Restoration of a Very Early French Harmonium: Wadding!

2 ply rug yarn. 900 yards!

Making wadding is one of the aspects of harmonium restoration that scares off many people. I'm dense enough to try it because nobody told me I couldn't do it. I started with a 900 yard cone of rug yarn (80% wool/20% nylon), used for weaving rugs. Add some very soft lavender colored split suede leather and mercerized cotton thread and I was good to go.

 

The purpose of wadding is to form a gasket that seals the windchest. The upper part has the reeds and action, and the lower part the reservoir. This enables the instrument to keep the air in the system so it can be played. The upper chest with the reeds is hinged in the front and is lowered on to the valve board. There is a gap of about 3/8” that the wadding fills. There are also partitions between each set of reeds that have wadding seals as well. 

The

Cotton thread for sewing

Cutting the strips of leather evenly and carefully is important so you don't get any irregularities in the finished product, and so that all edges meet nicely.

 

I made a rack for sewing the wadding in 4' lengths, more than the width of the organ side to side. I knew I'd probably have some left over but that's better than not having enough. 

Cross section

The first step is to wind the yarn between the two dowels, stretching it as you go. I started off doing 50 strands but decided that wasn't enough so I jacked it up to 80. That's where most of the 900 yards of yarn went. The reason for stretching is so the yarn will tighten up when the finished wadding comes off the rack and it will expand some to fill the leather tube.

The sewing rack with yarn stretched.

After stretching the yarn I started sewing, making sure the edges meet squarely. It took about 1.5 hours to sew a 4 ft length. I made eight and definitely had some left over.

36 ft of wadding!

After the sewing was done I glued the wadding, seam down, over the location of the original wadding and used duct tape in a few places to hold it still while the glue dried.

 

I didn't feel that the 20% nylon content would compromise the wool at all, and it didn't. Others have used a similar blend with good results. The most important thing with wadding, with this being my only experience in making it, is don't rush and don't be nervous. The world won't come crashing in around your ears if it doesn't work the first time. Be deliberate and use good materials and you'll be fine.

Restoration of a Very Early French Harmonium: The Wind System Part 3: The Valve Board

The top of the valve board after stripping the neoprene gasket

I was going to cover both the valve board and the wadding in this post but it became clear that discussing them separately would work better. 

 

The valve board sits on top of the chest to which the reservoir is attached. Its function is to hold the valves that open each stop, making it the conduit for air to be forced through the reeds. When a valve is open the reeds for that stop can sound when the key is played.

 

As with other parts of the wind system cracks were present. I used my Japanese pull saw to widen and even out the cracks so I could splice in wood. When making a splice it is important to use the same or a similar wood, in this case a softwood such as spruce or pine. Pine was what I had at hand so that worked well. I glued in the splices, let them dry overnight, and used a small plane to bring the edges down to flush with the board on both sides. Then I shellacked the underside of the board. 

The overarching concern in the wind system is that it must be as airtight as possible. Any leak of air, however small, can compromise the function of the instrument when it is played. When looking for leaks I use a stethoscope so I can hear air escaping. Leaks can happen if a valve is not sealing properly, or a corner of a piece of leather is not glued down tight.

The underside of the valve board showing cracks

widening cracks before splicing

The valve board with splices

Restoring the valves was not difficult. I used two layers of lambskin, the top being thinner and dyed red, a traditional color for stop valves. I cleaned and polished all metal parts and reinstalled the valves. Each valve has a heavy spring to hold the valve closed until it is opened when a stop is opened.

The concern about air leaking is true with wooden parts of the wind system. A crack must be sealed so that air does not escape. The usual method of dealing with cracks is to determine if the crack can be closed by gluing and clamping, or if it must either be filled or covered with a leather seal. Wide cracks such as those I encountered here were beyond gluing and clamping.  It's a good idea to seal a filled crack with a leather strip if possible.

Restoration of the valve board complete

An unrestored valve with new leather

A valve re-covered with new leather

 In the next post I'll tackle one of the things that harmonium restorers dread the most--making new wadding!

Restoration of a Very Early French Harmonium: The Wind System Part 2

The wind system of a harmonium does not use bellows cloth, the rubberized canvas used in suction instruments. The purpose of a wind system in a suction instrument is to keep air out. In a pressure instrument the purpose is to keep air in. The wind system of a harmonium is somewhat like that of a pipe organ on a much smaller scale.

