Harmonium
The harmonium in five languages — harmonium, armonium, Harmonium, harmonium
Related
Five languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 簧风琴 |
| English | harmonium |
| Italian | armonium |
| German | Harmonium |
| French | harmonium |
The harmonium is a free-reed keyboard instrument fed by foot bellows: air sets metal reeds vibrating, and the volume follows the pumping. It appeared in nineteenth-century Europe and later became a common keyboard in Indian churches, schools and homes, where it is called the "Indian harmonium". English, German and French all write harmonium; Italian uses armonium, one letter apart.
Watch out: a harmonium is not a pipe organ. The organ sounds from air columns in pipes and is tied to a building; the harmonium sounds from reeds, travels in a box, and carries a clear reed vibrato. Nor is it an accordion: the accordion is pumped by straps and arms, while the harmonium sits on the floor and is pumped by foot.
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Sources
- 各语种乐器名与自由簧构造，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Harmonium"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.