The mélophone is a portable

free reed A free reed aerophone is a musical instrument that produces sound as air flows past a vibrating reed in a frame. Air pressure is typically generated by breath or with a bellows. In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, it is number 412.13 (a member of ...

instrument first constructed by Parisian watchmaker Pierre Charles Leclerc in 1837. After persuasion from Leclerc, composer

Fromental Halévy Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (; 27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera ''La Juive''. Early career Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantor ...

included the instrument in his 1838 opera, ''

Guido et Ginevra ''Guido et Ginevra, ou La Peste de Florence'' (French: ''Guido and Ginevra, or the Plague at Florence'') is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to a libretto by Eugène Scribe. It was premiered on 5 March 1838 by the Paris Opera at t ...

'' and briefly popularized the instrument. However, by 1855, the novelty had worn off and the instrument faded into relative obscurity.

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Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

{{FreeReed-instrument-stub Free reed aerophones