The history of the Harmonista devices
Some illustrations:
The Harmonista and LiebmannistaSome years ago I had the opportunity to buy a reed organ with a
so-called "Transponier-Harmonista".
I was very interested in this type of device and the techniques used, so I did some
research to get some information about this type of device. The results of this research
are presented in this article.
What is an Harmonista?
An Harmonista is a device that is used to produce complete harmonies, just by pushing a single button. As will be shown, Harmonista’s exist in different designs: as a separate device, to be placed on the keys of a keyboard, and as device, built-in into a reed organ.
The Harmonista-device in my reed organ has been built-in into the reed organ, and has three rows of button-keys, with a total of 28 buttons. By pressing one button, four keys of the normal keyboard are pressed. In this way it is very easy to play a beautiful harmony with one single finger.
Very easy and useful for people who are not able to read the traditional music notation.
The German addition "Transponier" indicates, that the device is made to slide, so it can be set on different positions on the keyboard. An arrow on the front of the Harmonista marks the position: C, C#, D, D#…
When the position is set to C, the first button produces the chord c-e-g-c. But when the device has been set to G, this button produces the chord g-b-d-g.
How does the Harmonista work?
The buttons on the devices are coded: 1, 1x, 1o, 2, 2x, 2o, etc. On my instrument the numbers 1 – 11 are used, and for some numbers there are two additional codes, marked with an ‘’o’’ or with an ‘’x’’.
In this way you can play the instrument with a very simple music notation.
In figure 1 the melody of the song "My God and Lord." is listed from a manual the Harmonista.
As you can see it is a very simple way to accompany a song. However, when you try to play a song with the use of the Harmonista, you will notice that it takes some time to find the buttons. Playing the Harmonista costs a lot of effort. It is not a convenient way of playing: by pressing one single small button, you press 4 keys, by using a smaller lever than used when playing the keys yourself on the normal keyboard.
Technique
When you take the Harmonista to pieces, you find out that the device uses 12 thin wooden levers of each 5-mm.
A button presses each lever. This button is numbered: 1, 2, 2#.
Each lever has four contacts at the bottom. When the button is pressed, these contacts press a key on the normal keyboard. In this way the device just uses the normal keys of the organ.
Figure 2
Origin of the Harmonista
The idea to produce a harmony by using 1 single button or key is rather old. In a flyer used by Alexandre during the Exhibition of 1851 in London, a same device is listed.
In this flyer it is listed with the name "Harmoniphone Transpositeur". The comments:
"With this mechanism, invented by the abbot Lambilotte, a person, without any knowledge of music, will be able to produce the most beautiful harmonies by using the 38 buttons."
It is remarkable that there were 38 buttons, and not 28, as in my instrument.
In the Dutch Encyclopedia of Music, published by Elsevier (1959), another person is listed as the inventor of the Harmonista. Here some V. Gevaert from Gent (Belgium) is listed as the inventor of a system with 26 buttons, to produce harmonies. This system is referred to as an Harmonista.
In the issue of ROSB autumn 1997 the name Alois Maier from Fulda, Germany, is referred to. It is not clear whether he is one of the inventors of the device, or one of the manufacturers.
Conclusion: it is not clear who is the inventor of this device.
Manufacturers
The principle of a device to produce harmonies can found in different types of devices. Until now I saw this type of device only in reed organs of German or Dutch origin.
As manufacturers of these instruments I found two German manufacturers:
I have seen several harmony-devices in reed organs of other make: Vermeulen (Woerden, The Netherlands)(1), Cäcilia-Orgel (1), Emil Müller (2), Brüning & Bongardt (1), and Max Born (1). According to the patents, listed on these devices, it appeared to be a Transponier-Harmonista made by Emil Müller from Werdau (Germany).
Liebmannista
The firm Liebmann from Gera was a reed organ builder, who also made reed organs with a built-in harmony-device. This harmony-device got the name Liebmannista".
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A so-called small patent has patented this system. In
Germany a small patent is referred to as DRGM (Deutsche Reich Gebrauchs Muster). This
patent has been issued 21 June 1906 as DRGM 283302.
It was indicated as: "Harmoniumspielapparat, dessen Griffbrett mit den auf die Tasten einwerkenden Druckschienen seitlich verschiebund einstellbar ist. " ("Reed organ playing device, with a keyboard that is together with the key-contacts sidelong movable and adjustable.") |
An example of a built-in Liebmannista is shown on photo 1. This is a suction instrument, also made by the firm Liebmann from Gera. This instrument can be used as an ordinary suction reed organ, but also by using the Liebmannista.
