Voci Armoniche is an Italian company producing accordion reeds, founded in 2002 following the merger of the Antonelli reed factory, founded in 1935, and Salpa, founded in 1946. The founding members were Lorenzo Antonelli and Giansandro Breccia. The factory is currently (2022) located in Osimo.
Boom period
In the 1930s, the worldwide demand for accordions increased dramatically, with North America in particular experiencing huge demand. In order to meet the demand, some of the large Italian accordion factories were forced to restructure. These included f.ex. the factories of Paolo Soprani and Settimio Soprani, where all production, including the reeds, was produced in-house. During the boom period, Luigi Antonelli (1907–1980), who was head of the reed production at Settimio Soprani, decided to set up his own reed company in 1935 in Osimo with his brothers Cesare and Filippo. Luigi had learned his trade from Fortunato Pierpaoli (1888–1966) from Osimo, who was one of the most skilled maker of handmade reeds. The company was called F.lli Antonelli (Antonelli Bros).
The Salpa reed factory was founded by Alessandro and Remo Breccia. They had acquired their know-how by working in the factories of Paolo Soprani and Settiomio Soprani. Alessandro’s brother Romolo Breccia (1926-2002) took over Salpa when the founders died.
Reed production was halted by the Second World War, but after the end of the war a huge boom began in 1948-1954. Sales of accordions were unprecedented. In 1949, the F.lli Antonelli factory employed more than 100 workers and produced 100 000 reeds a day. At the end of the 1940s, a new Antonelli factory was opened in Osimo. Located on Via del Guazzatore, the factory was highly advanced at the time. The factory was equipped with new machine tools and the entire reed production process was carried out under one roof. Workers were recruited from the north of Italy. In 1952, Luigi Antonelli developed Tipo a mano, which immediately became a popular reed type. Tipo a mano was a response to the strong demand – these reeds where industrially produced, but of the same quality as a mano reeds.
In the early 1970s, Salpa made a name for itself in particular by producing reed plates made of a harder aluminium, duralumin. This was called duralluminio avional, which translates as aerospace aluminium. Salpa was also focused on the highest quality a mano reeds.
Mergers and acquisitions
In 1973 Luigi Antonelli changed the company name from F.lli Antonelli to SIVA, which stands for Società Italiana Voci Armoniche. Giuseppe Pierpaoli (1922-1980) became a partner and technical director. Giuseppe’s father, Fortunato, was one of the most skilled reed maker of his time. SIVA produced reeds under the Antonelli brand. In 1980, the factory moved to its current location in Via di Filottrano, Osimo.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the sector was hit by an economic crisis, which led to the creation of a new profit division within SIVA. This focused on the cold pressing of metals. In 1988, Luigi’s son Vinicio Antonelli (1937-2001) took over the factory after his father’s death.
The recession of the 1990s and the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a significant drop in production volumes of accordion reeds. Practically the whole of Eastern Europe was in turmoil as far as the market was concerned. At the same time, SIVA’s work organisation and product development were in a bad shape, leading to a decline in foreign sales in the early 2000s. This began to be reflected primarily in a decline in orders for accordion reeds from firms in the Marche region. Many accordion firms were in the same financial situation and some even went bankrupt. However, those that survived the worst were in need of reorganisation. When Vinicio Antonelli died in 2001, his son Lorenzo Antonelli took over the factory. As a result, in 2002 Lorenzo Antonelli and Giansandro Breccia (Romolo’s son) merged the Antonelli and Salpa factories into a single factory. The merger brought more resources for operational development while preserving the tacit knowledge needed to produce the reeds. As a result of the reorganisation, SIVA concentrated on the cold pressing of metal and the new Voci Armoniche on the production of reeds. SIVA occupies about half of the factory site and Voci Armoniche about half.
Prior to taking over the management of SIVA, Lorenzo Antonelli had taken over the management of the SIVA family business a little earlier in the late 1990s. Antonelli’s career at the reed factory was understandable given his family background, but despite this he had graduated from university with a degree in political science and sought further training in business management.
Modern times
Between 2003 and 2012, the Voci armoniche reed factory underwent a major development. The first important investment was the development of the production of reed assemblies and reed plates. Since then, the factory’s production process and organisation have been developed so that the quality of the final products can be continuously maintained and improved. The know-how of the former craftsmen was transformed into permanent practices; oral tradition was transformed into precise processes. This reduced the risk of losing know-how in the factory.
In 2021, Voci Armoniche launched a new product, BlueStar reeds. In this quality level, the reeds undergoes an additional heat treatment that makes the metal structure of the reed more homogeneous, while giving it a blue colour. BlueStar is the next, higher quality grade of a mano.
Sources
- https://www.vociarmoniche.it/ (20.7.2022)
- Raffaelle Pinelli – Discovering Italian Free Metal Reeds: A Fielwork Enquiry (2022)