Today, the most accomplished harmonium players are from the subcontinent, where the instrument is used both as an accompaniment in classical and popular music, as also for solo performances.
However, the harmonium still has stray fans in the West. Here is a selection of contemporary harmonium performances.
Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers
This Brooklyn band has won acclaim for its blues-punk sound. Ray has impressed fans for combining nifty harmonium playing with with a "big-voiced blues-rock howler" vocal approach.
Mariana Sadovska
A Ukrainian performer who lives in Germany, Sadovska has been travelling through the villages of her native land, collecting songs, legends and rhymes from women.
Allen Ginsberg
While many people know Ginsberg's raw poetry, few remember the clutch of albums he recorded. They included 'First Blues: Rags, Ballads & Harmonium Songs'.
Click here to watch it on YouTube.
