Koestler Senator Harmophon Electric Harmonium

The Harmophone from the German manufacturer Koester probably appeared on the market around 1955 and was produced in particular for export to the USA. The instrument was certainly intended for children to introduce them to music. It weighs an impressive 6.4 kg. The Hohner company developed a series of similar reed instruments with a pressurised wind in the 1950s.

The harmophone is an electrified reed instrument and works in a similar way to a harmonium with resounding reeds based on pressurised wind. The necessary wind is generated by a small fan with a collector motor inside the instrument. The relatively intonation-stable reed means that there is no need for a wind equalising system such as regulating bellows. The Senator model is equipped with a slider in front of the keyboard to reduce the air flow in order to achieve a slight modification of the volume. (Source: Wikipedia)