Harmonium, Deluxe, Coupler, Purple

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This beautiful Harmonium employs an ingenious device, known as a coupler, which physically connects or couples two keys. The result is that playing one key engages two reeds simultaneously that are one octave apart. The coupler may be engaged or disengaged by the user.

It employs 5 drones and 6 stops to direct the airflow over the upper or lower banks of reeds. It is constructed with a fixed keyboard and an integral bellows, by which dozens of sound combinations can be produced.

A Harmonium is a freestanding musical keyboard instrument similar to a Reed Organ or Pipe Organ. The sound is produced by air being blown through the free reeds by means of a hand-operated bellows, alternately depressed by the player, resulting in a tone similar to that of an accordion. The Harmonium is not meant to be played in concert, like a small organ, since its reeds are tuned to sound well together, but not necessarily with other instruments. As such, they are not in concert pitch and are not meat to be. As with many Indian instruments, the key for the music is selected to best suit the vocals, or to set a mood. Harmonium tuning does not reflect the Western scale and is not designed to.

The British introduced harmoniums to India during their colonial period. During the mid-19th century, missionaries brought French-made, hand-pumped harmoniums to India. The instrument quickly became popular being that it was portable, reliable and easy to learn. The harmonium remains popular to the present day and is an important instrument in many genres of Indian music. It is regularly used as accompaniment in devotional songs and can be commonly found in Indian homes. Though derived from the designs developed in France, the harmonium was further developed in India in unique ways, such as the addition of drone stops and a scale changing mechanism.

Finish color and decoration style may vary from photo due to the handmade nature of its construction.

DISCLAIMER: Shellac is very impressionable, no pun intended. During the long journey from India, the shellac finish can become marred by the packing materials. These impressions are superficial and cosmetic and have no affect on the playability or sound quality. Therefore such impressions are not considered blemishes or defects.

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