reed organ

A reed organ, also called parlor organ, pump organ, cabinet organ, cottage organ, is an organ that generates its sounds using free metal reeds. Smaller, cheaper and more portable than pipe organs, reed organs were widely used in smaller churches and in private homes in the 19th century, but their volume and tonal range is limited, and they were generally confined to one or two manuals, pedalboards being extremely rare.

Two reeds from a reed organ.

Structure and method of sound production

In the generation of its tones, a reed organ is similar to an accordion or concertina, but not in its installation, as an accordion is held in both hands whereas a reed organ is usually positioned on the floor in a wooden casing (which might make it mistakable for a piano at the very first glimpse).

Reed organs are operated either with pressure or with suction bellows. Pressure bellows permit a wider range to modify the volume, depending on if the pedalling of the bellows is faster or slower. In North America and the United Kingdom, a reed organ with pressure bellows is referred to as a harmonium, whereas in Europe, any reed organ is called a harmonium regardless of whether it has pressure or suction bellows. As reed organs with pressure bellows were more difficult to produce and therefore more expensive, North American and British reed organs and melodions almost generally use suction bellows and operate on vacuum.

Stops

Reed organs of European and U.S. design nearly always have a split keyboard, with one set of stop controls for the bass register at E3 and below and another for the treble.

An 1895 Mason & Hamlin Model 512 reed organ. This particular instrument is unusual amongst reed organs in having a C-to-C keyboard.

The standard European configuration of stops included five numbered drawknobs for each register:

• An 8' foundation rank
• A 16' foundation rank
• A 4' reedlike rank
• An 8' reedlike rank
• A 16' soft, salicional-like rank

U.S.-made reed organs varied considerably in their stop-lists, with the most common instruments having two complete sets of reeds and ten or more drawknobs controlling various couplers and expression features. The main sets of reeds were invariably divided into Bass and Treble sections controlled by two separate drawknobs to allow varying tones to be created on each half of the keyboard- for example, a 4' stop may be drawn on the Bass and a 16' of a different tone on the Treble, to produce two readily available sounds of the same pitch but of a different tonal quality.

As well as the main ranks spanning the entire compass of the keyboard, makers frequently added sets of reeds only playable on one half. A half-set of reeds may be provided (with its own drawknob) to act in conjunction with another as a 'Voix céleste'. A set of reeds played only on the bottom-most octave of the keyboard and of 16' (or even on occasion 32') pitch was common on instruments intended for large churches or concert performances- such a stop was usually termed a 'Sub Bass'.

It was common for organ builders to provide multiple drawknobs controlling each rank of reeds- for example, one drawstop would open the mute over the reeds fully, whilst another would only open the mute half way when pulled, providing a softer tone.

Mechanical stops controlled various functions on the instrument. Octave Couplers were commonly fitted, where the key one octave above the key being pressed would also be pulled down. On larger instruments this function was split between the two halves of the keyboard- the Bass Coupler coupled the octave below the key being played, the Treble Coupler the octave above. A 'Forte' stop controlled the shutters over the reed ranks- when pulled a louder, richer tone was created. Larger instruments had the Forte mechanism doubled-up to allow separate control of Bass and Treble sections. A rare feature was 'Pedal Point'- when the drawknob was pulled the organist could press a key in the bottom octave of the keyboard and the key would be held down once finger-pressure was released until another key was pressed. This went some way to compensate for the lack of a pedalboard. On some organs this feature was controlled by a knee-operated lever instead of a drawknob.

On all but the smallest instruments a 'Vox Humana' or tremulant was a common feature. This is a mechanical stop which controls a vacuum-powered fan to disturb the airflow over the reeds and create the desired vibrato effect.

The interior of the Mason & Hamlin instrument pictured above showing the Vox Humana system on top of the swell case over the rear sets of reeds.

What with the splitting of the main reed sets, the duplication of controls for each set and the presence of mechanical stops means that whilst an instrument may only have 3 or 4 sets of reeds it may have as many as 20 drawknobs.

