 John Church and Co. pump organ | |
| Keyboard instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
|
| Classification | Aerophone |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 412.132 (Free reed aerophone) |
| Inventor | Gabriel-Joseph Grenié [fr] |
| Developed | 19th century |
| Playing range | |
| Usually 10octaves | |
| Related instruments | |
Hand-pumped:Regal,Indian harmonium,accordion Mouth-blown:Claviola,melodica, harmonica, Asianmouth organs | |
| Musicians | |
| seeList of harmonium players | |
| Builders | |
| seeCategory:Pump organ manufacturers | |
| Sound sample | |
César Franck: 5th part taken from "L'organiste", played on a Debain pump organ (1878) | |
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Thepump organ orreed organ is a type of organ that usesfree reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a vacuum system), and theIndian harmonium. Historical examples include theKunstharmonium and theAmerican reed organ, while earlier forms include thephysharmonica and theseraphine.[1]
More portable thanpipe organs, free-reed organs became widespread in smaller churches and private homes during the 19th century, although their volume and tonal range were limited. They generally featured one, or occasionally two,manuals, whilepedal-boards were rare. Higher-end pump organs offered a broader range of tones, and models intended for churches or affluent households were often housed in finely craftedcabinets.
Between the 1850s and the 1920s, several million reed organs andmelodeons were manufactured in the United States and Canada, with some exported abroad.[2] Major manufacturers included theCable Piano Company,Estey Organ, andMason & Hamlin.
In addition to the larger, furniture-sized instruments popular in the West, more compact designs also developed. The portable, hand-pumped Indian harmonium, adapted from Western designs such as theguide-chant in the 19th century, became a central instrument across theIndian subcontinent. Today, the Indian harmonium is widely employed by Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims for devotional music such asqawwali,ghazal,kirtan, andbhajan. It is also commonly used inIndian classical music and within Westernyoga and kirtansubcultures.
During the first half of the 18th century, afree-reedmouth organ called asheng was brought to Russia.[3] The instrument attracted attention through its use byJohann Wilde.[3] At the time, the free-reed mechanism was unknown in Europe, and the concept quickly spread westward from Russia.[3]
Christian Gottlieb Kratzenstein (1723–1795), a professor of physiology at theUniversity of Copenhagen, is credited with the creation of the first free-reed instrument in the Western world, having won the annual prize in 1780 from the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg.[4]
The first free-reed organ was built byAbbé Georg Joseph Vogler inDarmstadt after a concept suggested by Kratzenstein.[3] The design of the harmonium, employing free reeds, derives from the earlierregal. A harmonium-like instrument was exhibited by Gabriel-Joseph Grenié (1756–1837) in 1810, which he named theorgue expressif ("expressive organ") due to its capability for greater expression, includingcrescendos anddiminuendos.
Alexandre Debain improved Grenié's design and patented his version under the name harmonium in 1840.[5] There was concurrent development of similar instruments.[6] Jacob Alexandre and his son Édouard introduced theorgue mélodium in 1844.Hector Berlioz discussed it in hisGrand traité d'instrumentation et d'orchestration modernes, published in Paris in [1843?] or [1844?], and reprinted in 1856 (critical edition by Peter Bloom, 2003, Bärenreiter, Vol.24). Berlioz also wrote about it in later journals (Bloom, p.472, nn. 1 & 2) and incorporated it intoL'enfance du Christ, Part 1, Scene vi, where it was played off-stage.Franz Liszt performed the part during a concert conducted by Berlioz in Weimar on 21 February 1855 (Bloom, p.474, n.3).