A leather gusset on the reservoir.

The wind system employs leather gussets that allow the reservoir and feeders to compress as air is pumped into the reservoir.  The leather used is very thin lamb or goat skin, no more than 1 mm in thickness.

The feeders showing the wooden ribs 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The traditional covering in harmoniums, especially French instruments, is a blue kraft paper.  Before the convenience of synthetic dyes which can reproduce any color found in nature (and many that are not) indigo was used to dye the paper. Originally this was simply to dress up the work and cover the wide glued edges of the leather, but builders soon found that the indigo acted as a natural insect repellent.

 

The reservoir leather done.

Gusset on the reservoir

 The first thing I did was to restore the reservoir with all new materials, leather hinges and gussets, and blue kraft paper. Thin lamb or goat skin works well for this. It compresses well and is flexible when glued. Pictured here is one of the gussets on the reservoir. When gluing it on I periodically wipe the leather with hot water which helps it stretch.

First, the reservoir releathered.

With the reservoir completed I turned to the feeder boards.  I put canvas hinges on the feeder boards and put leather hinges on the wide ends of the feeders.

The wooden ribs can be reused unless there is significant damage.

 

 

 

 

The feeder pumps are done except for the paper.

 

 

 

The wind system done!

 

....and installed back in the case!

 

 

 

Restoration of a Very Early French Harmonium: The Wind System Part 1

The wind system in a European harmonium is based on the principle of pressure. The wind system supplies a positive movement of air that blows air through the reeds to produce sound. The reed organs produced in the United States, after an initial period of development and experimentation, operated on the principle of negative pressure, or suction. The air is sucked through the reeds.  Each direction of air movement produces a characteristic tone. The European pressure instruments are often louder than their American counterparts, while the American suction organs have a more delicate, devotional tone. Most reed organs made in the U.S. were suction, whereas the demand for suction based reed organs in Europe eventually took a significant part of the market.

The Alexandre harmonium I am restoring is a pressure instrument. In this post I will begin to describe the restoration of the wind system so it functions as it was designed.

 

After I disassembled the wind system and removed it from the case I discovered some significant cracks in the bottom of the chest. The reservoir is attached below this, and this board must be air tight. 

To repair the cracks I widened them with a Japanese saw. These saws are great because they are very sharp and cut with just a few strokes. The reason for widening the cracks was to make the crack uniform in width so that I could splice in a piece of wood.

Once I fitted in the splices I planed down the excess wood so that the surface was flush.

 

After repairing the bottom board I turned my attention to the other boards of the wind system. The bottom of the reservoir was in perfect condition so it required no work other than to replace the relief valve. The boards for the feeder pumps, which are mounted under the reservoir and connect to the pedals, were another story. Here is

a picture of one of the boards, with multiple cracks. These boards were not salvageable so I reproduced them with 3/4" cabinet plywood.

The new feeder pump boards

After finishing the splices in the cracks I glued leather seals over each splice for insurance that the crack wouldn't leak. Sort of a fail safe thing.

Next time--re-covering the ribs for the reservoir and feeder pumps--and the blue paper!

Leather seals on both sides

Leather seals on both sides

 

Beauty is a Path to Resistance: The Politics of Music and History

Notice: This post is overtly and blatantly political. It is only partly about my harmonium restoration. If you're living in the land of MAGA you may not want to read this. Then again, maybe you should. 

Those who are following my restoration of a late 1840's Alexandre harmonium, made in France, know that it has been a very involved process, with every tiny part disassembled, parts cleaned and replaced as necessary, in order to bring this rare instrument back to life. Here's the real reason I'm doing this. Two parts:

1) I have worked on restoration projects all of my life. When I was very young my father introduced me to the world of taking something that was broken and bringing it back to functional use. I've been doing it since with musical instruments, books, furniture, you name it. It's a rescue of things from the past that still have meaningful value. But here's what underlies this today:  I am sharing updates of my restoration project on Facebook, in reed organ groups and also my personal page, as a way of sharing the process that will bring this rare, glorious instrument to full functioning. Despite Meta's changes, Facebook is still a valuable forum. I do not plan to leave it, even with the changes, because I am in many interest groups that I value. And, I do not shy away from expressing my opinion on any given subject.