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I also found the Liebmannista in a different design, a build-in device that can be drawn out to use it. The Liebmannista can be pushed in under the stopboard. To use the Liebmannista the device has to be drawn and placed on the keyboard, as is shown on the photo. |
It is likely that the Liebmannista was also available as a separate device, to be placed on top of the keyboard, like one of the designs of the Harmonista. I did yet see this design.
The two Liebmannista’s I found has both 33 buttons, arranged in 3 rows of 11 buttons each. Each button marked with the codes 1 - 11, 1o - 11o and 1x - 11. The chords produced are listed in the table.
Harmonista
As already mentioned, there was another firm in Germany producing harmony devices: Emil Müller from Werdau. Müller named his system "Harmonista", or as "Transponier-Harmonista".
The Harmonista has been protected by a number of so-called small patents. The numbers I found are DRGM 347724, 364901 and 364902.
DRGM 347724 is dated 3 July 1908 with the following description:
"Chord-device, to be used on a keyboard of a normal instrument, movable and adjustable to four directions.""
The owner of this patent is Emil Müller, Werdau in Sachsen.
DRGM 364901 and 364902 describe specifically the slide with the buttons. These two patents are dated on 24 Oct. 1908. The owner of these two patents is the Harmonista Fabrik Werdau, from Werdau in Sachsen. Emil Müller also used this company name.
The Harmonista can be found in two designs: in a design with 28 chords and in a design with 40 chords.
The buttons are coded in almost the same way as those on the Liebmannista. However, the numbering scheme and the chords produced differ.
A table with the used chords on the Liebmannista, the Harmonista with 28 chords and the Harmonista with 40 chords is listed in table 1.
During my research I found the Harmonista in four designs:
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Figure 3: Harmonista with a built-in device Copy from a catalog of Emil Müller, with a lot of reed organs with built-in harmonista devices. |
Include: photo 4: Separate Harmonista
Include: photo 5: Separate Harmonista, underside
Include: photo 6: Built-in Harmonista with 40 chords
Harmonista as small keyboard
On several instruments I found the Harmonista in the design of a small keyboard with 14 white and 14 black keys. This keyboard is placed in the middle, above the stopboard.
The codes are printed on the stopboard, above the stops of the small keyboard. In some designs the codes 3x, 4x etc. are presented as 3+, 4+.
When comparing these keyboards, it appeared that there are two variations. It appears that only the position of the different chords with codes to match has changed. It is not clear why there were two variations. The codes used are listed in figure 3a and 3b.
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figure. 3a |
| figure 3b |
When you play the small keyboard to accompany a song, it is rather difficult to find the right keys. In one of variations the keys are not numbered sequentially. Then it is very difficult to play it.
Harmonista as slide with buttons
One of my own instruments has a built-in Harmonista, a slide with 28 buttons. This design looks like the Liebmannista. However: the buttons are arranged in different rows, there are fewer buttons than on the Liebmannista (28 instead of 33), and different chords are used.
Harmonista as separate device
There is a separate Harmonista device. This is wooden device, to be placed on top of the keyboard (figure 2).
On top of the Harmonista is a slide with 28 buttons, in the same way coded as on the other Harmonista-designs. These buttons are connected with wooded levers, which can play 4 keys on the normal keyboard.
This device can be placed on top of a common reed organ keyboard. Most devices bear the name "Transponier-Harmonista", with one of the DRGM-numbers.
Harmonista built-in into the normal keyboard.
The Harmonista, in the design of built-in into the keyboard, differs strongly with the other designs.
This Harmonista has no special keyboard or buttons, but is controlled from the normal keyboard. As a special addition: in this design the Harmonista can produce 40 chords.
A number of keys on the normal keyboard are indicated by the code of the chord: 1, 2, 2x, etc.
By using a handle, placed between the knee levers, the keyboard can be moved something to the back. In this way the Harmonista is activated. Now 40 keys on the normal keyboards can be used, numbered from 1 to 16, some with the addition of the o- or x-sign.
This Harmonista bears three patent numbers: DRP 448868, DRP 451141 and Dansk Patent 38540.