A mechanic who had worked at Alexandre's factory emigrated to the United States and conceived the idea of a suction bellows, replacing the outward-blowing bellows. After 1885, the firm ofMason & Hamlin ofBoston adopted the suction bellows, which soon became the standard construction technique in America.[5]
The termmelodeon came to be associated with concert saloons in Victorian-era America, named after the reed instrument. The word later became a general term for entertainment venues catering to men.[7]
Harmoniums reached the height of their popularity in the West during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were especially favoured in small churches and chapels where apipe organ was impractical. In the funeralin absentia scene ofMark Twain'sThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a "melodeum" (likely a satirical conflation of melodeon and harmonium) is mentioned.[citation needed]
Harmoniums, generally lighter and more resilient than similarly sized pianos, were ideal for export to colonies where transport infrastructure was limited. Moreover, the harmonium maintained its tuning stability despite heat and humidity, unlike the piano. Special models impregnated with chemicals to deterwoodworm and tropical pests were manufactured for export markets.[citation needed]
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At the peak of the instrument's popularity circa 1900, harmoniums ranged from simple models with minimal stops to elaborate ones featuring ornate cases, multiple stops, and faux pipe displays.[citation needed] Some harmoniums were built with two manuals or even pedalboards, although these larger models required either an assistant to operate the bellows or electric blowers. Compact, folding reed organs were also made for missionaries and travelling evangelists.[citation needed]
The invention of the electronic organ in the 1930s marked the beginning of the harmonium's decline in the West, although its popularity as a household instrument had already waned in the 1920s.[citation needed] TheHammond organ offered greater tonal versatility, reduced maintenance, and compactness, making it an attractive successor. Additionally, harmoniums had become increasingly complex mechanically, with intricate networks of levers and rods owing to diverse patent-driven designs.[citation needed]
TheEstey company was the last major North American manufacturer, ceasing production in the mid-1950s. A few Italian firms continued manufacturing into the 1970s. As harmoniums aged and spare parts became scarce, many were scrapped or modified, with electric blowers frequently retrofitted, often in an unsympathetic manner.[citation needed]
Today, most Western-style harmoniums are preserved by enthusiasts, while the Indian harmonium remains widely used across South Asia.[citation needed]
Modernelectronic keyboards are capable of emulating the sound of the traditional pump organ.
Thefoot pump organ (足踏みオルガン,ashibumi organ) was first introduced to Japan during the early Meiji period, brought by foreign Christian missionaries as part of their evangelisation efforts. Initially used in churches and schools, the reed organ quickly became an important tool for music education, offering Japanese people their first widespread exposure to Western musical instruments.
The first domestically manufactured reed organs were produced by Nishikawa Organ Company in Yokohama. Shortly thereafter, Yamaha founder Torakusu Yamaha, originally a medical equipment repairman, began manufacturing reed organs in Hamamatsu following his successful repair of an imported American model. These efforts helped establish Hamamatsu as a major centre for musical instrument production in Japan.
Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reed organs were installed in schools nationwide and became central to public singing education. Their affordability, durability, and relatively simple maintenance compared to pianos made them ideal for widespread use. By the early Shōwa period, reed organs were a familiar fixture in most Japanese elementary schools, contributing significantly to the spread of Western music literacy.
Domestically produced reed organs ranged from simple, affordable models with 39 or 49 keys to larger, more elaborate designs with multiple stops, swells, and even pedalboards, primarily intended for teacher training colleges and music schools.
Although the popularity of reed organs declined after the mid-20th century with the rise of more accessible pianos and electronic instruments, they remain fondly remembered by generations who grew up with them. Today, institutions such as the Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments preserve and exhibit historical reed organs, celebrating their cultural and educational significance in Japan's modernisation and musical history.[8]
In several Asian countries, particularly former Japanese colonies such as Taiwan and South Korea, the use of treadle-operated reed organs became widespread under Japanese influence.
In China, the reed organ was introduced around 1897. Following the Opium Wars, the spread of Christianity and the increasing presence of European expatriates contributed to the broader dissemination of Western music. Church schools, in particular, played a major role in introducing European musical forms, such as hymns, salon music, and elementary piano pieces.
In 1872, Christian missionary J. D. Collins published theHymn Book through the American Presbyterian Mission Press in Shanghai, featuring over 360 religious hymns with musical notation, alongside an introduction to Western musical theory, all employing the five-line staff notation system. In 1883, British missionary Timothy Richard published theSupplement to Hymns, which incorporated familiar Chinese folk melodies to facilitate religious outreach.
The activities of these missionaries contributed positively to the early development of Western music education in China.
