Melodeons - G C F

[Richard Morse]

In the U.S., "melodeon" is sometimes used to refer to a kind of reed organ (what kind, specifically? all kinds?).

The US melodeon is usually a small (usually folding for portability) keyboard organ that works by vacuum rather than air pressure (which are called organs). The English version of this is called a harmonium which works by air pressure rather than vacuum.

 

Another common (then, that is) US melodeon was the rocking melodeon which is a medium-sized squeezebox that looks like a single double-bellows (that is - one fold on each side so that it is double acting) with two rows of buttons on it's face. It is positioned on one's lap and squeezed down (with heel of hands or wrists) while depressing the keys (buttons). Due to the double-acting bellows it plays both on the down travel and the up travel as it rocks from one side to the other.

The English refer to all diatonic button accordions from one to three rows as "melodeons." The OED places this use in the 1880's.

I would imagine that the initial use of the word "melodeon" to be considerably before that even though the actual instrument may have evolved. It was about 1850 that the flutina or melodique (vertical playing design) offshoots were first evolved (to horizonal playing design).

Here's a tidbit I found in the OED that I'm certain will amuse all you concertina enthusiasts:

1938 P. KAVANAGH Green Fool xx. 208: "Among the wedding-party there had been a melodeon but no melodeon-player. However, one of the boys pulled the music-box in and out and nobody minded the absence of harmony."

That sounds suspiciously like a flutina (or French melodique). The timing is right all the way around - and those instruments did NOT have any chords - or "harmonies".