Immigration, identity, and industry: Expanding U.S. accordion history through the careers of Santo Santucci and Nick Santucci

During the first half of the twentieth century, the accordion became one of the best-selling instruments in the United States. While various scholars have worked to broadly recount the accordion’s history and rise in popularity, there remain many figures, places, and moments that require further examination. This thesis focuses on two previously underexplored accordionists—Santo Santucci (1884–1958) and Nick Santucci (1908–1970)—whose work as performers, teachers, writers, and composers reflected the accordion’s development. Analyzing primary source materials such as reviews and advertisements from newspapers and theater industry magazines, articles and compositions from accordion publications, and more, this thesis presents a detailed investigation of the Santuccis’ careers in order to expand scholarship regarding the accordion’s presence and reception in vaudeville and in Chicago’s accordion industry of the 1930s–1950s. More specifically, this thesis examines how Italian immigrant identity was connected with the accordion on the vaudeville stage; changing perceptions of the accordion in vaudeville and how cultural emphasis on novelty, technological innovation, and ideas of identity spurred the piano accordion’s rise and later dominance in mainstream U.S. markets; and how the piano accordion was positioned at an intersection of social and musical influences during its peak years in the 1930s–1950s. In doing so, this thesis aims to more clearly document the Santuccis’ careers and to further consideration of some of the key issues of immigration, identity, and industry embedded within the accordion’s history.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.Mus.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Music

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Dorion, Alina

Contributors dc:contributor

• Magee, Jeffrey
• Bashford, Christina

• Accordion
• Immigration
• Identity
• Industry
• Vaudeville
• Chicago
• Santo Santucci
• Nick Santucci

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Alina Dorion

Language dc:language

eng, en

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124146

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/124146