Reed Organ

Previous (Redwood National and State Parks)

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

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, a reed organ with pressure bellows is referred to as a harmonium, whereas in Europe, any reed organ is called a harmonium unregarded if it has pressure or suction bellows. As reed organs with pressure bellows were more difficult to produce and therefore more expensive, North American reed organs and melodions almost generally use suction bellows and operate on vacuum.

The reed organ was popular in the late 19th century, replacing the melodeon. It was used as a practice instrument by organists, most notably Franck, who composed several collections of works specifically for it, taking advantage of the expressive capacity of varying the bellows pressure using the feet. It was also common in the rural U.S., where it was a popular source of home entertainment. It was cheaper than a piano, the tuning was more stable, it was lighter, and it withstood the bumpy shipment by rail better. They were also used in many pioneer churches in the U.S., where the reed organ was used for accompaniment of congregational singing instead of an organ.

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. Many reed organs were shipped overseas to support missionary efforts, though they remain common (though disused) in both private and ecclesiastical ownership. 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.

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.

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.

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, salacional-like rank U.S. made reed organs varied considerably in their stoplists, with the most common instruments having two complete sets of reeds and ten or more drawknobs controlling various couplers and expression features. 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.

Reed Organ

Stops

See also