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Harmonium
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A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ or pipe organ. Sound is produced by air, supplied by foot-operated or hand-operated bellows, being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion.
a class="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m1791891",this)' onMouseout='hide("m1791891")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/North_America">North America, the most common pedal-pumped free reed keyboard instrument is known as the American Reed Organ, (or parlor organ, pump organ, cabinet organ, cottage organ, etc.) and along with the earlier melodeon, is operated by a suction bellows where air is sucked through the reeds to produce the sound.
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A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ or pipe organ. Sound is produced by air, supplied by foot-operated or hand-operated bellows, being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion.
Definition
In North America, the most common pedal-pumped free reed keyboard instrument is known as the American Reed Organ, (or parlor organ, pump organ, cabinet organ, cottage organ, etc.) and along with the earlier melodeon, is operated by a suction bellows where air is sucked through the reeds to produce the sound. A reed organ with a pressure bellows, that pushes the air through the reeds, is referred to as a harmonium.
In much of Europe, the term "harmonium" is used to describe all pedal pumped keyboard free reed instruments, making no distinction whether it has a pressure or suction bellows. The British introduced harmoniums to North India during the colonial period.
History
The harmonium was invented in Paris in 1842 by Alexandre Debain, though there was concurrent development of similar instruments. Christian Gottlieb Kratzenstein (1723-1795), Professor of Physiology at Copenhagen, was credited with the first free reed to be made in the western world after winning the annual prize in 1780 from the Imperial Academy of St.Petersburg.
Harmoniums reached the height of their popularity in the West in the late 19th- and early-20th centuries. They were especially popular in small churches and chapels where a pipe organ would be too large or too expensive. Harmoniums generally weigh less than similarly-sized pianos and are not as easily damaged in transport, thus they were also popular throughout the colonies of the European powers in this period- not only because it was easier to ship the instrument out to where it was needed, but it was also easier to transport overland in areas where good-quality roads and railways may have been non-existent. An added attraction of the harmonium in tropical regions was that the instrument held its tune regardless of heat and humidity, unlike the piano. This 'export' market was sufficiently lucrative for manufacturers to produce harmoniums with cases impregnated with chemicals to prevent woodworm and other damaging organisms found in the tropics.
At the peak of the instruments' popularity around 1900, a wide variety of styles of harmoniums were being produced. These ranged from simple models with plain cases and only 4 or 5 stops (if any at all), up to large instruments with ornate cases, up to a dozen stops and other mechanisms such as couplers. Expensive harmoniums were often built to resemble pipe organs, with ranks of fake pipes attached to the top of the instrument. Small numbers of harmoniums were built with two manuals (keyboards). Some were even built with pedal keyboards, which required the use of an assistant to run the bellows or, for some of the later models, an electrical pump. These larger instruments were mainly intended for home use, such as allowing organists to practise on an instrument on the scale of a pipe organ, but without the physical size or volume of such an instrument. For missionaries, chaplains in the armed forces, travelling evangelists, and the like, reed organs that folded up into a container the size of a very large suitcase or small trunk were made; these had a short keyboard and few stops, but they were more than adequate for keeping hymn-singers more-or-less on pitch.
The invention of the electronic organ in the mid-1930s spelt the end of the harmonium's success (although its popularity as a household instrument declined in the 1920s as musical tastes changed). The Hammond organ could imitate the tonal quality and range of a pipe organ whilst retaining the compact dimensions and cost-effectiveness of the harmonium whilst reducing maintenance needs and allowing a greater number of stops and other features. By this time harmoniums had reached high levels of mechanical complexity- not only through the need to provide instruments with a greater tonal range, but (especially in North America) due to patent laws. It was common for manufacturers to patent the action mechanism used on their instruments, thus requiring any new manufacturer to develop their own version- as the number of manufacturers grew this led to some instruments having hugely complex arrays of levers, cranks, rods and shafts which made replacement with an electronic instrument even more attractive.
The last mass-producer of harmoniums in the West was the Estey company, which ceased manufacture in the mid-1950s. As the existing stock of instruments aged and spare parts became hard to find, more and more were either scrapped or sold. It was not uncommon for harmoniums to be 'modernised' by having electric blowers fitted, often very unsympathetically. The majority of harmoniums today are in the hands of enthusiasts.
A relatively modern example of the use of a harmonium can be found in The Beatles' songs such as "We Can Work It Out" and "Cry Baby Cry".
Construction
Harmoniums consist of banks of brass reeds (metal tongues which vibrate when air flows over them), a pumping apparatus, stops for drones (some models feature a stop which causes a form of vibrato), and a keyboard. The harmonium's timbre, despite its similarity to the accordion's, is actually produced in a critically different way. Instead of the bellows causing a direct flow of air over the reeds, an external feeder bellows inflates an internal reservoir bellows inside the harmonium from which air escapes to vibrate the reeds. This design is similar to bagpipes as it allows the harmonium to create a continuously sustained sound. (Some better-class harmoniums of the 19th and early 20th centuries incorporated an “expression stop” which bypassed the reservoir, allowing a skilled player to regulate the strength of the air-flow directly from the pedal-operated bellows and so to achieve a certain amount of direct control over dynamics.) If a harmonium has two sets of reeds, it's possible that the second set of reeds (either tuned unison or an octave lower) can be activated by a stop, which means each key pressed will play two reeds. Professional harmoniums feature a third set of reeds, either tuned an octave higher or in unison to the middle reed. This overall makes the sound fuller. In addition, many harmoniums feature an octave coupler, a mechanical linkage that opens a valve for a note an octave above or below the note being played, and a scale changing mechanism, which allows one to play in various keys while fingering the keys of one scale.