It is beyond doubt that, at one point, the People's Republic of China was very likely the country where the pump organ was most widely used. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, treadle-operated reed organs gained renewed popularity as affordable tools for mass music education. Factories were established in various cities to produce reed organs, such as the "Danfeng" Organ Factory in Shanghai and the "Baihua" Organ Factory in Sichuan. It became common for primary school teachers, particularly female teachers, to be trained in reed organ playing to support classroom music education.
By the 1990s, however, reed organs were gradually supplanted by pianos in Chinese primary and secondary schools as the primary instrument for music instruction. Today, many treadle-operated reed organs in mainland China have been dismantled, although a small number of artisanal workshops continue to produce new instruments, primarily for enthusiasts who collect and perform with them.
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TheIndian harmonium, also known as the hand harmonium orvaja, is a small, portable, hand-pumped reed organ that gained popularity across the Indian subcontinent. It arrived in India during the mid-19th century, potentially introduced by missionaries or traders. Adapted by Indian craftsmen, the harmonium was modified to be played on the floor, in keeping with traditional Indian musical practices, and made more compact and portable.[9]
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the Indian harmonium became integral to Indian music, widely used in devotional genres such asqawwali,ghazal,kirtan, andbhajan. Its lightweight design, portability, and ease of learning contributed to its widespread adoption among Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims for devotional purposes. Notably, it also gained popularity within the Western yoga subculture, thanks to figures such as Krishna Das and Jai Uttal.
During the 20th century, the harmonium faced controversy within Indian classical music due to technical limitations, such as the inability to produceslurs,gamaka, andmeend.[10] Despite these challenges, it became the instrument of choice for North Indian classical vocal genres, supported by its ease of learning and suitability for group singing. The harmonium's fixed pitches and other limitations led to its ban fromAll India Radio from 1940 to 1971. Nevertheless, it remained favoured in the reformed classical music of the early 20th century.
The harmonium remains popular to the present day, serving as an important instrument across many genres ofIndian,Pakistani, andBangladeshi music. For example, it is a staple of North Indian classical vocal music andSufi Muslimqawwali performances.[11] From there, it even made its way to theghazal sung among theMalays ofJohor on the tip of theMalay Peninsula.[12]
The acoustical effects described below arise from the free-reed mechanism, and are therefore essentially identical for Western and Indian harmoniums as well as reed organs. In 1875,Hermann von Helmholtz published his seminal book,On the Sensations of Tone, in which he used the harmonium extensively to study different tuning systems:[13]
"Among musical instruments, the harmonium, on account of its uniformly sustained tone, the piercing character of its quality of tone, and its tolerably distinctcombinational tones, is particularly sensitive to inaccuracies of intonation. And as its vibrators also admit of a delicate and durable tuning, it appeared to me peculiarly suitable for experiments on a more perfect system of tones."[14]
Using two manuals and two differently tuned stop sets, Helmholtz was able to comparePythagorean,just, andequal temperament tunings simultaneously, and observe the varying degrees ofinharmonicity inherent in differenttemperaments. He subdivided the octave into 28 tones, allowing modulation in just intonation across 12 minor and 17 major keys without encountering the harshdissonances typically caused by standard octave divisions.[15] This system, however, proved difficult to play.[16] Additional modified instruments were constructed for experimental use, notablyBosanquet'sGeneralised keyboard (1873) for a53-tone scale, employing 84 keys for easierfingering. Another notable experimental reed organ was built byPoole.[17]
Lord Rayleigh also used the harmonium to devise a method of indirectly measuring frequencies, using approximated equal temperament intervals and theirovertonebeats.[18] The harmonium's clear overtones enabled reliable beat counting by two listeners, although Rayleigh acknowledged that maintaining constant pressure in the bellows was difficult and could cause pitch fluctuation.
In tone generation, a reed organ is similar to anaccordion orconcertina, but differs in installation; while accordions are hand-held, reed organs are typically placed on the floor within a wooden casing (which may initially resemble a piano). Reed organs are operated using either pressure or suction bellows. Pressure bellows allow greater dynamic control through varying pedalling speed. In North America and Britain, pressure-bellows organs are termed harmoniums, while in continental Europe, any reed organ is generally referred to as a harmonium, regardless of its bellows type. Because pressure-bellows instruments were more complex and expensive to produce, most North American and British reed organs and melodeons employed suction bellows.
