In 1810, the French inventor Gabriel-Joseph Grenié patented an instrument that was similar both to a pipe organ and a piano and called it an “orgue expressif” meaning an “expressive organ” or “organ with expression”. The instrument was operated by a reed mechanism, with the musician controlling the volume with the help of pedals. This instrument was the ancestor of both the harmonium and the accordion.
The first one-pedal physharmonica was built in 1818 based on the orgue expressif by the Viennese musical instrument maker Anton Haeckl.
In the 19th century, the production of these and similar instruments was established in France, the USA, Canada, and Germany. By the end of the 19th century, physharmonicas, harmoniums, and melodeons successfully competed with pianos as more affordable and easily tuned instruments. Being reliable and easy to maintain, compact and even portable (transported as a box), harmoniums replaced pipe organs in small churches and on missionary trips.
In Russia, the instrument became popular largely thanks to visiting Germans and soon was found in many merchant and noble houses. At first, harmoniums were imported, later workshops were established to assemble them from ready-made parts, and finally harmonium factories appeared. One of the first factories belonged to Julius Heinrich Zimmermann who moved production from Germany to Russia.
The Canadian firm Dominion Organ & Piano Co (established in Oshawa, Ontario in 1870, moved to Bowmanville, Ontario in 1873, and closed in 1936) specialized in manufacturing harmoniums, pianos, and grand pianos. One of the instruments is displayed in the exhibition.
This harmonium is equipped with 11 stops allowing the performer to choose from a variety of timbres. A retractable lid covers a five-octave keyboard. With its two foot pedals for blowing air into the bellows, the instrument resembles a pipe organ. However, the sound is produced not by pipes, but by metal reeds of different thicknesses. The reeds are located at the air holes, which are closed off by valves. When a key is pressed, the valve opens, and the sound is produced. The volume of the sound depends on the width of the valve opening.
Dominion products have been recognized by numerous awards at exhibitions in Paris, London, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Canadian instruments were sold in Europe, North America, Australia, and Russia, including provincial towns.
The exhibit was used in the Blagoveshchensky
District, Altai Krai. The instrument is still in working order.
