It 



HABMONIUIL 



HAHMONIUM. 



[OGA.x ], md it was furnwhed with bellow* worked by the foot Such 

 wu the trrapMtiK. Varieties of this instrument appeared tinder such 

 frightful name* a* uvlvpkim, pkytkarmomra, itolamiuico*, jtoitiloryue ; 

 ab the mttodim* and qrnfiAoMiim, the karm<jmm, the folding har- 

 mauum, or oryvt de toymyt, which bring* iu to the subject of this 

 article, in which all we can pretend to do U to give aome idea of the 

 mnchaniign by which the well-known musical effect* are produced, 

 referring the reader to hi* own good taste, or to that of hi* musical 

 friends, in the selection of an instrument unung the different clever 

 makers who are warmly competing for public favour. To give a 

 complete account of its mechanism, and the variations adopted by 

 different makers, would require a volume. 



It will be understood that the free reed differs from the beating reed 

 in the reed-pipe of an organ in this, that in the latter case a thin 

 tongue of brass U made to beat on the flattened side of a tube, so as to 

 cover and uncover alternately a slit through which the air passes into 

 the pipe above. In this case the tongue is larger than the opening ; 

 but in the case of the free reed, the tongue is a little smaller than the 

 opening, so that when a current of sir is projected against it, the tongue 

 yield* so a* to let it pass; but its elasticity forces it back into the 

 opening, and iu momentum carries it to on- equal distance on the other 

 side. In this way, no long as the current of air is maintained, vibrations 

 are established, and a series of pulsations produced in the air which, 

 if sufficiently rapid, will produce a musical tone. [ACOUSTICS.] The 

 vibrations of the reed depend for their rapidity on the thickness of the 

 tongue at the free end in proportion to iu length : if thick at the free 

 end and thin at the fixed, the vibrations will be comparatively slow 

 and the resulting note deep ; if the tongue be thin at the free end and 

 thick at the fixed, a higher note will be the result The reed is tuned 

 by scraping off a small quantity of the metal at the free or at the fixed 

 end, as the cose may be. 



The accompanying figures represent the free reed as used in the 

 harmonium : 1 is the brass frame containing the slit ; 2 shows the reed 

 in its frame and the method of fasten- 

 ing; and 3 its position in the instru- 

 ment, the reed being a little below the 

 slit when not in motion. This arrange- 

 ment produces a more smooth and 

 _, I mellow tone than that of the beating 



J reed, and has the grand advantage of 

 not requiring a pipe, which is an in- 

 dispensable appendage to the beating 



3 ' 1 reed. The free reed has also a superior 



power of expression, and any given 



note, while preserving the same pitch, may be mode loud or soft by vary- 

 ing the pressure of the wind ; the greater the pressure, the larger the arc 

 of vibration, and, consequently, the louder the note. The arrangements 

 in the harmonium fqr varying the pressure of the wind, allow of 

 cractndo and diminuendo effects being produced. There are also means 

 for altering the quality of the notes, while preserving the same pitch, 

 thus giving the varied effects of the organ with the portability of the 

 piano-forte. Variation in quality is produced by making the reeds differ 

 in size and shape. 



The accompanying figure, which we copy from Mr. Allen's pamphlet 

 on the construction of the harmonium, will show the principal ports of 

 the instrument The notes are produced by wind which is furnished 

 by means of bellows, worked by the foot, and forced through the valve 

 X into the air-chest E, and thence through the cavities A A, in which 



I 



the reed* are placed. These cavities occupy the wholu width of the 

 instrument, and are separated by partitions a, a. u B arc the reeds, of 

 which there is a complete row or stop in each channel ; u is one of the 

 long or white keys, the further end of which forms a valve which closes 

 t the cavities, and is kept in its position by the spring K. Under 

 and near the front end of the key is a lever, I, which covers two otiier 

 cavities in the wind-chest, and is also held in position by a spring K. 

 Thus it will be seen that the effect of pressing down any one of the 

 keys is to open all four cavities ; but whether the tongues in all of 

 them be et vibrating or not, depends upon what stops arc drawn out 

 in front of the instrument. Connected with these stops ore four steel 

 rollerit, s X, which o|*n the valves B D, and thus admit air from the 

 chamber I into the cavity A, and thence through the slit into c, and so 



out of the instrument after having vibrated the tongue. Each valve 

 o is opened by a small piece of bra** projecting from the side of the 

 roller pressing on the piece marked o, and each valve is drawn up again 

 into its place by a spring not shown in the diagram when the stop is 

 pushed in. 