The frequencies produced by reed organs are influenced by the blowing pressure: thefundamental frequency slightlydecreases under medium pressure compared to low pressure, butincreases again at high pressures, particularly for bass notes.[19] Measurements have shown sinusoidal oscillations of the reed with sharp transitions when it bends through its frame.[20]
The fundamental frequency is close to the reed'smechanical resonance frequency.[21] The overtones generated are primarilyharmonics rather than inharmonics,[22] although a weak inharmonic overtone at approximately 6.27f has been observed.[23]
In addition to the main transverse vibration mode, weaker higher transverse andtorsional modes have been measured.[24] Torsional modes arise due to slight asymmetries in reed construction. During the attack phase, the fundamental and a secondary transverse or torsional mode are predominantly excited.[24]
To date, radiation patterns and coupling effects between the soundbox and the reeds have not been extensively studied.
The unusual vibration physics of the free reed directly impact the performance of the harmonium, restricting the dynamic range and requiring subtle control. The reed, riveted into a metal frame, vibrates in self-excited oscillation as air is pumped through the bellows and reservoir.[20] This aerodynamic system isnonlinear, with the reed's maximum displacement limited by damping forces, resulting in relatively stable sound pressure.[22] A threshold pumping pressure exists below which reed vibration remains minimal.[23] Within these thresholds, reed amplitude exhibitsexponential growth andexponential decay.[25]
The harmonium was considered byCurt Sachs to be an important instrument for music ofRomanticism (1750s–1900), which "vibrated between two poles of expression" and "required the overwhelming power and strong accents of wind instruments".[3]
Harmonium compositions are available by European and American composers of classical music. It was also used often in the folk music of the Appalachians and South of the United States.[citation needed]
Harmoniums played a significant part in the new rise of Nordic folk music, especially in Finland. In the late 1970s, a harmonium could be found in most schools where the bands met, and it became natural for the bands to include a harmonium in their setup. A typical folk band then—particularly in Western Finland—consisted of violin(s), double bass and harmonium. There was a practical limitation that prevented playing harmonium and accordion in the same band: harmoniums were tuned to 438 Hz, while accordions were tuned to 442 Hz.[26] Some key harmonium players in the new rise of Nordic folk have beenTimo Alakotila andMilla Viljamaa.
In the Netherlands, the introduction of the harmonium triggered a boom in religious house music. Its organ-like sound quality allowed Reformed families to sing psalms and hymns at home. Many new hymns were composed expressly for voice and harmonium, notably those byJohannes de Heer.[27]
The harmonium repertoire includes many pieces written originally for thechurch organ, which may be played on a harmonium as well, because they have a small enough range and use fewer stops. For example,Bach's Fantasia in C major for organ BWV 570[28] is suitable for a four-octave harmonium.
Other examples include:
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Harmoniums have been used in western popular music since at least the 1960s.John Lennon played a Mannborg harmonium[31] onthe Beatles' hit single "We Can Work It Out", released in December 1965, and the band used the instrument on other songs recorded during the sessions for theirRubber Soul album.[32] They also used the instrument on the famous "final chord" of "A Day in the Life", and on the song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!", both released on the 1967 albumSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.[33] The group's hit single "Hello, Goodbye" and the track "Your Mother Should Know" were both written using a harmonium.[34][35]
Many other artists soon employed the instrument in their music, including;Pink Floyd on the title song "Chapter 24" of their first albumThe Piper at the Gates of Dawn in 1967[citation needed],Elton John on his 1973 albumDon't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, 1976'sBlue Moves, the 1978 albumA Single Man, and 1995'sMade in England[citation needed]. German singerNico was closely associated with the harmonium, using it as her main instrument, during the late 60s and 70s, on albums such asThe Marble Index,Desertshore andThe End....[36]
Donovan employed the harmonium on his 1968 albumThe Hurdy Gurdy Man where he played it in droning accompaniment on the song "Peregrine", and where it was also played on his song "Poor Cow" byJohn Cameron.[37]
Robert Fripp ofKing Crimson played a pedal harmonium borrowed from lyricistPeter Sinfield on the title track of the progressive rock band's 1971 albumIslands.
