Melodica

History of the Melodica

The melodica shares its history with the harmonica and other reed instruments that are often attributed to China and the invention of the similar free reed instrument “the sheng”. This ancient aerophone dates back to over a 1000BC. In the 18th century, Dutch physicist Christian Gottlieb Kratzenstein would create a reed organ that uses similar principles for creating sound, and instruments like the harmonium also followed. None of these were portable however. A pocket size mouth organ would eventually arrive in Europe and German manufacturer Hohner began to mass produce these instruments in the 1850s. Other reed instruments using air like the melodeon, panharmonicon and pump organ could be considered ancestors of the melodica which was eventually created by Hohner in the 1950s, a handheld instrument with piano keys. Some would also consider an invention by Italian company Borel in 1958 the first melodica but there is continued debate over this issue. The melodica struggled to find its place in music across the world but became steadily popular in Japan and Asia, before predominantly featuring in reggae and jazz in Europe. Various types of melodica can be distinguished in terms such as pianica and clavietta to describe the differing buttons and keys used.

Inventor: Unknown