2) I am livid, angry beyond words, about what the Trump administration is doing to dismantle anything of value in our country. The tariffs on products from Canada, Mexico, and China, with threats of more to come, do more than harm our own economy. They damage our relationship with those countries. Trump's nationalistic, isolationist bent would have us withdraw from the world and let it fall to pieces. We need those relationships with other countries. What happens when down the road, we need the assistance of Mexico or Canada? Are they going to be as willing to respond? I need to keep busy with something meaningful as an outlet for my anger and frustration.

This particular activity is, for me, an act of defiance. I'm sure that Trump and his cronies expect us to be quiet little drones and allow them to bulldoze all that is beautiful and worthwhile in this country.

With any political change, my biggest question is always "who is going to be hurt?" What we're seeing is a regime that is bent on hurting lots of people, trampling over them in an attempt to codify white male rage.

 

 

Beauty is a path to resistance. I refuse to live my life devoid of beauty and singularity. We are ruled by a regime that wants to rob those of us who dare to be individuals of the things that give us joy. No, I don't expect that we will be forced to live in anonymous concrete apartment buildings such as might be seen in North Korea. But I do expect that every effort will be made to silence voices that want to offer an alternative to the dumbed down, anti-intellectual morass that keeps difficult people at bay. Uneducated, uninformed, factually illiterate people who get their news from far right media such as Fox News, Newsmax, and other outlets will be more obedient than people like me who refuse the Kool Aid. We have to work hard to preserve and promote beauty, beauty in art but also beauty in life. The range of ideas and people in this country is a thing of beauty. I don't understand it all, and never will. But that doesn't mean it can't exist. 

We are now ruled by a regime that sees greed as a positive value, and is working to reinforce the support of greed as a force for good--good for the greedy, that is. Of course, the smokescreen that half of this country has drunk the Kool Aid, fully expecting that their grocery prices will come down significantly and gas will be cheaper than ever. They were fooled. The changes made so far have brought about only turmoil. The recent freezing of government grants, even though it lasted only a couple of days, is hurting a lot of people. Half of the states in the country stopped payments related to medical and economic assistance. That is hurting people, but the people at the top are untouched and unconcerned. They don't care because they know they don't have to.

The cancellation of diversifying the federal work force, and the buyout offer, has traumatized them. Of course. That's the intent. They don't know what's going to happen day to day. If anything goes wrong, it's the fault of the DEI people. "DEI" here is code language for anyone who is not white, male, and has no disabilities. Perhaps the most chilling aspect of the current regime is the refusal to acknowledge the value of all people in this country, not just some.

A number of people have been avidly following my restoration of my harmonium, and I'm happy to oblige with regular updates and blog entries. It is a very small effort to counteract the ugliness that has our country in a tight, regressive, destructive grip.

My harmonium was built during a time of political turmoil in France. Louis Philippe, the "Citizen King," was still in power but would soon be toppled in the Revolutions of 1848 which swept across Europe and altered the geopolitical landscape. Somebody during that time had this instrument in their parlor and played music while the turmoil raged outside. It has survived the deterioration caused by age and the reversible damage done by a bumbling restorer 40 years ago. It will soon be an object of beauty again, not only to look at but to play. 

I refuse to give in. I will continue to read what I damned well please. My faith informs my ability to choose what I am going to believe. The advantage I have, though, is privilege. I am a retired, cisgender white man. I have much more privilege than many others. I will not face the discrimination that people of color will experience, however. I can use my privilege to raise up issues when I see them and will do so.

I refuse to give in.

Restoration of a Very Early French Harmonium: The Alexandre Factory and the Industrial Revolution in France

 The Industrial Revolution came late to France. Into the early 19th century products were made in small shops by small groups of craftsmen. Much of France was still agricultural at the time so there were not factories in cities that people could gravitate to for employment. 

The textile and iron industries were among the first to develop on a larger scale. Interestingly, mill and factory owners in Britain helped these industries to get going, no doubt for a fee.

When Jakob Alexandre began the manufacture of harmoniums in 1843, large factories were not very common in France. An 1855 circular published by Alexandre touted the large, modern factory in the Ivry section of the outskirts of Paris. This circular, Les Orgues-Melodium D'Alexandre Pere & Fils was published as a handout for the 1855 Industrial Exposition in Paris, which showcased French industry.  After nearly fifty pages of glowing descriptions and testimonials about the Alexandre instruments the final pages offer illustrations of the showroom and factory.

