Seraphine

Seraphine [seraph], free-reed keyboard instr. resembling the physharmonica, invented by John Green in England in 1834, with a compass of 5 octs., F0–f3, and capable of both crescendo and decrescendo. Later any free-reed instr. working on the principle of the *American organ was known in England as seraphine. Various improvements of Green's instr. were patented between 1839 and 1851. Also called Royal Seraphine. See also: organo-harmonica (80 XII, 89 Hipkins, 204, Oxford English Dictionary)…