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William was born in
Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland in 1891 and reared in Blackburn, West
Lothian. He was a prolific recording artist and popular band leader
apart from having a major influence on Jimmy Shand. He published a tutor
and tune collection for the button accordion around 1925.
After the Great War, in
which he served in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, he took up
playing mouth organ before moving up to the melodeon. During World War
II he served as Lieutenant in the Home Guard and was noted for one
particular act of bravery when he disposed of a live grenade, saving the
lives of several others. He was later injured by a bomb and was made a
Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 1944. He was head postman at
Bathgate Post Office. He died in Carron, Stirlingshire in 1961.
Hannah was involved in
the development of the modern accordion. There was some frustration with
the simple tonic/dominant basses for each row, which the Wyper Brothers
had played on their B/C melodeons, and as well as Italian-style
“chromatic accordions” with a regular 8 (diatonic) basses, a hybrid
instrument, with a melodeon-style treble end (with exposed pallets) and
a 24-button (2 × 12) piano accordion-style bass end was developed and
marketed by A.H. Wilkinson & Co. Ltd. of Glasgow, under their
“Wilkinson’s Excelsior” brand. The latter model is featured in
Wilkinson’s Accordion Tutor for 19 and 21 key Chromatic Melodeons
(Glasgow, 1926), where it is shown being played by “William Hannah,
Scotland’s premier accordionist” and described as the “Hannah Model”
“The outer row of the melody keys contains the tones of “B” major, the
inner row those of “C” major; so, all notes of the chromatic scale can
be played on these instruments.” This was the foundation of Jimmy
Shand’s development of the Hohner Organola B/C in the 1930s and his
“Shand Morino” B/C/C# button accordion of the 1950s as well as the B/C
button accordions which became, and remain, highly popular in the Irish
tradition. “In a BBC survey of the district last year his popularity was
made very evident by the large number who plumped for him above all
other musical items” Source - 'Linlithgowshire Gazette', 7 January,
1944.
His Music:
Scotia Quickstep, Flowers Of The Forest, We Canna Leave The Old Folks
Now
Dance Medley, Pibroch Odonald Dhu
Duke
Of Perth Reel Medley
William Hannah And His Scottish Dance Band - Tasters!
First
Batch:
1. Petronella
2. Boston Two Step
3. Scottish Reform
4. Pride of Erin Waltz Medley
5. Highland Schottische
6. Scottish Emigrant
7. Dundee Reel
8. St.Bernard's Waltz
9. Canadian Barn Dance
Second
Batch:
10. Rory O'More
11. Foursome or Eightsome Reel
12. Lassie Valse
13. Haymaker's Jig
14. Draps o' Brandy
15. Highland Schottische
16. Eightsome Reel (Inver Lasses)
17. Blaze Away - March & Two Step
18. Gaelic Waltz - Chi mi ma Morbheanna
Purchases can be made from,
www.musicinscotland.com |
