[Harp-L] harmoniums and bandoneons

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rick Dempster writes:

"You've probably played a harmonium,"

I would bet the number of people on this list who have played a true  
harmonium is zero.  Possibly some of our European subscribers, but  
even then I would doubt it's more than ten.

" if you've ever tinkered with a small
church or domestic reed organ,because that's what it is."

Not usually.  The broad category for all of these is "reed organ",  
the harmonium actually refers to one of two specific forms of reed  
organ.  The first is the historic instrument developed in France in  
the 19th century.  This was a pressure instrument which had very  
specific features and was usually aimed at the highest end of the  
market.  These were never very common, and are fairly rare outside of  
Western Europe (and not that common there).  The second instrument  
called a harmonium is the modern Indian one which does not share the  
most distinctive features of the 19th century instrument.  I'm not  
sure of any direct connection between the two, though there were  
smaller, more portable instruments built by the same companies which  
made the larger art-harmoniums, so that may be the connection.

Most reed organs one finds in churches (especially in the US, though  
also in much of Europe) will be suction instruments with distinct  
tonal and construction differences from a harmonium.  It's a bit like  
the differences between a piano and a clavichord. Or perhaps, between  
a harpsichord and a spinet.  Well, somewhere in-between those two.   
The differences are quite significant for anyone wanting to play  
harmonium music (such as that by Karg-Elert and others), since the  
way the stops are lain out and the way the instrument can be  
controlled are not the same.

" The bandoneon
is just a type of button accordion, particularly popular in tango music,
but widely used elsewhere as well."

Actually, no.  The bandoneon is a type of concertina, not an  
accordion at all.  The main differences are twofold.  First, the way  
the buttons are oriented to the body of the instrument (accordions,  
with one exception, have their keys/buttons arranged perpendicular to  
the body, concertinae parallel).  Second, the fact that concertinae  
don't have buttons which play a chord, thus the origin of the name  
"accordion".



 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross (who should have bought that neat  
concertina on eBay last month, and who will one day finish restoring  
his two manual reed organ before he gets the one with bells)
()  ()
`----'