Harmonium Art museuM
The Harmonium Art museuM (HAM) is a museum on pump organs in the province of Antwerp, Belgium. It is located at the former Church of the Immaculate Conception in Klein-Willebroek.
  Location within Belgium | |
| Location | Klein-Willebroek |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°4′48.868″N 4°21′55.508″E |
| Type | Musical instrument museum |
| Collections | Pump organs |
| Founder | Ben Roemendael |
| Owner | Ben Roemendael |
| Website | harmoniummuseum |
The collection has been brought together by Ben Roemendael. In order to be able to show the organs to the public, he founded the museum. One can see free-reed and suction-reed organs. All instruments have been disassembled, cleaned and restored. There are eighty organs all together of which sixty can still be played on.[1]
The pump organs are originating from different countries. One suction-reed organ was built in 1872 in the United States and has two keyboards and a pipe top of Mason & Hamlin. Another, German one was made by Lindholm and has a shared left and right expression and an extension register.[2] The museum has the largest collection of pump organs of Belgian make, like from the families Anneessens, Loret, Kerckhoff and a great many more.[1]
Beside the exposition, organ music is being performed of Belgian composers like Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens and César Franck.[3] Other types of music are performed as well, like from a brass band[4] or in a constellation with other musicians, like a soprano being accompanied by a pump organ and a piano.[5]
References
- Gluseum, Harmonium Art Museum (in Dutch)
- Expertisecentrum voor Technisch Wetenschappelijk en Industrieel Efgoed, Harmonium Art Museum (H.A.M.) (in Dutch)
- Gazet van Antwerpen, Lenteconcert in HAM op 11 april, 8 April 2015 (in Dutch)
- Het Nieuwsblad, Brassband Willebroek musiceert in Harmonium Art Museum, 1 December 2012 (in Dutch)
- Gesellschaft der Orgelfreunde, Frühjahrskonzert im Harmonium-Art-Museum Archived 2018-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, 16 March 2014 (in German)