Video demo: Con Conrad & Herb Magidson. Midnight in Paris. Arranged by Charles Magnante.
Performed by William Cosby, accordion
Charles Magnante was born 7th of December 1905 in New York City on 106th Street in an area known
as Harlem. From very humble roots his unique career placed him on the pinnacle of
accordion history. No one has ever equaled his success as the ultimate world accordion
artist. Throughout his long and fantastic career, Magnante has consistently been
considered by many to be the most finished accordionist of all time. He was famous
for many years as a top radio, television star and recording artist. He was associated
with some of the worlds finest conductors and orchestra leaders performing either
as a soloist or a member of the orchestra. It could be said that Magnante's musical
career began at the age of five when he sang along with his Dad, a popular amateur
accordionist, who used to play for many Italian weddings. At the age of seven, he
was stealing his father's prized accordion from the closet and teaching himself
to play by ear. Charles Magnante received his first accordion lesson on his 9th
Birthday. His father was his only teacher. Charlie has known hardship. At fourteen,
one of five children, he worked as a tin smith's helper for five dollars a week
and practiced his accordion late into the night. He started playing professionally
at 14, and soon began broadcasting. At sixteen he was turning down many offers to
tour professionally as he felt travelling would take up time which should be spent
in continuing his studies. During the peak of his career he reached the point where
he was doing as many as thirty one radio broadcasts and an average of about eight
recording dates in a single week. His audiences ranged from small intimate groups
to packed auditoriums of three thousand. One of his greatest thrills was at the
Civic Stadium in Buffalo. NY when he played for an audience of over forty thousand
people.
One of Magnante's best known compositions is the novelty solo "Accordiana" which
he composed in exactly twenty minutes. His textbooks, arrangements, and original
compositions are numbered by the hundreds and include popular, classical, jazz,
and boogie-woogie.
As an outlet from his strenuous career in music, Magnante engaged in the sport of
big game hunting as much as possible. He had taken over fifty head of big game and
was a member of the exclusive Campfire Club of America which is located in Braircliff
Monor, about thirty five miles from New York City. His prize mount was a one thousand
pound grizzly and many of his hunting experiences were featured articles in a number
of sports magazines.
In 1939, he achieved an ultimate ambition when he gave a concert at Carnegie Hall...
the first accordionist to ever appear in that distinguished hall. He was accompanied
by his quartet and won rave notices from the leading musical critics.
In recognition of his valuable contribution to his profession, he was elected President
of the American Accordionists' Association in 1950, being also a founding member
of the organization.
Magnante's life is the story of a man who overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles
to achieve success in his chosen field and become a legend in his own lifetime.
Charles Magnante passed away 30th of December, 1986 having given the world a legacy
of accordion achievements unlikely to be equaled by anyone in the discernible future.
Sheet music with compositions by Charles Magnante
for Accordion / Bayan / Accordeon / Akkordeon / Fisarmonica / Harmonika / Harmonica / Trekkspill / Dragspel / Harmonikka /
Bajan / Akordeon:
* Prices excluding postage. Delivery price depends on the weight of a package.
**Prices are subject to change. Always check for the newest information on this website.
Here's zipped demo in JPG format
