Moroccan King’s Gift: Accordion Buried with Musician 60 Years After His Death

Born in a Corsican village marked by tragedy, Thomas Mariani had a tumultuous existence, full of twists and unexpected encounters. Orphaned of his father at a very young age, he had to leave his native land to escape a violent suitor who had murdered his grandmother, reports the newspaper Var Matin.

Arriving in Toulon, he learned the trade of shoemaker while developing a natural talent for music. His skill with the accordion, which he had learned by ear, quickly made him stand out. Enlisted in the army, he served in Indochina and Morocco, where he made shoes for Prince Moulay Hassan. It was during this encounter that he received the accordion as a gift, which would accompany him throughout his life.

But Thomas Mariani’s story takes a difficult turn during the Algerian war, where he leaves for a long mission, leaving his family without news. It is only at the end of this conflict that his loved ones learn of his death in Marseille, in January 1964. A few years later, his remains are transferred to the Revest cemetery, where he has been resting since.

For his descendants, the accordion is much more than an object. "We each recovered a mother-of-pearl key from the accordion to make bracelets," says Pascal, moved by the transmission of this family memory.