“DIATONICA” 1857
Ignoto (Germania)
(unknown Germany).
Why is there an Italian coat of arms on this accordion body? An attempt to answer this question was given to us by the architect Renato Morganti of Milan who donated the instrument to this museum. The accordion belonged to his great-grandfather Renato Cuttica who, when he was 18, joined the troops of Giuseppe Garibaldi as a volunteer. Cuttica always carried his “musical box”, along with his rifle, to brighten the lives of his fellow soldiers. It is probable that the coat of arms might have been applied to the harmonica by Renato himself. Architect Morganti couldn’t tell us whether Renato’s skills as a musician were ever appreciated by Garibaldi.