stereotypical Italian-American accordionist which his audiences expected to hear. In the 1940s, he was the leader of a successful trio with guitarist Tony Mottola and organist George Wright, and played regularly on NBC radio broadcasts. He worked also as a sought-after studio musician. At the peak of his career, he played 30 live radio broadcasts and eight studio sessions each week. He performed also as a solo concert musician, and once performed a solo concert at the Civic Stadium of Buffalo, New York for an audience of 40,000.

Magnante was one of the twelve founding members of the American Accordionists' Association (founded in 1938), and also served as this organization's president for three terms. He wrote method books for accordion players and numerous arrangements of contemporary popular standards, schlagers and classical pieces. Many of his arrangements can still be found in the standard repertoire of accordionists throughout the world. His most famous original composition is probably the novelty Accordiana. His arrangements and compositions stretch across a number of musical genres, including easy listening, jazz and boogie-woogie, and light classical pieces.

Magnante was featured as accordion soloist on more than two dozen albums (many with studio orchestras), released by Columbia, Grand Award, Command Records, Decca Records, and other record labels.

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