Psalmodikon Gallery Exhibits: Row 2
NAP0004: Storhoff Psalmodikon
Henry Storhoff (1905-1987) of Lanesboro, MN was one of a handful of people
in the U.S. keeping alive the lost art of playing the psalmodikon. He taught
himself to play the instrument when he was about 11 years old using Norwegian
instruction books. He once said “there was a time when I thought maybe I
was the only person in America playing one”. Henry made a stand to 
hold
the psalmodikon while he played. He thought the psalmodikon would resonate
more when played in the stand than if it was played the more traditional
way of lying on a table. He felt that this produced a sound volume which
was somewhat less than that of a good pipe organ.
This Norwegian style psalmodikon was made by Henry’s great uncle in 1880 and has been in the Storhoff family since then. Henry Storhoff’s daughter Solveig is now the keeper of her father’s psalmodikon.
NAP0005: Mortenson Psalmodikon
In
2000 this Psalmodikon was discovered in the attic of a 150 year old log
cabin in Pope County Minnesota that was built by Paul Mortenson's great
great grandfather. The Psalmodikon has been restored and is again being
played by the Paul Mortenson family in Benson, MN.
NAP0006: Winkjer Psalmodikon
This
Psalmodikon is now owned by Floyd Foslien of Hudson, WI
It belonged to his great-grandmother, Gurine Winkjer, who brought it with
her when she immigrated, as a young girl, from Trondheim, Norway in the
1860's. She played the Psalmodikon until her death in 1917.
It
was put away in storage for many years and eventually given to her son and
his wife, Nola, who played it until 1995 when it was then sold at a family
auction and purchased by Floyd. Since that time Floyd has learned to play
the Psalmodikon and has made several other Psalmodikons fashioned after
the orginal one.
