Symphonium

Symphonium [Gk. *symphonia], 1. an early form of *mouth organ, patented by Charles Wheatstone in 1829, with free reeds that operated on pressure wind only and were contained in a metal box, with a single blowhole in front and a finger button on each side. The reeds were first made of silver, then of steel (15 Howarth); 2. automatophone invented by Friedrich Kaufmann of Dresden after 1838, an enlarged *chordaulion with automatic piano, flutes, clarinets, clappers, kettledrums, a forerunner of…