Melodeon (organ)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A melodeon (also known as a cabinet organ or American organ) is a type of 19th century reed organ with a foot-operated vacuum bellows, and a piano keyboard. It differs from the related harmonium, which uses a pressure bellows. It was first manufactured in 1854 by Mason & Hamlin of Boston, Massachusetts. It was useful as a substitute for the pipe organ, in particular, for practice.

In Ireland, the word is found in the commonly used phrase "cat melodeon". This simply means that something is awful. For example, if it is raining, one might say that the weather is cat melodeon.

[edit] See also

• Melodeon

[edit] Sources

• The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments, ISBN 1858681855, p140