My harmonium dates from 1846-1851, the years that the showroom was at the address on the label. Considering the stops that have the percussion feature are labelled "percussion" rather than the usual names, I believe this instrument to date from soon after Alexandre's purchase of the percussion patent, so probably 1846-48.

This is no small shop with half a dozen hands. This was a modern, well laid out factory with designated departments for every aspect of the manufacture of harmoniums.

Like many European cities, Paris has expanded greatly in its history, starting off with an island in the Seine River to the metropolis it is now. Paris at the time that Jakob Alexandre started manufacturing harmoniums is quite different than the Paris we are more familiar with. Paris as it is now is a creation of Georges Eugene Haussmann, with the full support of Napoleon III in the 1850's and beyond. 

In his novel Sentimental Education (1869) Gustav Flaubert offers an informative view of Paris in the late 1840's before the changes brought about by Haussmann. In Chapter VII Flaubert describes Ivry at the time that Alexandre was ramping up their production in that section of Paris, the exact period when my harmonium was being built. The main character, Frederic, passes through Ivry on his way to the city. Flaubert's description is of a broken down industrial wasteland:

The plain, quite broken up, seemed a waste of ruins. The enclosing wall of the fortifications made a horizontal swelling there; and, on the footpath, on the ground at the side of the road, little branchless trees were protected by laths bristling with nails. Establishments for chemical products and timber-merchants' yards made their appearance alternately. High gates, like those seen in farm-houses, afforded glimpses, through their opening leaves, of wretched yards within, full of filth, with puddles of dirty water in the middle of them. Long wine-shops, of the colour of ox's blood, displayed in the first floor, between the windows, two billiard-cues crossing one another, with a wreath of painted flowers. Here and there might be noticed a half-built plaster hut, which had been allowed to remain unfinished. Then the double row of houses was no longer interrupted; and over their bare fronts enormous tin cigars showed themselves at some distance from each other, indicating tobacconists' shops. Midwives' signboards represented in each case a matron in a cap rocking a doll under a counterpane trimmed with lace. The corners of the walls were covered with placards, which, three-quarters torn, were quivering in the wind like rags. Workmen in blouses, brewers' drays, laundresses' and butchers' carts passed along. A thin rain was falling. It was cold. There was a pale sky; but two eyes, which to him were as precious as the sun, were shining behind the haze.     (Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34828/34828-h/34828-h.htm#CHAPTER_VII) accessed 1/27/25)

Although Ivry is now very much a part of Paris, at the time it was a broken up suburb that had little to commend itself.

Possibly the assembly department?

What appears to be the case department. Note the spacious and well-lit work area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The well-appointed showroom in classical style must have exuded sophistication and elegance.

 The Alexandre factory is completely gone today, but their instruments survive today in fairly large numbers. The Alexandre firm continued under new ownership until 1939.

Restoration of a Very Early French Harmonium: Initial Considerations About a Bad Previous Restoration

This instrument was restored in 1981-1983 by someone who called himself "Pud." His signature was found under the replacement pedals he made. On the underside of the other pedal he proclaimed that he loved "Beenie." Ok. I don't want to know who Pud is or was, but this bit of trivia tells me one thing--that the instrument has been in the US since at least 1981, probably earlier. Most recently it came out of a storage unit owned by a collector who died before he was able to restore it.

Pud did a number of things that were more common in the 1970's when reed organ restorers were following the teachings of Horton Presley, who advocated for the use of modern synthetic materials. "Space Age" materials, I call them. Contact cement, PVA white glue, neoprene, genuine imitation leather, the whole shebang. I grew up in the 60's when traditional methods of repairing things were going by the wayside, and collectively we were brainwashed to think that modern, synthetic glues and materials were superior to traditional, organic materials. "Just like the astronauts use!" was a line we willingly absorbed. In retrospect, the astronauts didn't have anything in their space ships that were made of wood and leather, so hide glue was out of the question.

When using space age materials what Pud didn't take into account was what the marvelous synthetic glues would look like after 40+ years. It isn't a pretty sight. Synthetic material often does not age well. Glues touted as flexible even after application turn to concrete that may come up with a chisel if you're lucky, although it often will bring some of the wood it's attached to with it. 

