Stuart Robinson of the Taverners (Blackpool, Lancs) used to play a very neat fold-up harmonium (as well as guitar, banjo, mandolin and numerous other things). It disappeared from his battery of instruments after he left the pedals behind following a gig somewhere in the North-East. (Always a risk with removable parts!) He got rid of the instrument shortly thereafter. The next year, when they played again in the same club, the pub landlord came up to Stuart and presented him with the missing pieces! Alas, he never managed to recover the harmonium and went on to play various synthesizers and melodeons instead.

Chris Pollington/Harvey of Strawhead used to play a fairly large fold-up harmonium before passing on to synthesizers. That was a fairly plain, box-like instrument as I remember it.

John Kelly (harmoniumhero) played at the Steamer in Fleetwood a couple of years ago while visiting family in the area, and he had a very distinctive take on a number of folk standards. His website cropped up in the Mudcat threads last month.

Some time before that a guy called Chas from Lancaster (sorry can't remember his last name - I'll need to ask Nikki next time she comes over) brought his harmonium to the Steamer and played in a very idiosyncratic style (I seem to remember some blues coming into his set). He also managed to get a few tunes out of one of the harmoniums in my house.

"One of....." - I seem to have accumulated a few of these instruments over the years. The first one I found was originally bought for an evangelical group in Preston around 1895 (for Six Guineas - I have the bill of sale) and is just about portable - supposedly it was carried out into the streets for open-air services. For lack of space, I used to keep it in front of the (unused) fireplace in the flat I used to live in in St Annes. A visiting friend had been sitting in front of it for half-an-hour before commenting "Your fireplace has got pedals!" Another, smaller, harmonium is definitely portable and probably similar to the ones played by the people I've mentioned above - and the one played by Graham Pratt. This one resembles a (Gothic) cradle on a stand. One half of the peaked lid flips up to form a music stand and reveal the keyboard - about two-and-a-half octaves. In other versions I have seen, the pedal arrangement is removable and the legs fold up underneath the instrument. There are at least a couple of others in various states of disrepair - and I seem to remember passing on an instrument to Mike France, which although built to fold up, was a bit on the heavy side to be truly portable.(The harmonium, not Mike!) I think both of the playable instruments are in old philharmonic pitch, so slightly higher than concert. This, and the speed my ankles would have to work, has kept me from getting involved with the instruments. Also, my legs just won't fit!

I do love the harmonium sound, usually mellower than accordion or melodeon, they're not too loud to sing against, and are capable of producing wonderful arrangements in the right hands.

I used to see quite large harmoniums fairly regularly in antique warehouses - in the '70s, £40 - £50 would get you a gothic architectural specimen with twenty ivory stops and two keyboards! I don't see things like that these days, I guess lots of them were just destroyed.
Checking eBay shows this ornate model for £50

Also reminds me that some harmoniums are "American Organs". The difference is in the way air is passed over the reeds. Harmoniums push the air out , while American Organs suck the air in. Each system uses a reservoir arrangement to disengage the intermittent action of the alternating pedals and allow the smooth pressure/suction required for the music.

Although I haven't got as far as I would have liked with these instruments, I would recommend them to anybody who is thinking of trying them out - if you can find one!

Ross