Debain Harmonium - Before Restoration

This is my "new" Debain harmonium, manufactured in Paris, France around the mid/late 1850s, and here it is in my shop now. This video features the percussion stop.

I have been doing some tweaking with it the past week so that the keys would not stay stuck down, and that the air can actually get to the reeds.

The biggest challenge of all is going to be how to play it, a harmonium is very different from a suction reed organ, and in this video I am just learning how to keep the air steady (which I don't think I'm very good at).

Playing this instrument gives me a whole new appreciation of those that play harmoniums so naturally and good!

If you are looking for some good harmonium playing, http://www.youtube.com/user/harmoniumenperil has some great videos!

The piece I am playing is the fugue from the Short Prelude and Fugue in C, attributed to Bach.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• harmonium
• bach
• pump
• reed
• organ
• rodney
• jantzi

[Zylstra555]

Hi Rodney,

Would you say that the harmonium speaks faster than a suction instrument, about the same, or slower?

Thanks for sharing.

[rodneyjantzi]

@Zylstra555 - This harmonium speaks as fast as my other suction instruments, but with the percussion stop it completely changes it. With percussion, a hammer strikes each reed (only in one rank) as you press the keys, like a piano action – so you get this instant accented attack.

[Zylstra555]

@rodneyjantzi Now that is fascinating! If you get to a place in your restoration where this can be seen easily, please take a video of how this works, I'd love to see it.

[rodneyjantzi]

@Zylstra555 - Absolutely! I was thinking about a short video of the differences between the North American suction reed organ and harmonium with percussion.

[grandunion]

Well done, Rodney! The instrument has a very nice sound and it looks like if it has already been restored. I'm curious why at the beginning you pulled both the Cor Anglais/Flûte and the Percussion stops; usually Percussion stops open also the Cor Anglais/Flûte mutes: is it not working like this in your Debain?

[rodneyjantzi]

@grandunion - The percussion on this harmonium is all on its own, it sounds like a little xylophone when played solo. I only have played one other harmonium before, it was an Alexandre and the percussion was tied to the other stops just as you describe.

[Musique3579]

FABULOUS! I am amazed at the condition of that Harmonium in the still "as is" condition. You are sure making it talk beautifully and it does so well with the Baroque. Great performance of that Fugue from the 8 Little Preludes and Fugues. (Stunning actually.)

[ZaneCCooper]

This instrument is going to be a real treasure when you're done with it, Rodney! It already sounds great. It will only get better! Does it have prolongement on it? That, a good celeste and some Karg-Elert and you've got heaven! That logo-crest under glass is funny though - I keep expecting to see a bubble underneath to tell whether it is level! What a fantastic instrument. After restoration it will play like the concert instrument it is, out of gratitude. Glad it found its way to you.

[musicman7nc]

Congratulations on the new Harmonium, what a great instrument. Rare find!

[AzeroII]

BWV 553

[revtonynewnham]

Sounding good Rodney. You'll soon get the feel of the blowing. Ideally, a sloped top bench is good - and try to use the ball of the foot rather than with the foot flat. With a lot of practice you can produce a tremelo on the blowing pedals.

@grandunion - sometimes, as on Rodney's Debain, percussion is a separate stop, sometimes, as my Alexandre, it's combined with the no.1 rank - and sometimes it's a seperate stop that also draws the no.1 rank. It varies between builders/date of build!

[rttipton]

Rodney, sound great can't wait to hear it after you finish with it!