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| Keyboard instrument | |
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| Classification | Free reed aerophone |
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Thegarmon (Russian:гармо́нь,IPA:[gɐˈrmonʲ], from Russian:гармо́ника,romanized:garmonika,IPA:[gɐˈrmonʲɪkə],cognate of Englishharmonica), commonly calledgarmoshka, is a kind of Russianbutton accordion, afree-reed wind instrument. A garmon has two rows of buttons on the right side, which play the notes of adiatonicscale, and at least two rows of buttons on the left side, which play the primarychords in thekey of the instrument as well as itsrelativeharmonic minor key. Many instruments have additional right-hand buttons with usefulaccidental notes, additional left-hand chords for playing in related keys, and a row offree-bass buttons, to facilitate playing ofbassmelodies.
The garmons can be of two major classes:unisonoric, meaning that each button plays the same note or chord when thebellows is being expanded as it does when compressed; andbisonoric, in which the note depends on the direction of the bellowswork. Examples of unisonoric type arelivenka (ливенка, afterLivny,Oryol Oblast),khromka (хромка, 'chromatic'),Tula accordion (Тульская гармонь, afterTula) andtalyanka (тальянка, 'Italian')
Beside Russian folk music, the garmon is an important musical instrument for Caucasian (Ossetian, Georgian,Cherkess, etc.) andMari people in theVolga andUral regions, and inSlovenian music. It is also used in popular music.
Although reduced and expanded versions are widely available, the standard arrangement (known as "25 × 25") is as follows:
The treble keyboard is arranged so that a scale may be played by alternating between the two rows. The low and high octaves have identical fingering, while the middle octave differs. The three accidental notes are arranged so as to mirror the position of the left-hand chords that contain them.
The bass keyboard is arranged so that the principal chords for the major key are in the outer row, placed incircle of fifths order; the principal chords for the harmonic minor key are in the middle row; free bass notes are in the inner row. One free bass accidental note is included.
There are also 36*36 garmon accordions which have a third row of buttons including more accidentals and high notes, as well as more free bass notes.
Since the introduction of the accordion from Germany to Russia in the 1830s, Russian masters invented a lot of different types of local garmons during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Thekhromka (хромка) was invented in 1870 inTula by Russian musicianNikolay Beloborodov. It was a unisonoric (like thebayan or piano accordion),diatonic accordion but on the right keyboard there were also two or three chromatic buttons, usually g1♯, d2♯, f2♯, hence the namekhromka. It became the most popular and widespread button accordion in Russia, so almost all modern Russian (as well as Soviet) garmons (usually made in Tula andShuya factories) are khromkas.
Tula garmon (Russian:тульская гармонь, семиклапанка) was the first Russian accordion, which began to be manufactured since the 1830s. It had five or seven buttons on the right keyboard, and like in the most Western diatonic accordions it produced different sounds on pull and push. So Tula garmon had two full diatonic octaves (from C4 to C6). The left bass keyboard had two buttons. Tula garmon was a base for all the Russian diatonic bisonoric garmoshkas (Saratov,Kasimov etc.)
Vyatka garmon (Russian:вятка, вятская гармонь) first appeared on the factories ofVyatkagovernorate in the middle of the 19th century. It was chromatic unisonoric, it had a piano keyboard on the right side and two bass buttons on the left one. Vyatka garmon was a prototype for many different types of national accordions in theVolga region and the Caucasus (see below). Also after it there were made Russian diatonic and chromatic accordions:Elets "royal" (means with a piano keyboard, because in Russian a grand piano is called "royal") garmon, Beloborodov's royal garmon (made by Tula master Chulkov in the 1870s on the design of Beloborodov, it had a full chromatic right keyboard and resembled modern piano accordions) and others.
TheSaratov garmon (Russian:саратовская гармонь) is a diatonic, bisonoric garmoshka withbells which ring when the bass and chord keys are played.Lidia Ruslanova sang to the accompaniment of this garmonika.
Thelivenka (ливенка) orLivenskaya garmoshka (Ливенская гармошка) was developed in the 1860s and 1870s in the factories around the town ofLivny (Oryol Oblast).
Russian garmons were popular not only among the Russians but also among the other nations of theRussian Empire and theSoviet Union. Almost all the national garmons are based on the Tula, Vyatka and Khromka garmons, with modifications to fit the local national musical traditions. Some were professionally invented in music factories in the 20th century.
Thephændur orOssetian accordion was based on the European accordion. It was designed for the features ofOssetian folk music, and was adopted by other musicians from other Caucasian peoples, becoming popular all over the Caucasus.
Theoriental bayan (восточная выборная гармоника) was invented in 1936 in theKazan musical factory, it has a right-hand piano keyboard but a little smaller, so in fact it imitates a piano accordion. In 1961 the Kazan revised it so that the left keyboard mirrored the right, though the left buttons are not rectangular but round, like in button accordions. This type is popular in themusic of Azerbaijan,[1][2][3][4] where it is known as theqarmon. It has been popularized in Azerbaijan byAftandil Israfilov. It has been popularized in Turkey, too, through the recordings ofNejat Özgür.[5]
Thegarmoni came to Georgia and Armenia from Europe, namely from Russia, in the 1830s, and immediately became popular among folk musicians. It is especially popular inTusheti, where it is used as an accompanying instrument for vocals, and also as a solo instrument. The garmoni has two miniature variants, thebuzika and thetsiko-tsiko.
Thebuzika is widespread especially among the mountain inhabitants of Georgia, with its own distinct sound. It is considered a women's instrument, and often a bride was presented with a buzik at the time of her engagement. It was widely used for national holidays, festivals, and parties, and is associated mainly with song and dance melodies. It is also sometimes used for performing solo melodies, or in an ensemble with adoli (drum),daira,diplipito, andpanduri.
Thetsiko-tsiko, came to Georgia and Armenia from Europe in the 1830s, and mainly accompanies dances.
InSlovenia, theharmonika (seeSteirische Harmonika) is popular in traditional and modern music. Some artists have achieved popularity in Europe and the United States of America. The Slovenian style of play differs from the Russian. There are over 300 popular ensembles in Slovenia, one ensemble often consisting of several singers and an accordionist.