The abbreviation DRP means: "Deutsche Reich Patent". And did not look and the Danish patents.
DRP 448868 is dated 26 June 1926, and owned by the firm Eugen Roggenbauch in Oberturkheim, Wurttenberg (Germany). This patent defines a "Spielvorrichtung fur Tasteninstrumente" ("Playing device for keyboard instruments")
The patent DRP 451141 is extension of this patent, and is dated 15 February 1927. The owner of this extension is the same. It is unclear how this name is related to Emil Müller. Neither the Reed Organ Atlas, nor the book "Das Harmonium" by Prof. Ahrens, nor Ord’Hume refer to this name. It is strange that this patent is dated so many years after the introduction of the first chord devices: almost 20 years.
The chords used in this design are an extension of the chords used in the 28-chords Harmonista. Music, written for the ‘small’ Harmonista, can also be used on this ‘large’ Harmonista.
Suppliers of Harmonista’s and Liebmannista’s
In contradiction to the Liebmannista, which (to my knowledge) has only been used in instruments of Liebmann, the Harmonista has also been used in instruments of other make.
A number of suppliers had an extensive catalog of instruments, listing a large number of Harmonista’s. I got a copy of a catalog from Brüning & Bongardt from 1920, with a large number of reed organs with a built-in Harmonista, with the small keyboard.
In this catalog also two folding instruments were listed, with a built-in Harmonista. I am very interested whether some of us ever saw these instruments.
A catalog of the Cäcilia-organs from 1925 lists also a large number of instruments, with built-in Harmonista keyboards.
Other types of chord devices
Beside the Transponier-Harmonista and the Liebmannista there have been other chord devices.
In The Netherlands the firm Joh. de Heer sold the Koralion. The Koralion looks the same as the Harmonista in the design of a separate device, to be placed on top of the keyboard. The Koralion has a movable lever with 33 buttons, using the same type of codes as the Liebmannista, however with different chords.
The same firm Joh. de Heer also sold the so-called Organola. This was also a separate device, with a non-movable set of 18 buttons. The chords produced are the same as the corresponding chords of the Harmonista.
Remarkable is, that the chords of the Organola do not correspond with the chords of the Koralion, also being sold by the same supplier.
Other chord devices, I know about, are:
| Copy of a DRGM-patent, owned by Liebmann. A variation to the Liebmannista, patented by the firm Liebmann on 3 September 1908. In this design the buttons are placed in from of the instrument, under the normal keyboard. |
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Chord list
As mentioned earlier the Harmonista and the Liebmannista produce different chords. In the next table the chords of Liebmannista, Harmonista and the Dutch Koralion are listed.
An interested question is, why these chords has been chosen. Is there a connection to the Accordion? I don’t know. Maybe an interesting question for some of our readers.
| Chord nr. |
Liebmannista (33 chords) |
Harmonista (28 chords) |
Harmonista (40 chords) |
Koralion (30 chords) |
| 1 | c-e-g-c1 | c-e-g-c1 | c-e-g-c1 | c-e-g-c1 |
| 1o | d-f-a-d1 | - | d-f-a-d1 | D-f-a-d1 |
