Garmon'
Encyclopedia
The garmon is a kind of Russian button
accordion
, a free-reed wind instrument
. A garmon has two rows of buttons on the right side, which play the notes of a diatonic
scale
, and at least two rows of buttons on the left side, which play the primary chords
in the key
of the instrument as well as its relative
harmonic minor key. Many instruments have additional right-hand buttons with useful accidental
notes, additional left-hand chords for playing in related keys, and a row of free-bass buttons, to facilitate playing of bass melodies
.
The garmons can be of two major classes: unisonoric, meaning that each button plays the same note or chord when the bellows
is being expanded as it does when compressed, and bisonoric, in which the note depends on the direction of the bellowswork. Examples of unisoniric type are livenka (ливенка, after Livny
, Oryol Oblast
) and Khromka ' onMouseout='HidePop("84641")' href="/topics/Diatonic_and_chromatic">chromatic
"). Bisonoric garmons are, e.g., Tula accordion ' onMouseout='HidePop("9956")' href="/topics/Tula,_Russia">Tula
) and talyanka (тальянка, "Italian
")
The garmon is also known by the names garmoshka .
The garmon is an important musical instrument for Caucasian (Azeri, Georgian, Chechen
, Cherkess, etc.) and Volgian
(Tatar, Mari) folk and popular music.
The treble keyboard is arranged so that a scale may be played by alternating between the two rows. The low and high octaves have identical fingering, while the middle octave differs. The three accidental notes are arranged so as to mirror the position of the left-hand chords that contain them.
The bass keyboard is arranged so that the principal chords for the major key are in the outer row, placed in circle of fifths
order; the principal chords for the harmonic minor key are in the middle row; free bass notes are in the inner row. One free bass accidental note is included.
). The left bass keyboard had two buttons. Tula garmon was a base for all the Russian diatonic bisonoric garmoshkas (Saratov, Kasimov
etc.)
on the design of Russian musician Nikolay Beloborodov. It was a unisonoric (like bayan
or piano accordion) diatonic accordion but on the right keyboard there was also two or three chromatic buttons, usually g1♯, d2♯, f2♯, so hence the name khromka came as it was virtually chromatic. It became the most popular and widely-spread button accordion in Russia, so almost all modern Russian (as well as Soviet) garmons (usually made in Tula and Shuya
factories) are khromkas.
Vyatka garmon first appeared on the factories of Vyatka
governorate
in the middle of the XIX century. It was chromatic unisonoric, it had a piano keyboard on the right side and two bass buttons on the left one. Vyatka garmon was a prototype for many different types of national accordions in the Volga region and the Caucasus (see below). Also after it there were made Russian diatonic and chromatic accordions: Elets "royal" (means with a piano keyboard, because in Russian a grand piano is called royal’) garmon, Beloborodov's royal garmon (made by Tula master Chulkov in 1870s on the design of Beloborodov, it had a full chromatic right keyboard and resembled modern piano accordions) and others.
Saratov
Saratov garmon is a diatonic bisonoroc garmoshka with a ringing bells
which utter sounds after each pressure on the accompaniment keys. To the accompaniment of this garmonika Lidia Ruslanova have sung.
(Oryol Oblast
).
Asian and Caucasian
Russian garmons were popular not only among the Russians but also among the other nations of the Russian Empire
and the Soviet Union
. Almost all the national garmons are based on Tula, Vyatka and Khromka garmons with modifications needed to fit the local national musical traditions. Some were professionally invented in musical factories in the XX century.
Volgian
musical factory, it has a right-hand piano keyboard but a little smaller, so in fact it imitates a piano accordion. In 1961 in the Kazan factory it was revised and the left keyboard mirrored the right one, though the left buttons are not rectangular but round like in button accordions. This type is popular in music of Azerbaijan
.
Georgian
Button accordion
A button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons rather than piano-style keys. There exists a wide variation in keyboard systems, tuning, action and construction of these instruments...
accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, a free-reed wind instrument
Free reed aerophone
A free reed aerophone is a musical instrument where sound is produced as air flows past a vibrating reed in a frame. Air pressure is typically generated by breath or with a bellows.- Operation :...
. A garmon has two rows of buttons on the right side, which play the notes of a diatonic
Diatonic and chromatic
Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize scales, and are also applied to intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony...
scale
Musical scale
In music, a scale is a sequence of musical notes in ascending and descending order. Most commonly, especially in the context of the common practice period, the notes of a scale will belong to a single key, thus providing material for or being used to conveniently represent part or all of a musical...
, and at least two rows of buttons on the left side, which play the primary chords
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of the instrument as well as its relative
Relative key
In music, relative keys are the major and minor scales that have the same key signatures. A major and minor scale sharing the same key signature are said to be in a relative relationship...
harmonic minor key. Many instruments have additional right-hand buttons with useful accidental
Accidental (music)
In music, an accidental is a note whose pitch is not a member of a scale or mode indicated by the most recently applied key signature. In musical notation, the symbols used to mark such notes, sharps , flats , and naturals , may also be called accidentals...
notes, additional left-hand chords for playing in related keys, and a row of free-bass buttons, to facilitate playing of bass melodies
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
.
