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Approximately 750,000 harmoniums were produced in Germany; about 520,000 of these are still reside in Germany. Routine production of harmoniums ceased in 1990. Nevertheless, many harmoniums are still in use today - both privately and within churches - due to their robustness, resistance to interference, and requirement for only a small amount of space.
Over the course of time, however, wear and tear can be observed within these instruments: felts can be damaged by moths; the rubber cloth covering the
feeder bellows and reservoir bellows can become fragile and porous; and larvae of furniture beetles can damage wooden parts, or contaminate the very sensitive free reeds. Also, the surface (varnish, polish and wooden veneer) of the harmonium case is often damaged.
Naturally, as organ and harmonium builders, we carry out restoration work for all these situations.
"The harmonium has its own musical language compared to that of the organ, because of its ability to show expression in its individual tones. Consequently, one does a great injustice to this instrument if one treats it exclusively as a surrogate for the organ."
(Curt Sachs, Real-Lexikon der Musikinstrumente Berlin 1913)
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