Harmonium
previous
next
The Harmonium is a reed organ that uses bellows to generate wind, which then activates reeds to produce the sound. The bellows on this upright harmonium are operated by pedals. Widely used in India is a small, portable version, played by pumping a bellows with one hand, while the other hand plays the keyboard. This was adapted from an instrument introduced by missionaries in the mid-19th century.
| Family |
| Keyboards |
| Pitch range |
| Five octaves. |
| Material |
| Variable, often wood. |
| Size |
| Variable : this example is 4 ft 3 in (1.30 m) high and 4 ft 2 in (1.28 m) wide. |
| Origins |
| The first free-reed instruments were played in Asia over 3.000 years ago. The first keyboard free-reed instrument (called the "orgue expressif") dates from 1810. |
| Classification |
| Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
| And also... |
| In the In the 19th century, harmoniums were popular in small churches and chapels that had no pipe organ. |