The wind then being admitted through the slit from A into r. the 

 tongue U made to vibrate, but it doe* so at first in a weak and in- 

 efficient manner, and time must be allowed for it to vibrate fully and 

 freely. This U of course a serious defect in a musical instrument, a 

 defect which in the case of the harmonium is overcome by what U 

 called the prraution action iu which the moment the key is pressed 

 down, a small hammer rises, strikes the reed, seta it in full vibration 

 which is then continued by the escaping wind. On pressing down the 

 key, a button, i., on its under side, presses down a lever I, and thin in 

 its turn, forces down the hopper r, which sets the hammer in motion, 

 as shown in the figure. The best harmoniums usually contain twelve 

 stops or draw-knobs, the first of which, for An'jlaii (bass), and fute 

 (treble), is the principal stop. No. 2, bourdon (bass), and clarionet 

 (treble), is tuned on octave lower than No. 1 ; No. 3, cfcn'rox (baas), 

 anil tifre (treble), is tuned an octave higher than No. 1. No. 4, baaon 

 (boss), and /ututboi* (treble), U tuned in unison with No. 1. Wli.-n 

 these four stops are used together, the power is very great In 

 CuappeU'it instruments the draw-knobs marked forte, communicate 

 with slides which open apertures directly over the reeds, and thus 

 increase the power. By drawing out the knob grand jeu, all the stops 

 are opened at once, and great power produced. By drawing out the 

 expression stop, there is an arrangement by which the power of any 

 given note may be increased by pressing more forcibly on the foot- 

 board, and in some instruments there is a draw-knob, marked txprei- 

 sion ii la main, by drawing out which the power of a note may be 

 increased simply by pressing strongly upon the key. There is also the 

 mntrilinr, and the ctletti, for modifying the tone of certain stops. 



The harmoniums best known in England are manufactured by 

 Alexandra and Debain, of Paris, the latter maker claiming to be the 

 original maker of the French instrument In 1841, however, Mr. Evans 

 of Cheltenham produced the Eng/iili harmonium, with two claviers, and 

 two octaves and a third of pedals. This instrument attracted much 

 notice; but it was not brought prominently forward until early in 

 1859, when Mr. Evans became a steady competitor of the French 

 makers. His object was to overcome the nasal and harsh tones, slow 

 articulation, and other bad qualities of the instruments then in 

 use ; and he has succeeded in producing a fine instrument with a good 

 diapason quality, and great rapidity of speech without any loss of 

 power. He has also introduced a wind indicator for removing the 

 difficulties usually felt in the management of the bellows. He has 

 also patented a simple action by which is produced the c c c c (32 foot 

 note) with instant speech ; this is an octave lower than has ever been 

 attained by the French instruments. 



The means by which the percussion action is got rid of, and a similar 

 effect produced of making the reed or tongue vibrate simultaneously 

 with the depression of the keys or pedals, consists in having a toothed 

 projection attached to a rod or connecting piece, which U moved by 

 the lever extending from the keys ; and the projection is so arranged 



that it works in a mortice formed in the connecting piece, and an 

 extension of it forms a lever, the fulcrum of which passes through the 

 connecting piece, the lever being retained in its place by a spring. 

 When the key or pedal U depressed the connecting piece is moved, and 

 the toothed projection comes in contact with another projection, 

 attached to the free end of the tongue or reed, and as the spring 

 yields, it passes the tongue freely, sets it in motion, and makes it 

 instantly speak. The counter motion for restoring the key or pedal to 

 its ordinary position is a spring or a weight attached to the connecting 

 rod, or the connecting rod may be attached to a pedal or other pro- 

 jection acted on by the feet. The above figure is a side section of tli.- 

 mechanism at rest : A is the projection attached to the free end of tin; 

 reed ; in small reeds for the high notes this projection may be simply 

 a protruding piece of bristle. B is a lever or jack, containing am 

 in which U a smaller lever furnished with a tooth or projection c', this 

 ainalliT lever moving on a centre the bearings of which are in B. is 

 the spring for keeping the smaller lever in position. For pedal action 

 the reeds are arranged vertically, and a lever is attached to the end of 

 the pedal with a connecting rod proceeding to the end of the jock and 

 of the lever, so that when the jock is pulled down it may strike the 

 projection the reverse way to that above described. The arrangfini-iit 

 is, of course, applicable to concertinas. 



This action is Itgato, not iiacrato, like the percussion, and is there- 

 fore peculiarly adapted to pedal-playing. The toothed projection at 