The garmons can be of two major classes: unisonoric, meaning that each button plays the same note or chord when the bellows
Bellows
A bellows is a device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location.Basically, a bellows is a deformable container which has an outlet nozzle. When the volume of the bellows is decreased, the air escapes through the outlet...
is being expanded as it does when compressed, and bisonoric, in which the note depends on the direction of the bellowswork. Examples of unisoniric type are livenka (ливенка, after Livny
Livny
Livny is a town in Oryol Oblast, Russia. Population: The town apparently originated in 1586 as Ust-Livny, a wooden fort on the bank of the Livenka River, although some believe that a town had existed on the spot previous to the Mongol invasion of Rus...
, Oryol Oblast
Oryol Oblast
Oryol Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Oryol. Population: -Geography:It is located in the southwestern part of the Central Federal District, in the Mid-Russian Highlands. Kaluga and Tula Oblasts border it in the north, Bryansk Oblast is located to...
) and Khromka ' onMouseout='HidePop("84641")' href="/topics/Diatonic_and_chromatic">chromatic
Diatonic and chromatic
Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize scales, and are also applied to intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony...
"). Bisonoric garmons are, e.g., Tula accordion ' onMouseout='HidePop("9956")' href="/topics/Tula,_Russia">Tula
Tula, Russia
Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
) and talyanka (тальянка, "Italian
Culture of Italy
From antiquity until the 16th century, Italy was at the centre of Western culture, fulcrum or origin of the Etruscan civilization, Ancient Rome, the Roman Catholic Church, Humanism and the Renaissance....
")
The garmon is also known by the names garmoshka .
The garmon is an important musical instrument for Caucasian (Azeri, Georgian, Chechen
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
, Cherkess, etc.) and Volgian
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
(Tatar, Mari) folk and popular music.
Keyboard arrangement
Although reduced and expanded versions are widely available, the standard arrangement (known as "25 × 25") is as follows:- 25 treble buttons in two rows: Three diatonic octaves plus three accidentals.
- 25 bass buttons in three rows: Two rows of eight buttons, with bass notes and chords; one free-bass row.
Circle of fifths
In music theory, the circle of fifths shows the relationships among the 12 tones of the chromatic scale, their corresponding key signatures, and the associated major and minor keys...
order; the principal chords for the harmonic minor key are in the middle row; free bass notes are in the inner row. One free bass accidental note is included.
Russian types
Since the introduction of the accordion from Germany to Russia in 1830s, Russian masters invented a lot of different types of local garmons during the XIX and XX centuries.Tula garmon
Tula garmon was the first Russian accordion, which began to be manufactured since 1830s. It had five or seven buttons on the right keyboard, and like in the most Western diatonic accordions it produced different sounds on pull and push. So Tula garmon had two full diatonic octaves (from C4 to C6Piano key frequencies
This is a virtual keyboard showing the absolute frequencies in hertz of the notes on a modern piano in twelve-tone equal temperament, with the 49th key, the fifth A , tuned to 440 Hz...
). The left bass keyboard had two buttons. Tula garmon was a base for all the Russian diatonic bisonoric garmoshkas (Saratov, Kasimov
Kasimov
Kasimov is a town in Ryazan Oblast, Russia, which serves as the administrative center of Kasimovsky District . The town is situated on the left bank of the Oka River...
etc.)
Khromka
Khromka was invented in 1870 in TulaTula
Tula may refer to:In geography:*Tula, Hidalgo, a town in Mexico, once the capital and sacred city of the Toltec people.*Tula, Tamaulipas, a place in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico*Tula River in central Mexico...
on the design of Russian musician Nikolay Beloborodov. It was a unisonoric (like bayan
Bayan
Bayan may have the following meanings coming from various cultures* Bayan, means dawn in Kurdish language.*Bayan, the larger drum of the tabla set.* an Arabic female name meaning "clearness, eloquence."*Bayan, the Turkish word for "lady"...
or piano accordion) diatonic accordion but on the right keyboard there was also two or three chromatic buttons, usually g1♯, d2♯, f2♯, so hence the name khromka came as it was virtually chromatic. It became the most popular and widely-spread button accordion in Russia, so almost all modern Russian (as well as Soviet) garmons (usually made in Tula and Shuya
Shuya
Shuya is the third largest town in Ivanovo Oblast, Russia; located on the Teza River. Population: -History:The first record of Shuya is dated by 1393. Since 1403, the area was held by a branch of the House of Suzdal, which got their name "Shuysky" after the town. In 1539, the town was sacked by...
factories) are khromkas.
