@CharlieMcHenry
And (not to jack your thread, but to add further #MusicTrivia)

It was #organ builders who added crucial differences to 3,000 year old free reed designs imported from Asia

These “westernized” free reed organs then developed into everything from the #harmonica, #harmonium and #accordion

Nobody’s quite sure, but it might have been one of a few German guys working in Copenhagen who showed them off in Saint Petersburg (#WorldMusic 1780)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20551940.2020.1794648 🪗

@paul_ipv6 @skyfire747 @mykie
Larger cousin of perhaps my favourite early free reed, the Melophone*

Like a miniature lap-cello with a push-pump on the bottom to control its bellows-fed reed organ insides

Again fantastic metal button-board on the neck. I would probably start crying if I got to play one of these some day 😭

*Not the Mellophone horn 🎺
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/501776
#TheMet #Accordion #Harmonium #cello

#Rossini #Harmonium I spent ages looking for a decent recording of Rossini's Petite Messe Solonnelle. Rossini originally scored it for choir, 2 pianos and harmonium. He knew a thing or two about music :-)

People misunderstand the harmonium and in any case most of the performances I see replace it with piano or pipe organ, or list a harmonium, but replace it for the Preludio Religioso where it gets to sing.

This isn't quite my favourite recording, but it's close. The preludio religioso starts at 55:45, the harmonium solo from 57:00, in case anyone is still reading :-)
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/f5r73edlu7a4lxe2ateo5/00-0.00_Kyrie-_6.32_Gloria-_38..10_Credo-Groot_Omroepkoor_o.l.v._Leonardo_Garcia_Alarc-n.flac?rlkey=51mae9qrfbogrg22ucq5da58b&st=4f7n98xz&dl=1