Arthur Quentin de Gromard, Date of Birth, Date of Death
TweetArthur Quentin de Gromard
French musician
Date of Birth: 
About Arthur Quentin de Gromard
- Arthur Quentin de Gromard (1821–1896) was a French musician. Gromard lived in Eu, Seine-Maritime, founded a philharmonic society (the Cécilienne) in 1857, and he was the inventor of a musical instrument, called the cecilium (1861).
- He spent 35 years on the design of this complex instrument, a cross between a harmonium and a cello.
- It is related to the concertina, bandoneon and the accordion.
- Only 310 originals were ever created.
- This instrument is on display in museums in Brussels, Milan and New York, the Schweizerisches Harmonium-Museum, Liestal and Ringve Museum, Trondheim, Norway.
- The instrument uses free reeds and, according to its inventor, could be used as a solo instrument, to provide accompaniment, or as a quartet.
- However, "its sound was not powerful enough to meet the demands of a regular orchestral instrument." A peculiar free reed and keyboard instrument invented by Quantin de Crousard and exhibited in Paris in 1867.
- It was the shape and about the size of the violincello and was held in the same position.
- It had reeds acted upon by keys pressed by the left hand and supplied by wind from bellows worked by the right hand by means of a handle like a bow.
- The cecilium had a compass of about five octaves, and the tone was sweet and sonorous. It was described in the Crosby Brown Collection: A pear-shaped case of red wood with flat back and short neck, in which are 78 ivory touches arranged in 6 rows of 13 each.
- These touches operate a series of free reeds, which, with the bellows, are concealed within the case.
- Wind is supplied to the bellows by a handle working through an opening in the lower part of the front of the case.
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