Nazzareno Frontalini was a music teacher and an excellent craftsman. Like many of his local colleagues, he made accordions for Paolo Soprano in Castelfidardo. In 1923, Nazzareno’s sons Vincenzo and Alfredo and son-in-law Pietro Massacesi persuaded him to set up his own business. Initially they rented a small room on the ground floor of the Palazzo Comunale. The house was home to many other businesses, including the workshops of Maglier, Monaco Giuseppe and Domenico, Regoli Remigio and Cooperativa di Consumo Numanese. When the other craftsmen ceased to operate, they took over the whole building in 1935. Frontalin’s good fortune encouraged other villagers to try their hand at the same trade.
Once Frontalini had the entire property, the expansion of its operations began. The expansion was so intense that the building was soon no longer sufficient to run the business. The office was moved to Viale Morelli, now the Cassa di Risparmio, and the bellows production to Via Matteotti.
The Frontalini family organised their factory well, with many workers and departments. It was industrial accordion production, but still very much an artisanal business. The Frontalini brothers divided the tasks: Alfredo was in charge of sales and administration, Vincenzo of purchasing and storage, and his brother-in-law Pietro Massacesi was in charge of the technical side.
Frontalin’s chromatic accordions gained fame in Belgium, Holland, Scandinavia in the early days. The piano accordion model was introduced in 1932. The sales took off. Instruments went to the USA, Australia, England, Canada, South Africa and so on. By 1935, the company had 50% of the UK market (note: the source does not mention whether it is market area or market value).
Enlargement continued. By 1940, it already had around 300 employees. With the outbreak of the Second World War, the company ran into difficulties. Most of the accordions were exported and, as a result of the war, exports collapsed and the company closed down. During the war, however, the Italian State ordered accordions for soldiers from various accordion factories. Frontalini received some of the orders and as a result the company was restarted with a workforce of about 150 people. The aim was to produce instruments for the domestic market, including women, young people and the elderly.
In the early months of 1944, the war was present. The company tried to salvage what it could from its factory. The workshop equipment was hidden in the basement of the Palazzo Comunale. However, the retreating German soldiers blew the place up. In 1945, Frontalini continued to operate. Workers were gradually added. Exports were developed so that in 1955 there were 606 employees, 70 % men and 30 % women.
Frontalini was a big factory at that time. The factory was divided into departments and all the accordion parts were made under one roof. The annual production was over twenty thousand pieces, and the average price of fifty dollars produced a turnover of about one million dollars, or five hundred million lire.
All workers were paid according to the category they belonged to, and for three or four years workers also received a production bonus. Each worker could receive an annual salary of around ITL 250 000 to ITL 300 000. Often entire families worked in the factory.
The company used sales representatives and dealers all over the world to develop its business. To penetrate a wider market, it sold its own products under different names and models to dealers in the same region. Around 1957-58, with the onset of the US market crisis, the decline of the accordion began. Wholesalers were no longer interested in promoting sales. Many accordion workers were dismissed or made redundant from large companies, especially in Castelfidardo, and formed about a hundred small companies. The accordion industry was in financial difficulties.
Frontalini came up with the pianòla (the piano is a mechanical piano, patented in 1898). The pianòla aroused much hope, and the Frontalini family had built prototypes of it as early as 1926. Production increased to 200 pieces a day, and the factory recovered. Within six months, all debts had been paid. Frontalini started building reed organs for churches. They soon established themselves on the market and replaced the traditional organ harmoniums. The crisis seemed to be over for good, but a new innovation, electronic instruments, was already on the horizon. Frontalini was no longer able to invest in new technology. The company applied to society for support, but was refused funding. This led to the end of the business. Frontalini went bankrupt in 1964. The workers had been paid wages except for the last few weeks. They survived with small losses. Instead, the suppliers demanded compensation of thirty million lire. In the end, the debt amounted to ITL 160 million.
Frontalini today
Today Frontalini is produced by Maxim’s group, whose brands also include Sonola, Settimio Soprani and Crucianelli. Maxim’s Group was founded to rebrand old accordion brands. The Settimio Soprani brand was registered in 2006. The Sonola brand became the property of the factory in 2008. The following year, the Crucianelli and Frontalini brands entered the company’s repertoire.
Source critique
The Frontalini source is one-sided and very descriptive of the author’s feelings. There may also be errors in the source. For example, the date of the bankruptcy is reported elsewhere as 1962, not 1964.
It is also recommended to read the history of Farfisa on this site. The Farfisa industrial group was active from 1946 to 1998, and was founded by Scandalli (Silvio Scandalli), Settimio Soprani and Frontalini.
Sources
https://www.maximsgroup.it/storia/ (25.1.2025)
http://www.frontalini.com/ (25.1.2025)
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