Harmoniums are made with 1, 2, 3 and occasionally 4 sets of reeds. Classical instrumentalists usually use 1-reed harmoniums, while a musician who plays for a qawaali (Islamic devotional singing) usually uses a 3-reed harmonium.
India
During the mid-19th century missionaries brought French-made hand-pumped harmoniums to India. The instrument quickly became popular there: it was portable, reliable and easy to learn. It has remained popular to the present day, and the harmonium remains an important instrument in many genres of Indian music. It is commonly found in Indian homes. Though derived from the designs developed in France, the harmonium was developed further in India in unique ways, such as the addition of drone stops and a scale changing mechanism.
In Kolkata, Dwarkanath Ghose of the renowned Dwarkin was adept in modifying musical instruments as per individual needs of users and is particularly remembered for modifying the imported harmony flute and producing the hand held harmonium, which has subsequently become an integral part of the Indian music scenario. Dwijendranath Tagore is credited with having used the imported instrument in 1860 in his private theatre, but it was probably a pedalled instrument which was cumbersome, or it was possibly some variation of the reed organ. Initially, it aroused curiosity but gradually people started playing it and Ghose took the initiative to modify it. It was in response to the Indian needs that the hand-held harmonium was introduced. All Indian musical instruments are played with the musician sitting on the floor or on a stage, behind the instrument or holding it in his hands. In that era, Indian homes did not use tables and chairs.
The harmonium was widely accepted in Indian music, particularly Parsi and Marathi stage music, in the late 19th century. By the early 20th century, however, in the context of nationalist movements that sought to depict India as utterly separate from the West, the harmonium came to be portrayed as an unwanted foreigner. Technical concerns with the harmonium included its inability to produce meend (slides between notes) and the fact that, once tuned, it cannot be adjusted in the course of performance. The former prevents it from articulating the subtle inflections (such as andolan, gentle oscillation) so crucial to many ragas; the latter prevents it from articulating the subtle differences in intonational color between a given svara in two different ragas. For these reasons, it was banned from All-India Radio from 1940 to 1971. (Indeed, a ban still stands on harmonium solos.) On the other hand many of the harmonium's qualities suited it very well for the newly-reformed classical music of the early 20th century: it is easy for amateurs to learn; it supports group singing and large voice classes; it provides a template for standardized raga grammar; it is loud enough to provide a drone in a concert hall. For these reasons, it has become the instrument of choice for accompanying most North Indian classical vocal genres, though it is still despised as a foreigner by many connoisseurs of Indian music, who prefer the sarangi as an accompanying instrument for khyal singing.
A popular usage is by followers of various Hindu and Sikh faiths, who use it in the devotional singing of prayers, called bhajan or kirtan. There will be at least one harmonium in any mandir (Hindu temple) or gurdwara (Sikh temple) around the world. The harmonium is also commonly accompanied by the tabla as well as a dholak. To Sikhs the harmonium is known as the vaja/baja. It is also referred to as a "Peti" ( A loose reference to a "Box") in some parts of North India and Maharashtra.
It also plays an integral part in Qawwali music. Almost all Qawwals use the harmonium as their sole musical accompaniment. It has received international fame as the genre of Qawwali music has been popularized by renowned Pakistani musicians such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Aziz Mian.
The harmonium is also used in Middle Eastern music in certain parts of the Middle East.
There is some discussion of Indian harmonium-makers producing reproductions of Western-style reed organs for the export trade.
22 Shruti Harmonium
Dr. Vidyadhar Oke has developed a 22 Shruti Harmonium, which can play the Indian 22 Shrutis or micro tones in an octave, as required in Indian Classical Music. The fundamental tone (Shadja) and the 5th (Pancham) are fixed, but all the other 10 notes have 2 micro tones each (1 higher and 1 lower), selected by pulling a knob below the key.
Samvadini
Pt. Bhishmadev Vedi is said to have been the first to contemplate improving the instrument by augmenting it with a string box like a harp attached to the top of the instrument. His disciple, Pt. Manohar Chimote later implemented this concept and also provided the name "Samvadini" to this instrument - this name has now gained widespread acceptance. Like Pt. P. Madhukar, Pt. Bhishmadev Vedi is also have said to been among the first to contemplate and design compositions specifically for the harmonium, styled along the lines of "tantakari" - performance of music on stringed instruments. These compositions tend to have a lot of cut-notes and high speed passages creating in some ways an effect similar to that of a string being plucked.
