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reed organ |
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reed organ, an organ organ, a musical wind instrument in which sound is produced by one or more sets of pipes controlled by a keyboard, each pipe producing only one pitch by means of a mechanically produced or electrically controlled wind supply. ..... Click the link for more information. in which air is forced over free reeds by means of bellows, usually worked by pedals. It is played by the use of one or more keyboards. Variations in tone are produced by stops that control different sets of reeds or vary the manner in which the air acts upon them. Couplers add the upper or lower octave of each tone played. In the late 18th cent. C. G. Kratzenstein built a small reed organ, inspired by the Chinese sheng. In 1810, G. J. Grenié of Paris invented the orgue expressif, and numerous similar instruments followed. Most of these, including the harmonium, as modified in 1840 by Alexandre Debain of Paris, had bellows that blew the air over the reeds, but c.1835 a workman conceived the idea of employing suction bellows. His idea was used by Jacob Estey of Brattleboro, Vt., and Mason Hamlin of Boston in the mid-19th cent. American organ, melodeon or melodium, and cabinet organ were the names generally applied to this type of instrument, although the terms harmonium and melodeon have sometimes been confused. Both types of instrument found wide use in churches and homes in the United States. Many larger modern reed organs are electrically powered and have pedal keyboards like those of the pipe organ. harmoniumor reed organFree-reed keyboard instrument in which wind from a foot-operated bellows causes metal reeds to vibrate. Pitch is determined by the size of the reed; there are no pipes. Separate sets of reed produce different tone colours, the sound quality being determined by the size and shape of the tone chamber surrounding each reed. The harmonium developed in the early to mid-19th century in Europe and America, and it was a very popular church and home instrument into the 1930s.How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Also known as a melodian or parlor organ, the instrument has not been manufactured for more than 75 years. |
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