More recentlyRoger Hodgson fromSupertramp used his harmonium on many of the group's songs including "Two of Us" fromCrisis? What Crisis?, "Fool's Overture" fromEven in the Quietest Moments...,the title track to their 1979 albumBreakfast in America and "Lord Is It Mine". Hodgson also used a harmonium on "The Garden" from his 2000 solo albumOpen the Door.[citation needed]Greg Weeks andTori Amos have both used the instrument on their recordings and live performances.[citation needed]
The Damned singerDave Vanian bought a harmonium for £49 and used it to compose "Curtain Call", the 17-minute closing track from their 1980 double LPThe Black Album[citation needed]. In 1990,Depeche Mode used a harmonium on a version of their song "Enjoy the Silence".[citation needed]The Divine Comedy used a harmonium on "Neptune's Daughter" from their 1994 albumPromenade[citation needed].Sara Bareilles used the harmonium on her 2012 song "Once Upon Another Time".[38]Motion Picture Soundtrack, the closing track toRadiohead's 2000 albumKid A, makes heavy use of a harmonium pedal organ in a stark contrast to many other tracks on the album that are almost entirely electronic.[39]
During the 1990s the Hindu and Sikh-based devotional music known askirtan, a 7th–8th century Indian music, popularly emerged in the West.[40][41] The harmonium is often played as the lead instrument by kirtan artists; notablyJai Uttal who was nominated for a Grammy award fornew-age music in 2004,[40]Snatam Kaur, andKrishna Das who was nominated for a Grammy award for new age music in 2012.[42]
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In the view points of preservation of cultural properties, maintenance and restoration, the pump organs are often categorized into several types.[43][44][45]
Historically theancestor of pump organs began as the types ofpipe organs (positive,portative) using theresonance-pipes powered by thebellows (i.e. pumped pipe organs).
In the 17th century on the small reed-pipe organs calledregal, thesereed-pipes were replaced by the beating-reeds, and its form is closer to the laterrocking melodeon, the early small pump organs or the early accordions.
In the early 19th century when thefree reeds became factory-manufacturable, variousfree reed instruments were invented one after another, including: earlypump organs (c. 1810),accordions (c. 1822/1829), andSymphonium (c. 1829) as an early harmonica.
![cf. Symphonium [de] circa 1830 (invented c.1829)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMouth_organ_(or_symphonium)_(c.1830%2c_London)_by_Charles_Wheatstone%2c_Museum_of_Fine_Arts%2c_Boston.jpg)
Note: the term "melodium" seems to be interchangeable with the terms "melodion" and "melodeon".[46][47]
![Orgue-expressif [fr][45] (invented in 1810 by Gabriel-Joseph Grenié [fr], Paris) or Mélodium](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMusee_des_Ursulines_de_Quebec_010.jpg)
![Portable or folding:[43] Physharmonica[45] (invented in 1818 by Anton Haeckl, Vienna)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aReed_Organ_(Physharmonica)_MET_DP227017.jpg)
![Portable or folding:[43] Harmoniflûte [fr][45][48] (introduced in 1855)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHarmoniflute%2c_Technisches_Museum_Wien.jpg)
Harmoniums are pressure system free-reed organs.
![Flattop harmonium (c. 1865) by Alexandre Debain, a French inventor of the harmonium (patented in 1842)[49]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHarmonium_Debain_-_c.1865.jpg)
![Kunstharmonium [de] (French: harmoniums d'art) with Celesta,[45] by Auguste Victor Mustel [fr], Paris (1890)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aOrgue-C%25C3%25A9lesta.gif)
![Piano-mélodium [fr] and Orgue-mélodium (invented in mid-19th c. by Alexandre Père et Fils [fr])[45]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aOrgues-m%25C3%25A9lodium_d%2527Alexandre_p%25C3%25A8re_et_fils.jpg)
![Indian harmonium,[45] which remains influential in Indian music](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHarmonium_(Varanasi%2c_India._19th_century._Inv.2000.015)_-_MIM_Brussels_(2018-05-26_10.44.51_by_Miguel_Discart_%40Flickr_44507244450).jpg)
![Two manual with pedal harmonium[43] by Theodor Mannborg [de] (1911)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aOrganeum%2c_Weener_-_15.JPG)
![Player harmonium[43][45] (1888–1903, disc-type)[50]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCIMA_mg_8380.jpg)
Suction reed organs are vacuum system free-reed organs.
