Thursday’s Google Doodle celebrated the patent anniversary of the accordion, a 19th century musical instrument of German origin that was patented on this day in 1829.
The accordion is a free-reed, portable musical instrument consisting of a treble case and a bass case with external piano-style keys or buttons. Early accordions had buttons on one side, each of which produces a complete chord. Described by Google as the “main squeeze” of folk musicians, the instrument plays an important role in a variety of genres, including folk, classical, and jazz.
In the late 19th century, accordion production boomed in Germany as manufacturers ramped up production to meet the growing demand of folk musicians. After that, European musicians began to travel around the world, and the popularity of this instrument spread all over the world.
“Today’s Doodle celebrates the accordion, a boxy musical instrument invented in Germany in the 1800s and now played around the world,” Google said in the description of today’s Doodle theme.
Earlier today, the music theme of the Doodle incorporated the Google logo into an accordion bellows. The Doodle depicted artists in German costumes dancing and playing the instrument. The term comes from the German word “akkord,” which means “chord.”
Google Doodles are temporary modifications of the Google logo intended to commemorate themes of local and global significance.