This first "restoration" of this harmonium is a case study in geriatric synthetics. One example is the neoprene that he used to replace the wadding. Although traditional wadding springs back when the action is opened, it will eventually settle into a pattern that conforms to the wood that is pressed into it. However, wadding can last a century or more. Pud's neoprene did not. These pictures tell the story on that.

Although the neoprene did conform to the underside of the edge of the reed chest it deteriorated with time. Old neoprene will often crumble when handled, as this did (see below). It didn't come up in one long strip. The white glue that held it down also caused it to come up in short pieces.

Below is another example of space age materials used to solve a problem. The white material to the left side of the reed chest was initially a mystery to me. It wasn't paint, and it had texture. It was slathered over seemingly random spots on the chest. Then the light bulb went on. When I started to scrape it off I realized it was joint compound. Yep, that's right. Mud for sheet rock. Pud used this to attempt to seal insect holes and cracks.

These were the most obvious uses of synthetic materials that seemed to be better but in fact were much, much worse. I've seen other examples over the years. Contact cement to hold down bellows cloth that had turned to concrete and had to be cut off with a table saw, things of that nature. 

I hope this gives you a general idea of what NOT to do when restoring an antique musical instrument. The best thing to do, as much as possible, is to do what the original builder did. As much as possible use natural materials such as wool and leather. Hide glue, either hot or cold liquid. 

As a general rule, adhesives that come in a tube and have warnings about the brain damage that will occur if you sniff them are synthetic. Run away in the other direction.

Disclaimer: in a future post I will describe how I made new wadding for the harmonium. I used yarn made of 80% wool and 20% nylon. The cautions above are mostly for synthetic glues and foam materials. Fabric can be a different matter depending on how it's used. Where leather is needed, don't use anything except real leather. Bellows cloth, traditionally made from canvas coated on one side with rubber, has become exorbitantly expensive, and restorers often to go synthetic materials not originally made for that purpose. You want to be sure that the material will work with hide glue. Polyester is a great material but it doesn't do well with hide glue. For felt and woven cloth, use 100% wool felt or cloth as much as possible. Pure wool springs back. Synthetic felt will often not. For the yarn I mention above that I used for wadding, 20% nylon isn't enough to prevent the wadding from springing back when the action is opened.

The reason for all this is twofold:

1) Once restored, it may be at least 50 years before your instrument is restored, if it is still in existence. Materials that don't age well won't work as well half a century later. This is especially true of synthetic glues, which are very difficult to deal with in their dotage. Some elements of case work and other parts of the organ are ok with yellow carpenter's glue, for instance. I used it in specific places in this instrument where nobody would want to have to take it apart and do it over.

2) When you're restoring an instrument, you have to undo the work of the builder or the person who worked on it before you. In the case of my harmonium, the previous restorer did a hack job. No tears were shed by me as I scraped and sanded the neoprene off the valve board. But here's the thing. Keep in mind that if the organ you are restoring is still in existence 50-75+ years from now, someone is going to have to undo what you've done. Let that sink in. Someone is going to have to undo what you've done. If you use synthetic adhesives and other such stuff they will have to go through what I have with this instrument, and they will not thank you. Some restorers have looked at an instrument restored with synthetic adhesives and have decided it was not worth redoing the organ, and it went to the landfill. You don't want that to happen. I have continued with this instrument despite Pud's amateurish restoration because it is very old and very rare. It's been worth the trouble despite the occasional headache (not caused by sniffing 40 year old glue).

More next time!

Restoration of a Very Early French Harmonium: Case Work and Veneer Repair

After complete disassembly of the action and wind system the first thing was to repair the case. The case is made of pine with a rosewood veneer, a factor which sometimes causes problems because rosewood and pine are very different woods with a significant difference in density. As a result, the pine under the veneer can crack when it ages and dries, and the crack will show in the rosewood veneer on top. Also, if the instrument is exposed to extreme dryness and/or prolonged dampness the veneer can bubble and lift.

So, woods!

Rosewood is a very heavy wood, and was pricey even at this time, so the veneer industry that had learned how to veneer mahogany switched to rosewood. Mahogany and rosewood are quite different, though. Honduras mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) has a Janka hardness of only 900 so it cuts easily. Janka hardness is measured by the amount of pressure it takes to press a steel ball 11.28 mm (7/16") halfway into the wood. Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra), by contrast, has a Janka hardness of 2790, certainly not the hardest wood in existence, but significantly harder. The resulting veneer is beautiful but has a tendency toward brittleness which makes it somewhat harder to work with.