The same instrument with the swell case removed, showing the mutes- the hinged flaps controlled by the drawknobs that control the flow of air through the various sets of reeds.

Larger reed organs were made that had multiple manuals, and in some cases a pedalboard. These were sold primarily as practice organs to professional organists and to churches unable to afford or house a pipe organ. Since the pedalboard prevented the player pumping the bellows with his or her feet as on a smaller instrument such organs had a separate handle which an assistant would operate to produce the vacuum, or on later instruments an electric air pump. Instruments with more than one manual and/or a pedalboard would also feature coupling mechanisms between keyboards as on a conventional pipe organ.

History

The reed organ was popular in the late 19th century, replacing the melodeon. Advances in piano manufacturing technology in the early 1900s made pianos more affordable, causing reed organs to fall out of favor. Other reasons for the replacement of reed organs were their wavering status somewhere between a sacred pipe organ surrogate and a secular home instrument and the lack of original compositions for reed organs.

A handful of instruments continued to be made until about 1950, some with innovations such as electric blowers; the last US company making reed organs was Estey, which closed down in 1957. Some of the companies also made pianos—Mason & Hamlin, Baldwin, and Steinway, for example—and are still in business. Another, Kimball, made both pianos and reed organs, but is no longer in the music business; it now makes furniture.

Many reed organs were shipped overseas to support missionary efforts, though they remain common (though often disused) in both private and ecclesiastical ownership. Reed organs (as with true harmoniums) were prefferable to pianos in tropical climates and regions of the world with poor transport infrastructure. As well as being cheaper to purchase, reed organs kept their tune regardless of temperature or humidity. They lacked the fragile strings, hammers and sounding boards found in pianos and so stood up much more easily to being shipped long distances, even on poor roads. Portable foot-pumped reed organs remained in use in the U.S. armed forces until the end of World War II, where they were used by chaplains to lead worship services aboard ships and in remote locations.

A small number of self-playing reed organs (often called 'organettes') were built in the early 20th century. These used a pin-hole music roll and a pneumatic action as used on player pianos. These often had a much higher number of stops than normal reed organs, since the player's hands were freed from the need to operate the keyboard. This allowed more complex stop arrangements. However, by the time these instruments reached their developmental peak, the market for reed organs in general was starting to decline.

These portable reed organs were brought to India by British missionaries and army chaplains. Indian musicians took them up and incorporated them into their musical life; various companies in India still make reed organs for this market. However, in response to the differences between Indian and Western musical practices, certain changes were made.

Indian music emphasizes melody, rather than harmony; furthermore, Indian musicians prefer to sit on the ground, rather than on chairs. Hence, rather than having the bellows operated by the feet while both hands play on the keyboard, Indian harmonia have bellows on the back operated by one hand while the player picks out the melody on the other. The Indian Harmonium also has a drone stop.

One would think that the accordion or concertina would serve Indian musicians' needs better, but while the British knew the accordion, it wasn't THEIR instrument as it was for either the French or the Germans; hence, few accordions were brought into India by the British, and the Indians were not exposed to that instrument.

Some expatriot Indian musicians, when they could not find reed organs—either Western style or as adapted by Indian manufacturers, have adopted accordions and concertinas.

Today

Reed organs have been largely replaced by electronic organs, but there remain a number of enthusiasts. The finer instruments have a unique tone, and the cabinets of those intended for churches and affluent homes were often excellent pieces of furniture. Several million reed organs and melodians were made in the U.S. between the 1850s and the 1920s.

Similar instruments

• Free reed aerophone
• Regal
• Pipe organ
• Chord organ
• Portative organ

External links

• The Reed Organ Society
• Robert F. Gellerman Home Page
• The Reed Organ Home Page
• The Reed Organ Man
• Whynott Organ Works
• Reed Organ and Harmonium Workshop
• Reed Organ and Harmonium Marketplace
• Books on the reed organ
• Themodist.com - player reed organ and player piano information site