aeolina

plural aeolinas

1. historicalAn early type of harmonica with metal plates enclosing free reeds.

   The principle applied to the aeolina was of a series of small springs fitted in apertures in a metallic plate, which vibrated when breathed over.

   2021, Edward J. Gillin, “The Laboratory of Harmony: The Transformation of Sound within British Science, 1815–46”, in Sound Authorities: Scientific and Musical Knowledge in Nineteenth-Century Britain, Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, part I (Experiments and Mathematics: The Making of Sound as a Scientific Object), page 50

   3 more examples

   When in the 18th century, European organ-builders, acousticians, physicists, etc., heard this remarkable free reed, they obviously were fascinated by it for a wealth of free reed instruments appeared in the early 19th century. These instruments varied in size and type. Some were portable, small and mouth-blown like the “blow accordion,” harmonica, aeolina, and symphonion.

   1992, Toni Charuhas Meekins, “The Accordion”, in Ronald Flynn, Edwin Davison, Edward Chavez, editors, The Golden Age of the Accordion, Schertz, Tex.: Flynn Associates Publishing Company, →ISBN, part IV (Golden Age of the Accordion in Other Major Areas of the United States and Canada), page 281, column 2

   Organ-builders were early on the scene in the eighteenth century, but soon there were the first mouth-blown instruments such as the aeolian or aeolina, which was a simple set of free reeds mounted side by side.

   2006, Rebecca Berkley, Andrew Cleaton, Alan Charlton, Andrew Cronshaw, Robin Newton, Jeremy Siepmann, “The Spread of Free-Reed Instruments”, in Lucien Jenkins, editor, The Billboard Illustrated Musical Instruments Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing and Using Electronic, Acoustic, and Digital Instruments, New York, N.Y.: Billboard Books, →ISBN, “Woodwind” section, “Free-Reed Instruments” subsection, page 187

   Aeolinas and aeolodicons were similar to the more popular physharmonica, a four-octave keyboard instrument with free reeds invented by Anton Haeckl of Vienna.

   2016, Myles W. Jackson, “Charles Wheatstone: Musical Instrument Making, Natural Philosophy, and Acoustics in Early Nineteenth-Century London”, in James Q. Davies, Ellen Lockhart, editors, Sound Knowledge: Music and Science in London, 1789–1851, Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 117