Re: [Harp-L] harmoniums and bandoneons

[Robert Paparozzi <chromboy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've owned one I acquired from a church in Newark NJ back in the 60's and it
had pump pedals, I enjoyed playing it,,,,,

Another Harp player that plays Harmonium is my friend John Sebastian Jr.
check out:
THE ROOM NOBODY LIVES IN....
Best,
Rob P


On 12/3/08 10:53 PM, "Jonathan Ross" <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> 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)
> ()  ()
> `----'
> 
> 
> 
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All the best,
Rob Paparozzi

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