Reed-organ

The precursor of the reed organs now in use was the Regal, which contained beating reeds similar to those in the reed-pipes of church-organs. The present reed-organs have free reeds; there are 2 principal cla es: (1) The Harmonium, the bellows of which forces compre ed wind outwards through the reeds; and (2) the American organ, in which an exhaust or suction-bellows draws the air in through them. Until the invention of the Vocalion, a variety of reed-organ having compre ion-bellows. like those of the harmonium, the tone of the second cla was generally superior to that of the first.—The wind-supply is ordinarily obtained by the aid of a pair of REED-PIPE treadles operated by the performer. ‘There may be one or many sets of reeds or vibrators, each controlled by a stop and slider-mechanism. The timbre of the various orchestral instr.s is now very succe fully imitated.—Common mechanical devices are the percu ions top, expre ion-stop (harmonium), énceswell (Amer. org.), tremulant, double. touche, and prolonge ment—The first reed-organ was invented by Grénié in 1810, and named by him orgue expre if, on account of the crescendo and decrescendo obtainable on it; other inventors constructed the zoline, zolodikon, physharmonica, etc.; the Harmonium, the first instr. of the cla having several stops, was patented in Paris by A. Debain in 1843.