Romance for Chord Buttons

for solo accordion

Romance for Chord Buttons (2004) for solo accordion (left-hand stradella chord buttons only) by Henry Doktorski. Duration: 3:30. Printed in full-note left-hand notation (not abbreviated), so it can be also played on free-bass instruments. Includes chord symbols.

The left-hand stradella manual of the accordion is usually relegated only to playing the bass and chord accompaniments for the right-hand melody. Occasionally the bass buttons might be featured in a solo bass passage.

Creating beautiful and inspiring music using only the left-hand chord buttons of the accordion was not a simple task. The left-hand chord buttons of the accordion have by design an extremely limited range: only a major seventh, and the top note (melody) of this range can only span a minor third. In addition, only pre-set chords, such as major, minor, dominant seventh, and diminished chords are permitted. And these chords can only be played in one inversion.

Yet Henry has written and recorded what we believe is THE WORLD’S FIRST COMPOSITION written only for the accordion left-hand chord buttons: sophisticated and inspiring music which will appeal to the most discriminating classical music connoisseurs. The musical style is reminiscent of the Late-Romantic Period, such as the music of Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933) or Max Reger (1873-1916), who incidentally, composed music for harmonium.

Romance for Chord Buttons consists of five sections: Moderato, poco Allegro, Moderato mysterioso, poco Allegro, and Moderato.

Concert accordionists will enjoy programming this piece to demonstrate to their audiences the unexpected artistry of the left-hand chord manual, and students will enjoy working on this challenging piece to advance and perfect their own left-hand technique. We believe Henry’s Romance for Chord Buttons will be recognized as a classic composition for the concert accordion.

Note: This piece was written for an accordion with a chord button pitch range of Gb below middle c up to f above middle c. Some other instruments may have different pitch ranges for the chord buttons, and the performer will have to transpose accordingly to best utilize the most pleasing voice leadings.

How to order this music:

Item is $10.00

U.S. orders: Send $15.00 by check or money order (includes $5.00 shipping & handling charge) to:

If using PayPal, send payment to:

Overseas customers, contact Henry for shipping rates.