Harmoniums at Ananda

The Northwest’s Largest Selection

Devotional chanting with a harmonium was widely popularized in the West by Paramhansa Yogananda, beginning with his arrival in America in 1920. At Carnegie Hall, New York, 1925, he led 3,000 souls for 1.5 hours in chanting, “O God Beautiful,” Yogananda’s translation of Guru Nanak’s song, “Hay Hari Sundara.” Today, Yogananda’s chants continue to bring deep inspiration to devotees all over the world.

In support of this important spiritual practice, Ananda in Seattle regularly imports harmoniums direct from India. Once checked and adjusted, these instruments are made available to the public at East West Bookshop in Seattle and the Ananda Meditation Temple in Bothell. As we typically stock anywhere from six to twelve harmoniums in different sizes and price ranges, we’re sure that you’ll be able to find the particular instrument that best suits both your ear and your budget.

Learning to Play

If you’re new to the harmonium, we’ll gladly help you learn a few basics about playing the instrument and help connect you with experienced musicians who can provide you with ongoing support. Ananda Seattle also offers periodic workshops on chanting and playing the harmonium.

Group Chanting

Ananda also offers monthly kirtans where you can come and simply enjoy the power of devotional chanting with like-minded souls. Please see our Kirtans page for more information.

Selecting a Harmonium

From their very beginnings, harmoniums were made for devotional music: their small size and heart-warming tone make them ideal for personal and group use alike.

We encourage you to visit our two locations and play all our harmoniums to find the one that resonates with your inner self. For just like human beings, each individually hand-crafted harmonium has its unique tonal personality. Variances occur not only between different models, but between different instances of the same model.

So after considering the features of different models (see our Harmonium Features Guide), we recommend sitting down and playing each instrument to find the one that sings to your heart. You can come by the Temple Tuesdays-Fridays, 11am-5pm, or by appointment (call 425-806-3700).Several of our instruments are also available at East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE. Call 206-523-3726 for hours.

Available Models:

Bina Sangheet 3-1/2 octaves double-reed 9 stops 4 extra notes multifold bellows highly finished teak wood cabinet Price: $550.00

Bina Model 23B 3-1/4 octave collapsible double reed 3 air stops 2 drone knobs 1 tremolo knob coupler lever top-fold bellows organ-style keys Price: $460.00

Bina Model No. 10 3-1/4 octave double reeds 1 extra note 5 stops double bellows table model Price: $375.00

Maintenance

Simple care instructions are included with each harmonium. With a little loving care, a harmonium will continue to play well for many years, even decades.

Fortunately, most adjustments and corrections are easy to perform yourself. Details can be found in The Harmonium Handbook.