Replacing veneer is simply a matter of cutting away the damaged part to clean edges and making a patch that fits in perfectly, then gluing and clamping. If done carefully many veneers can be cut with a pair of sharp scissors. In repairing the veneer on this instrument I used rosewood veneer from a derelict melodeon, an early version of the reed organ. I've also used teak veneer on other instruments if I could find a piece that matches the grain and figuring. Repairing a bubble in veneer can be difficult. It involves slicing through the veneer at the center of the bubble the length of it, and prying up each side so glue can be injected in. Then I put blue painter's tape over the bubble to hold everything in place and I clamp it. I repeated this all over the case. Damage like this is common on instruments and other furniture that are this old.

Brazilian rosewood is a listed species in CITES (Convention on Importation and Trade in Endangered Species) to which the United States is still a member, and international trade is totally banned. That means that the only Brazilian rosewood available for sale in the US is what was here before the ban was enacted. To buy it within the United States is a very expensive venture, with costs about $100 or more a board foot if you can find it (a board foot is the equivalent of a piece of wood 1" thick and a foot square). There are alternatives, though. Bolivian rosewood or Pau Ferro (Machaerium scleroxylon) is very close in appearance although not a true rosewood.

I did not plan to keep Pud's replacement pedals so I made new ones from plywood. I also replaced the pedal board using a section of a piano case I had salvaged. It had a nice burl veneer on it that had some attractive figuring so that worked well. I removed the old pedals and replaced them with the new ones. New linkages on the pedals were necessary since the original ones were damaged by insects. For the linkages I used a wood new to me, rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis), which is the tree used to produce rubber. The wood is used for various purposes after the tree has passed its prime for rubber production. It is grown extensively in Asia but is native to Brazil. I have a small supply from my brother who scavanged it from a pallet at work. It's hard, and is easy to work.

Restoration of a Very Early French Harmonium: Thoughts on Colonialism and Trade

The awareness of colonialism is very present in historical and cultural studies and discussion in today's parlance. It is a term that is sometimes hurled at someone as a summary judgement with or without merit. I'm not going to go in this direction, however. In this post I'll offer some thoughts on colonialism and the artifacts of it. Bear in mind here that although I am writing about European colonization of significant parts of the world I don't see my own country, the United States, as innocent of similar activity. We stole land that wasn't ours, committed genocide, and bulldozed a continent, stripping natural resources for consumption on a gargantuan scale. We're all in it hip deep.

States have been establishing colonies for a very long time. The type of colonization that began in the 16th century and picked up steam in the 17th century is of a different type, however. It was not just the setting up of trading posts and ports on the coast of a region and trading for exotic materials. The European colonization of much of the world took on a diabolical bent as time progressed. Interiors of continents were conquered, such as the division of the interior of Africa in Berlin in the 1880's, leading to unspeakable atrocities such as the slavery in the Belgian Congo, in the production of rubber.

Slavery was not new by this time, but as colonization grew so grew the demand for slaves. The occupation of the islands of the Caribbean led to the establishment of sugar plantations and the insatiable hunger for African slaves. The English settlement of the coast of North America soon developed a demand for slaves to grow tobacco.

I won't rehearse the long history of atrocities here because they are well known, but it is important to refer to them here.

A by-product of colonization was the discovery of exotic materials. In the Caribbean mahogany, initially a tree used for construction, was discovered to have a distinct beauty and became the fashionable wood for furniture in the 1700's. It needed to be cleared to make space for sugar plantations so planters reaped a double profit with the sale of the wood. Mahogany was clear cut to make room for sugar plantations at a furious rate, depleting or completely eradicating completely the tree in many areas.

Once Brazilian rosewood was discovered in the interior of South America it quickly supplanted the dwindling supply of mahogany for furniture in the mid-19th century. Fashions changed periodically not only because tastes changed, but because ready supplies of desired materials were extracted with impunity, as if the supply were endless. It didn't occur to merchants of exotic woods that the supply might dwindle at some point. Perhaps they realized that something else would take its place.