Repertoire
Classical
- Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911), author of many duos for piano and harmonium, including:
- Symphonie tirée de la Symphonie-Cantate "Ariane" (Opus 53)
- Pastorale A-Dur (Opus 26)
- Finale alla Schumann sur un noël languedocien (Opus 83)
- 24 Pièces en style libre pour organ ou harmonium, op. 31 (1913) by Louis Vierne.
- Antonín Dvorák's Five Bagatelles for 2 violins, Cello and harmonium Op.47(b79)
- The final collection of pieces by César Franck popularly known as L'Organiste (1889-1890) was actually written for harmonium, some pieces with piano accompaniment.
- Petite Messe Solonelle by Rossini is scored for two pianos and harmonium.
- An arrangement of Anton Bruckner's Symphony no. 7 for chamber ensemble, prepared in 1921 by students and associates of Arnold Schoenberg for the Viennese Society for Private Musical Performances, was scored for 2 violins, viola, cello, bass, clarinet, horn, piano 4-hands, and Harmonium. The Society folded before the arrangement could be performed, and it was not premiered until more than 60 years later.
- The album Early Music by Kronos Quartet has several songs featuring harmonium.
- Sospiri, Adagio for String Orchestra, op. 70 - Edward Elgar (scored for Harp or Piano and Harmonium or Organ)
- Dances from a New England Album, 1856 for orchestra by William Bergsma includes parts for melodeon (movements I-III) and harmonium (movement IV).
- Songs of Innocence and of Experience for orchestra, choirs, and soloists, by William Bolcom, includes parts for melodeon, harmonica, and harmonium.
Ambient
- from New Zealand, now resident in Australia, uses a Mustel harmonium for all his works from 2004 to present. From August 2004 to July 2005, he recorded the Harmonium Diaries series. The series consists of 12 albums, one for each month, of solo harmonium recordings. The harmonium was subtly treated with eq and reverb. In 2006, he recorded Transition, where the harmonium was processed to a greater extent. In 2007 he finished his first religious work, "Annunciation".
Popular
- Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan,The younger brother of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was an accomplished harmonium player. His ability to play in all scales and skill in switching tunes at a moment's notice are considered amongst the best in his profession. While accompanying Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to England, he became widely known as Harmonium Raj Sahib (King of the Harmonium). His talents and accomplishments often went unrecognized due to playing in the shadow of his elder brother.
- Aphex Twin's experimental Drukqs (2001) record appears to feature a harmonium in the track Penty Harmonium though it is unclear whether the instrument actually playing is real, sampled or programmed.
- Radiohead used a harmonium on the track Motion Picture Soundtrack from the album Kid A (2000).
- Midway through Breakfast At Tiffany's, the score features a reprise of its theme song Moon River played on the harmonium.
- Most of Nico's post-Velvet Underground career is marked by a heavy usage of the harmonium, in avant-garde drone songs.
- The Zombies use a harmonium in their song "Butchers Tale (Western Front 1914)".
- Jeff Buckley plays a harmonium in the song "Lover, You Should've Come Over" on his album Grace.
- The Bee Gees used a harmonium on their song "Holiday".
- The Penguin Cafe Orchestra's Music for a Found Harmonium features a harmonium. They used the instrument on several other tracks as well, including "Cutting Branches For a Temporary Shelter".
- The movie Punch Drunk Love features a harmonium as a major plot device.
- Ed Harcourt plays a harmonium on many of his songs including "All Of Your Days Will Be Blessed" from From Every Sphere and "Something To Live For" from Strangers.
- Ivor Cutler uses a harmonium in many of his recordings and live performances.
- Tori Amos features harmonium on several songs in 1996's Boys For Pele. She also toured with a harmonium, in addition to a piano and harpsichord, in support of the album.
- Cornershop features harmonium on tracks such as "Sleep on the Left Side".
- Xiu Xiu features harmonium on many of their albums, as well as in the live setting; most notably featured in the songs "Dr. Troll", "Nieces Pieces", and "Rose of Sharon".
- Diane Cluck has used the harmonium on her albums, Macy's Day Bird and Monarcana.
- Krishna Das plays the harmonium in many of his songs.
- Space Mandino plays the harmonium while throat-singing in his song "Magic Thumb"
- Peter Hayes plays the harmonium while throat-singing in his song "Open Invitation"
- Roger Hodgson used the harmonium as the inspiration for many Supertramp songs. He bought a harmonium for £26 years ago and wrote Logical Song, Two of Us, and many others from this instrument.
- Beck used the harmonium in several live performances of the song Nobody's Fault (But My Own).
- Vanessa Carlton's second album is called Harmonium. This doesn't have anything to do with the instrument though. Carlton explains the album title as being the result of playing with the word 'harmony'.
- The current Broadway Musical Spring Awakening is one of the only Broadway shows to use a harmonium in the orchestration.
- K t tunstall uses the harmonium in her song Paper Aeroplane, on her album Drastic Fantastic.
- Lisa Hannigan plays the harmonium on her debut album Sea Sew, and also live on tour.
Other
- Finnish musician Milla Viljamaa made an album 'Paras aika päivästä' (Best time of day) that has the harmonium as a central role.
- contemporary acoustic music.
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