The glass armonica, is considered a breakthrough invention in the music of Benjamin Franklin, as it is capable of producing incredibly creative and rich musical notes with 37 fragile bowls.
Glass Armonica – musical instrument consisting of 37 fragile glass bowls. (Image: Ji-Elle/Wikimedia).
As a member of the founding group of the United States, politician and scientist Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790) is famous for many inventions such as Franklin furnace, urinary catheter, lightning rod. Franklin was also an accomplished musician, so it was perhaps not surprising that he heard a unique sound in a concert in 1761 and was inspired to invent one of his most interesting creations – the aquatic armonica. pure.
During the concert, Franklin watched an orchestra player play a set of water-tuned wine glasses. He then took 37 glass bowls marked with different colors and fitted them into a rotating device that the player could operate with a foot pedal. The new instrument is easier to handle and allows players to create up to 10 notes at a time.
Glass Armonica is used by quite a few people. For example, in the seventh part of The Carnival of the Animals suite, composer Camille Saint-Saëns used the instrument to evoke a sense of underwater mystery. Mozart once composed the instrument and even the French queen Marie Antoinette knew how to play the glass armonica. Franklin not only has a place in classical music, but has also been used by a number of modern artists such as Tom Waits, David Gilmour and Björk.
Artist William Zeitler performing with glass armonica. (Video: William Zeitler)
However, the unique sound makes the glass armonica considered by some to be “the most dangerous musical instrument in the world” . In the 18th century, glass armonica fell out of favor because of concerns that it had the ability to drive listeners crazy. At that time, German musicologist Friedrich Rochlitz advised people to avoid playing this instrument. “Armonica overstimulates the nerves, pushing the player into a persistent state of depression, from there into a state of melancholy, melancholy – a way of gradual self-destruction,” he said.
One of the early proponents of glass armonica was Franz Anton Mesmer, a hypnotist that is believed to be the forerunner of modern hypnosis. Mesmer took full advantage of the acoustic advantages of the glass armonica as the backdrop for his hypnotic performances. According to a 1784 investigation by a number of leading scientists in France, including Franklin, the music Mesmer used only helped him create an atmosphere that led people to believe that his techniques were beneficial. for them, when the truth is not.
However, entering a temporary trance does not sound like Rochlitz’s description of “gradual self-destruction” . So what made people afraid of the glass armonica?
Modern musicologists learn why the tone of the glass armonica can be disorienting. This instrument produces sounds at a frequency of approximately 1,000 – 4,000 Hertz . At this frequency, the human brain struggles to determine where the sound is coming from. This may explain why for some people, hearing glass armonica can be an unpleasant experience.
Experts say there’s a more realistic reason why people stop playing glass armonica for a while. The way music is performed changes with concerts taking place in larger venues and amplification problems arise . Glass armonica artist William Zeitler explains, one can tune a piano to make it sound louder, but that’s not easy with an instrument made of flimsy glass bowls.