Vyatka garmon
Kirov, Kirov Oblast
Kirov , formerly known as Vyatka and Khlynov, is a city in northeastern European Russia, on the Vyatka River, and the administrative center of Kirov Oblast. Population: -History:...
governorate
Guberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
in the middle of the XIX century. It was chromatic unisonoric, it had a piano keyboard on the right side and two bass buttons on the left one. Vyatka garmon was a prototype for many different types of national accordions in the Volga region and the Caucasus (see below). Also after it there were made Russian diatonic and chromatic accordions: Elets "royal" (means with a piano keyboard, because in Russian a grand piano is called royal’) garmon, Beloborodov's royal garmon (made by Tula master Chulkov in 1870s on the design of Beloborodov, it had a full chromatic right keyboard and resembled modern piano accordions) and others.
SaratovSaratov-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
garmon
Saratov garmon is a diatonic bisonoroc garmoshka with a ringing bellsBell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
which utter sounds after each pressure on the accompaniment keys. To the accompaniment of this garmonika Lidia Ruslanova have sung.
Livenka
Livenka or Livenskaya garmoshka was developed during 1860-1870s in the factories around the town of LivnyLivny
Livny is a town in Oryol Oblast, Russia. Population: The town apparently originated in 1586 as Ust-Livny, a wooden fort on the bank of the Livenka River, although some believe that a town had existed on the spot previous to the Mongol invasion of Rus...
(Oryol Oblast
Oryol Oblast
Oryol Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Oryol. Population: -Geography:It is located in the southwestern part of the Central Federal District, in the Mid-Russian Highlands. Kaluga and Tula Oblasts border it in the north, Bryansk Oblast is located to...
).
Asian and CaucasianCaucasusThe Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
garmons
Russian garmons were popular not only among the Russians but also among the other nations of the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Almost all the national garmons are based on Tula, Vyatka and Khromka garmons with modifications needed to fit the local national musical traditions. Some were professionally invented in musical factories in the XX century.
VolgianVolga RiverThe Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
- Tatar accordion is a piano diatonic accordion, based on Vyatka garmon with slight modifications, it has usually 12 piano buttons on the right and 3 basses on the left (older versions) or 16 piano buttons on the right and 12 basses on the left (modern versions).
- Mari accordion (marla-karmon) is seven-button diatinic bisonoric, based on Tula garmon.
- Mari koga-karmon and ChuvashChuvashChuvash may refer to:*Chuvash people*Chuvash language*Chuvashia, a republic in Russia*Çuvaş, Azerbaijan...
kubos based on Khromka.
North Caucasian
- Komuz is a piano diatonic accordion, based on Vyatka garmon. This is one of the main instrument of folk music in the North Caucasus (DagestanDagestanThe Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
, Chechen, IngushIngush peopleThe Ingush are a native ethnic group of the North Caucasus, mostly inhabiting the Russian republic of Ingushetia. They refer to themselves as Ghalghai . The Ingush are predominantly Sunni Muslims and speak the Ingush language...
). - Pshine is a variant of the komuz used by AdygheAdygheThe Adyghe or Adygs , also often known as Circassians or Cherkess, are in origin a North Caucasian ethnic groupwho were displaced in the course of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the 19th century, especially after the Russian–Circassian War of 1862.Adyghe people mostly speak Adyghe and most...
and Kabardians.
Oriental accordion
Oriental bayan or accordion was invented in 1936 in the KazanKazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
musical factory, it has a right-hand piano keyboard but a little smaller, so in fact it imitates a piano accordion. In 1961 in the Kazan factory it was revised and the left keyboard mirrored the right one, though the left buttons are not rectangular but round like in button accordions. This type is popular in music of Azerbaijan
Music of Azerbaijan
Music of Azerbaijan builds on folk traditions that reach back nearly 1,000 years. For centuries Azerbaijani music has evolved under the badge of monody, producing rhythmically diverse melodies. Azerbaijani music has a branchy mode system, where chromatisation of major and minor scales is of great...
.
GeorgianGeorgia (country)Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
- Garmoni came to Georgia from Europe, namely, from Russia in the 1830s and immediately became popular among folk musicians. It is especially popular in Tusheti, where it is used as an accompanying instrument (together with vocals) and also as a solo instrument.
- Buzika is a kind of small accordion that is widespread especially among the mountain inhabitants of Georgia. Georgian accordion with its timbre does not sound like other countries’ accordions. It is considered to be women’s instrument and that is why a bride was often presented with Buzika at the time of engagement. It was widely used during the national holidays, merriments, and different parties. Consequently, Buzika’s repertoire mainly consists of song and dance melodies. Buzika was often used for performing solo melodies, but sometimes it was played in an ensemble with “Doli” (a drum), “Daira”, “Diplipito” and “Panduri”. Its sound is in good voice of Duduki, Salamuri, Panduri.
- Tsiko-Tsiko came to Georgia from Europe in the 1830s. Tsiko-Tsiko mainly accompanies dances.
External links
- History of Russian garmons and the Tula musical factory
- History of the differnet types of Russian garmons
- Saratov garmon
- Squeezebox, an open repository of squeezebox knowledge on Wikia.
- Georgian accordions
- The Nardin Gallery, (from Iran) has many photos of rare garmons and accordions.
- Russian Garmon , articles, books, sheet music, video & audiorecords, forum.