Note: The term "melodeon" seems to be interchangeable with the terms "melodion" and "melodium".[46][47]
For the "melodeon" as a type of accordion, seeDiatonic button accordion § Nomenclature.
![Rocking melodeon[51][52][45] or lap organ[43] (1825)[53][54]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aRocking_Melodeon_MET_D3198_89.4.1194.jpg)
![Seraphine[45] of the United States (ca.1835 by James A. Bazin, MA)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSeraphine_reed_organ%2c_by_James_A._Bazin%2c_Canton_MA%2c_1835%2c_bird%2527s_eye_maple%2c_rosewood_-_Old_Colony_History_Museum_-_Taunton%2c_Massachusetts_-_DSC03905.jpg)
![Portable melodeon[44] or lyre-leg melodeon[43]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMelodium_(23986253000).jpg)
![Piano-style melodeon [43][44][45] (c.1867)[55][56]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNew_Haven_Melodeon%2c_Mission_Mill_Museum.jpg)
![Flattop reed organ:[43][44][45][57] melodeon or American reed organ](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGeo._Woods_Melodeon.JPG)
![Parlor organ:[43][44][45] melodeon or American reed organ by American Reed Organ Co., Rotterdam[45]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aAmerican_Organ_Odilienberg_1.jpg)
![Chapel organ[44][45]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHarmonium_in_St_Peter%2527s_Church%2c_Normanby_by_Spittle_(geography.org.uk_2622275_2ed0d039).jpg)
![Piano case reed organ [43][45]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPiano_case_reed_organ%2c_removed_a_front_panel%2c_preparing_for_Noise_Boundary_music_ensemble.jpg)
![Two manual with pedal reed organ[44][45] (pipe-top)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEstey_Phonorium._(front).jpg)
![cf. mechanical free-reed instrument, Organette in 1878[58]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a%2522Autophone%2522_Organette_MET_MUS483A.jpg)
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excerpt of Suneera Kasliwal, Classical Musical Instruments, Delhi 2001
{{cite conference}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite conference}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Mechanical harmonium in piano shaped wooden case ... The inscription "I.P. Nyström" is on the left side, 'Reform-Orgel Patent" – is in the center, "Karlstad" is on the right side. Framed text "Jnnehar sjutton (17) Patenter å egna Uppfinningar inom orgelbranchen" (17 patents for original inventions in the organ industry) is beneath the central inscription. ...
Maker: Abraham Prescott (American, Deerfield, New Hampshire 1789–1858 Concord, New Hampshire)
This is a beautiful melodeon built by The New Haven Melodeon Company circa about 1865. These instruments are small reed organs that are operated by pumping the large iron right pedal…the left pedal is volume control and operates a swell shutter. During the mid 19th Century, these little melodeons were often the only form of musical entertainment in Rural America. This style of melodeon is known as a "Portable Melodeon" and its legs are designed to fold up under the instrument for easy transport. ...
The New Haven Melodeon Company was organized on April 10th, 1867 in New Haven, CT. John L. Treat of Treat & Linsley was listed as superintendent of the firm. The firm built several models of organs and melodeons and enjoyed a great deal of success. By 1872 the firm is listed as having operating capital in the amount of $40,000. By the late 1870s, the popularity of the melodeon began to wain in favor of the parlor organ. The firm reorganized as "The New Haven Organ Company" from 1881 to 1883, and there is no mention of the firm after about 1883.
17. Flat top reed organ by George Woods & Co. This firms is known for its high quality Melodeons (early type of reed organ, in fact the suction variety of the physharmonica)
Manufacturer: Autophone /Inventor: Henry Bishop Horton (American, Winchester, Connecticut 1819–1885)
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