In Africa, establishment of a European presence made possible the export of two desirable materials used in the manufacture of fine furniture and goods: ivory and ebony.

The ivory trade dominated Africa for many centuries. Ancient Egypt sent expeditions down the Nile four thousand years ago and more in search of this exotic material.  Despite competition with walrus ivory during parts of the Middle Ages and shortages about a thousand years ago, ivory remained a most desirable luxury good. In a fit of colonial acquisition in the early 1840's, when they went to war over Algeria, France acquired what is now Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). The small region with several rivers that gave access to the inland rapidly became a gateway into the trade in ivory. The harvesting of ivory, involving the killing of elephants whose bodies were left to rot once the precious ivory had been extracted, claimed on average one human life for each pair of tusks brought out of the interior of Africa. The human cost was tremendous. That was the nature of colonialism, the domination and exploitation of a human population and their home, and the extraction of natural resources with little or no return to the indigenous peoples.

Ebony was also harvested almost to extinction, and today it is extremely expensive although similar alternatives from India and China have filled the gap.

So how do I feel about this instrument that has wood that was harvested nearly to extinction, and material that cost animal and human life? It's complicated.

I didn't kill the elephants whose ivory was used in my instrument. Nor did I cause the loss of human life. This organ was made more than a century before I was born. Having said that, I consider it with some humility. It contains materials with a price tag from the environment, a price we continue to pay now. But all of our contemporary existence is built on the exploitations and compromises of the past. I'm not willing to eschew an artifact of beauty from the past, but instead will make it a living, breathing musical instrument again, and when I play it I will do so with humility in the full knowledge of its cost. I could choose to isolate it and make a it a focal point of concerns about colonialism but to be honest, every aspect of our lives today bears that burden. The thing to do is to learn, and to do better now and in the future.

Having said that, watch for more soon.

Restoration of a Very Early French Harmonium: Living and Breathing History: Introduction.

 Late last year I embarked on a restoration project on a scale I’ve rarely done. I acquired a very old French harmonium, or pressure reed organ, from a friend. It needed a total overhaul. I was ready for a deep dive into a winter project so it came at the right time.

The organ was made by a firm named Alexandre & Fils (Son) in Paris, France. From the specifications of the instrument and the address on the label I have dated it to a very tight window from 1846-48, which is pretty good for something that old.

The harmonium was developed only a few years previous to when this instrument was made by Alexandre Debain, also of Paris. Jakob Alexandre, a Jewish manufacturer of accordions since 1829, decided to try making a similar instrument. Since Debain had patented the term “harmonium” Alexandre called his instrument an “orgue melodium.” It was very similar to Debain’s harmonium and the two companies competed for the market they had created, while other makers introduced similar instruments. Alexandre bought the rights to the percussion action in 1846 (which is the oldest date my instrument can date from because it has an early percussion action) and invented the expression feature.

The percussion action is a miniature hammer action similar to what might be found on a very early piano. It was designed to quickly activate one set of reeds by gently striking the reed that was played so that it sounded quickly. This became a very desirable feature on later harmoniums. The expression feature cut off the reservoir and the player pumped air directly into the chest, allowing for quick changes in expression or volume. This also became an essential feature of all subsequent harmoniums.

Alexandre moved their showroom several times, making the dating of an instrument fairly easy within a decade or so. Mine shows the earliest address from which they moved about 1850.

This harmonium is a remarkable survivor from a turbulent time in French history. It was made just before the revolution of 1848 that toppled the Citizen King, Louis Philippe, and led to the reign of Emperor Napoleon III. The July Monarchy, so called because it came about in July, 1830, was plagued with periodic insurrections, and assassination attempts against the King. Constant underground seditious activity made Paris a boiling stew of unrest. The time when my harmonium was made was anything but a time of tranquility.

My harmonium is also a living testament to the process of colonization that was sweeping across much of the world. The materials in the organ testify to this. The case is covered in a veneer of Brazilian Rosewood. The keys are made from African elephant ivory. The accidentals (black keys) are made from African ebony. Much of the other woods used (spruce, pine, maple, European beech, possibly cherry) are woods native to Europe and thus carry no colonial baggage.

It is a humbling thing to work on such an instrument that is laden with history both troublesome and dramatic.

In this series of posts I will describe the process of restoration of this instrument, including the challenges and pitfalls. I hope you’ll join me on this journey!