An Indian classical instrument?

Indian classical music is essentially a vocal art form. But both melodic and percussion instruments have traditionally been used to accompany the singer. The most common accompanying instruments used in classical music are the violin in Carnatic (south Indian) music and the harmonium in Hindustani (north India) music. Both are considered Indian musical instruments. Indian, did we say? The truth is that both are relatively recent additions to Indian culture but very quickly became the preferred instruments. In this post, I will focus on the harmonium. In a later post, I will also talk about the violin and the interesting story about how it became a part of carnatic music.

The harmonium is a type of reed organ, that was not uncommon in Western classical music in the second half of the 19th century, but has almost completely disappeared from the scene by now. It is said to have been invented by the Frenchman Alexandre Debain in 1842.

Reeds are metallic strips that vibrate when air is forced through a slit near them. The reeds are sized and shaped to vibrate at a particular frequency, which in turn is associated with a particular note. This mechanism is common to several instruments, including the harmonica and the accordion. In the harmonium, air is forced over the reeds through the use of bellows. In typical western harmoniums, the bellow are operated by a foot pedal, freeing both hands for playing using piano-like keys.

Traditional Harmonium with Foot Pedal

Several composers wrote musical compositions specifically for the harmonium. You can hear one such composition by clicking this link, that was played on the instrument in the picture above.

European missionaries and the clergy brought with them portable versions of the harmonium. They were easy to carry and could be much more easily used with choral music in churches and missions in small colonial outposts than full-sized organs. One such organ folded up into a box like the one below.

Harmonium in a Box

However, in just a few minutes, this harmonium in a box could be assembled into the instrument shown below

Fully Assembled Harmonium in a Box

Eventually, the instrument got passed on to Indian classical musicians by the missionaries in places like Rampur and Delhi during the mid 19th century. It did not, however, get adopted into Hindustani classical music unchanged. The major changes in its design included the replacement of foot-operated bellows with hand-operated bellows. This was because Hindustani musicians (as indeed classical musicians anywhere in India) would never perform sitting on a chair or a steel. The hand-operated bellows allowed it to be placed sitting on the floor. And the fact that only one hand could now be used for playing, while the other operated the bellows, was not a loss of capability, since Hindustani music is not polyphonic in nature. Another significant modification was the addition of drone stops (which played a constant note without having to press any key) and octave couplers (to play the same note in two octaves at a time, in order to impart richness to the tone of the instrument).

Typical Indian Harmonium with Hand Operated Bellows

Within a period of a few decades, the instrument had become the most popular accompanying instrument. Although it is somewhat limited in scope, when it comes to Indian classical music (since it is an instrument with discrete notes, and hence disallowing the glides and embellishments that are an integral part of the art form) its popularity is largely due to its portability and the ease with which it can be learnt. While some top musicians consider it inadequate and hence use the Sarangi as the accompanying instrument, the harmonium continues to be extremely popular. From classical music, it has also made its way to other forms of music like qawwalis, ghazal singing and even some forms of folk music.

In recent years, further modifications have been made to harmoniums by several musicians. The most significant changes were made by one of the greatest Harmonium players in Hindustani music, Pandit Manohar Chimote. He called the modified instrument as the Samvadini. The main objective of the modifications was the creation of an instrument that could approach the capabilities required of a solo instrument. Pandit Chimote and some of his disciples have indeed given a number of solo concerts on the harmonium, even though it remains an instrument used primarily for accompanying vocal singers (or other instruments) till date.

Samvadini

Here's a clip of a solo piece in Raga Mishra Pahadi played by Jitendre Gore on the Samvadini

To sum up, the harmonium is well established in India as a classical instrument, albeit primarily for accompanying vocal music. At the same time, it has almost entirely vanished in Western music. There are no known makers of the foot-operated harmonium and the only harmoniums still around are those made more than a century old. Its origins are therefore almost forgotten. The story of this instrument also illustrates how 'classical' in 'classical' music does not automatically imply 'static' or even 'historical'.

Photo credits:

1. Foot operated harmonium: Jef Raskin - Waters and Sons Harmonium
2. Folding harmonium (two pictures): Jef Raskin - Estey Folding Chaplain's Harmonium
3. Samvadini: Rajendra Vaishampayan's website

Audio credits:
1. Western classical music clip: Jef Raskin
2. Samvadini clip: Jitendra Gore

References:
1. Wikipedia page on the harmonium
2. Rajendra Vaishampayan's website
3. The Classical Harmonium - by Henry Doktorski