Angelica GovaertOwner/Founder, Yogalebrity · Online Yoga Empire Builder

History of the Harmonium. Learn more in Online Yoga Teacher Training www.yogateachertraining.yoga

22 Jul 2023 · 1 min

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The video narrates the concise history of the harmonium, beginning with its invention in mid‑19th‑century France as a portable, affordable alternative to pipe organs. It quickly spread across Europe and North America. During the British colonial era, the instrument was introduced to India, initially used in Christian church music, but Indian musicians embraced it, adapting it to their spiritual and devotional traditions, where it remains a staple today. The narrative then jumps to the 1970s‑80s, highlighting how David Lyfe and Sharon Gannon imported the harmonium to New York, integrating it into their Jivamukti yoga practice, thereby linking the instrument to contemporary Western yoga classes.

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Have you ever heard the sound of this instrument in a yoga class and thought, "What the frack is that? How do I learn to play it immediately?" This is the story of the harmonium. First developed in France during the mid-19th century, portable and affordable harmoniums quickly gained popularity in Europe and North America as an alternative to larger pipe organs. Introduced to India during the British colonial period of the 19th century, Indians came to love harmoniums. At first, the harmonium harmonium was used in Christian church music. However, Indians quickly realized this instrument's potential and adapted it to their own musical traditions. Today, the harmonium is considered an essential instrument in much of India's spiritual music. David Lyfe and Sharon Gannon brought the harmonium to New York in the 1970s and '80s for their popular style of yoga called Jivamukti, which infused bhakti music into yoga classes