The guide-chant (singing guide) is a small harmonium used to accompany choral singing. It is a free reed aerophone using thirty-seven reeds, with a range of three

octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...

s. It employs a manually pumped bellows. The keyboard consists of forty-four keys, although only thirty seven can be played at a given time, due to the number of reeds. This system is used because the keyboard is transposable, being physically shifted three of four semitone higher or lower to facilitate playing in different keys. It was played resting on a table. With manual models, the instrument had a handle on the left hand side of the instrument, which limited playing to the right hand. With more recent

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

models, the instrument uses electric bellows.

History

The guide-chant was used in

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

s, private institutions and

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

s, from the latter half of the 19th century until the 1960s. In France, many manufactures made these instruments; Kasriel and Pleyel et Cie in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, Richard in Étrépagny, Dumont in Les Andelys, Roethinger in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

. Alexandre Père et Fils fr">:fr:Alexandre Père et Fils">fr/small> also was a major manufacturer of Guide-Chants.

References

Keyboard instruments Reed aerophones French musical instruments {{Aerophone-instrument-stub