1940 mason and hamlin model a specifications

#1940 mason and hamlin model a specifications portable#
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The company is particularly revered for its commitment to maintaining very high quality standards. Moreover, although both foot-pumped and hand-pumped harmoniums employ the same free-reed mechanism, they are often tuned slightly differently to accommodate the musical practices in which they are most commonly used.Р”В¬ultural Significance Mason & Hamlin instruments have remained among the most well known and well respected, both in piano and in organ manufacturing, since the companyРІР‚в„ўs inception in 1854. As such, the associated performance techniques between foot- and hand-pumped harmoniums vary depending on what musical purpose the instrument is meant to serve.

#1940 mason and hamlin model a specifications free#

The musical traditions of countries such as India, however, with which the hand-pumped harmonium is associated tend to be more structured as a combination of held tones, which may be produced by the instrumentРІР‚в„ўs drone stops, that are accompanied by freely moving and singular melodic lines, which may be performed by the playerРІР‚в„ўs free hand. The forms of Western music that would have been commonly performed on foot-pumped harmoniums consist primarily of harmonic music, such as hymns, that are comprised of several voices that can be split between the playerРІР‚в„ўs two hands. The foot-pumped harmonium is most often used in North America and Europe, whereas the hand-pumped organ is characteristic of countries such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Afghanistan. In such arrangements, the swells typically need to be held open by the playerРІР‚в„ўs knees in order to remain active. The swells of the harmonium, which are typically only present in foot-pumped organs, are located underneath the keyboard, usually as two metal levers that must be pushed outward to be activated. Both hands are available for use on the instrumentРІР‚в„ўs keyboard, making performance of harmonic and melodic passages much more common with respect to this instrument. In foot-pumped harmoniums, the player is usually sat on a chair in front of the instrument and pumps the bellows alternately and evenly between both feet. As such, the hand-pumped harmonium is typically only capable of producing singular melodic lines, since only one hand is available to control the keys. In hand-pumped harmoniums, the player is usually seated on the floor and pumps the bellows with their left hand while playing melodic lines with their right hand. The harmonium is set on the ground, and the player sits in front of the instrument. The accordion is also held against the playerРІР‚в„ўs chest and the bellows is pumped horizontally between the two hands. The harmonium employs only one keyboard that can be played with both hands as in a traditional organ, whereas the accordion splits its melodic and harmonic duties between the right and left hands, respectively, via a keyboard and a set of buttons on either side of the instrument. Although this mechanism is similar to that employed in accordions, the way in which the two instruments are played is vastly different. Harmoniums employ a bellows that must be pumped in order to fill the reservoir with a constant supply of air that is released to the reeds when a key is depressed.

Throughout the nineteenth century, harmoniums were most typically found in small churches and in private residences, with some even serving as mere pieces of furniture on account of the quality of craftsmanship that characterized much of their cabinetry.

#1940 mason and hamlin model a specifications portable#

Harmoniums in particular were made to be self-contained and portable instruments that could be carried to various venues while still providing a tone of sufficient volume. Although most reed organs cannot match the dynamic range and power of the average pipe organ, even the smallest of reed organs are still recognized for their ability to carry and project their tone in solo contexts.

Operation/Function Pipe organs are characterized by their commanding presence, capable of filling even the largest of cathedrals with their sound.

The company established itself in 1854 and developed a longstanding reputation for quality that began with the first type of instrument it focused on: the harmonium. The maker of this one, Mason & Hamlin, is one of AmericaРІР‚в„ўs oldest instrument manufacturers. Like pipe organs, harmoniums make music with bellows, a reservoir and valves connected to a keyboard, but they use much smaller metal reeds instead of pipes. The portable, compact harmonium-a type of reed organ-was popular with travelling priests and missionaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.