Vocalion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A musical device that creates sound by forcing air through reeds, resembling an early keyboard instrument, and often used in theatrical compositions or performances
2. An early musical instrument that produces tones by blowing air through reeds controlled by keys, historically used in music and theater
3. A keyboard instrument from the past where sound is generated through air passing over reeds to create musical notes

Etymology: Much of what the name suggests is plain: it is a trademark-style coinage built on Latin "vox," meaning "voice," with the "-ion" ending common in invented brand names of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The name was chosen to suggest a singing or speaking tone, which fits an instrument whose reeds were meant to imitate the human voice. Because the name was a commercial invention rather than an older term passed down through musical tradition, it does not appear in the way that "organ" or "harmonium" does in the history of instruments. The best-known later use of the name is for a record label, which made the word more familiar to the public than the instrument itself. Details of the instrument's manufacture and dates are uncertain, so the safest account is the simple one: a modern coinage from "vox," not a word with deep roots in musical language.