| 1x | d-fis-a-d1 | - | f-c1-a1-c2 | A-e-a-cis1 |
| 2 | G-g-b-d1 | G-g-b-d1 | G-g-b-d1 | G-g-b-d1 |
| 2o | A-a-c1-e1 | - | e-g-b-e1 | E-g-b-e1 |
| 2x | A-a-cis1-e1 | d-fis-a-d1 | d-fis-a-d1 | d-fis-a-d1 |
| 3 | c-g-c1-e1 | c-g-c1-e1 | c-g-c1-e1 | c-g-c1-e2 |
| 3o | e-gis-b-e1 | - | d-a-d1-f1 | G-b-d1-f1 |
| 3x | F-a-c1-f1 | A-a-cis1-e1 | A-a-cis1-e1 | A-a-cis1-e1 |
| 4 | G-b-d1-f1 | g-b-d1-f1 | g-b-d1-f1 | f-a-c1-f1 |
| 4o | d-a-d1-f1 | f-a-c1-f1 | f-a-c1-f1 | d-a-d1-f1 |
| 4x | d-a-d1-fis1 | d-a-d1-fis1 | d-a-d1-fis1 | d-a-d1-fis1 |
| 5 | c-c1-e1-g1 | c-c1-e1-g1 | c-c1-e1-g1 | c-c1-e1-g1 |
| 5o | e-b-e1-gis1 | e-b-e1-gis1 | e-b-e1-gis1 | G-b-d1-g1 |
| 5x | G-b-d1-g1 | g-b-d1-g1 | G-b-d1-g1 | B-b-d1-fis1 |
| 6 | f-c1-f1-a1 | f-c1-f1-a1 | f-c1-f1-a1 | f-c1-f1-a1 |
| 6o | D-d1-f1-a1 | a-c1-e1-a1 | a-c1-e1-a1 | e-b-e1-g1 |
| 6x | A-c1-d1-a1 | d-fis-d1-a1 | d-d1-fis1-a1 | e-b-e1-gis1 |
| 7 | g-d1-g1-b1 | g-d1-g1-b1 | g-d1-g1-b1 | G-g-d-b1 |
| 7o | c-c1-e1-bes1 | c-c1-e1-bes1 | c-c1-e1-bes1 | g-bes-d1-g1 |
| 7x | d-fis-d1-a1 | e-gis-e1-b1 | e-gis-e1-b1 | d-fis-d1-a1 |
| 8 | c-e1-g1-c2 | c-c1-e1-c2 | c-g-e1-c2 | c-G-e1-c2 |
| 8o | A-a-e1-c2 | d-d1-fis1-c2 | d-d1-fis1-c2 | A-c1-e1-a1 |
| 8x | e-gis-e-b1 | a-e1-a1-cis2 | A-e-a1-cis2 | Bes-f-d1-bes1 |
| 9 | g-b-g1-d2 | g-b-g1-d2 | g-b-g1-d2 | g-b-g1-d2 |
| 9o | f-a-f1-c2 | a-e1-a1-c2 | a-e1-a1-c2 | e-g-e1-b1 |
| 9x | d-fis1-a1-c2 | D1-fis1-a1-d2 | d-a-fis1-d2 | e-gis-e1-b1 |
| 10 | c-c1-g1-e2 | c-c1-g1-e2 | c-c1-g1-e2 | c-c1-g1-e2 |
| 10o | d-a-f1-d2 | - | B-b-d1-fis1 | A-a-e1-c2 |
| 10x | a-e1-a1-cis2 | a-cis1-a1-e2 | a-cis1-a1-e2 | A-a-e1-cis2 |
| 11 | g-b-g1-f2 | g-b-g1-f2 | g-b-b1-f2 | f-c1-a1-f2 |
| 11o | e-b-gis1-d2 | - | e-b-e1-g1 | d-a-f1-d2 |
| 11x | d-fis1-a1-d2 | a-d1-a1-fis2 | d-d1-a1-fis2 | d-a-fis1-d2 |
| 12 | f-c1-a1-f2 | g-d1-b1-g2 | g-d1-b1-g2 | - |
| 12o | a-c1-a1-e2 | - | g-b-d1-g1 | - |
| 12x | a-cis1-a1-e2 | - | BES-f-d1-bes1 | - |
| 13 | g-d1-b1-g2 | - | f-c1-a1-f2 | - |
| 13o | C1-e1-c2-g2 | - | e-g-e1-b1 | - |
| 13x | a-d1-a1-fis2 | - | d-a-f1-d2 | - |
| 14 | - | - | d-d1-a1-f2 | - |
Music available for Liebmannista and Harmonista
A large number of books has been published with music in special notation for the Liebmannista. These books are almost all song accompaniments and songbooks.
An example of this music is listed in figure 5.
Also for the Harmonista several books were available. In the catalog of Brüning & Bongardt a list of almost 500 titles of songs and songbooks is listed. Some suppliers of Harmonista’s, for instance Emil Müller, supplied a songbook together with the Harmonista, with a large number of songs listed in traditional music notation and Harmonista codes. Also for the Koralion some books were published. There have some been published by the Dutch company Joh. de Heer, and some by Brüning & Bongardt from Barmen, Germany.
A page from the Koralionbook is shown in figure 6.
Conclusion
The device Harmonista has not become very popular. One of the reasons will be the decline of the reed organ business. The musical value of the Harmonista and Liebmannista is very low.
However, as advertisements proclaim, the Harmonista can be very useful when there is no organist available, able to accompany the congregation.
Last update to this page has been made on October 27, 2007
