The Glass Harmonica

[Guest]

If anyone has come across the broadcast of this, I'd be most grateful if they'd let me know before it's too late to Listen Again.

[aeolium]

I'd also like to hear it, tony yyy, but can't see it in the schedules anywhere. If it's played, I hope it's in a performance with glass harmonica and not celesta (as I've sometimes heard it).

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

As I pointed out earlier, the unnumbered symphonies are not mentioned in the RT listings. But they did play Symphony no. "42" in a morning programme a couple of days ago. It really isn't much help not to list works being played. It's not as if to say any would want to listen to the radio all day for 12 days, just on the off-chance... Particularly with the unbending style of just one composer.
I might even like Birtwistle after this.

There are 2 kinds of glass harmonica - the more playable has a series of revolving glass discs, making it easier to chance notes quickly. But some players prefer the traditional wineglass setup, on the basis of superior sound.

[MrGongGong]

There are 2 kinds of glass harmonica - the more playable has a series of revolving glass discs, making it easier to chance notes quickly. But some players prefer the traditional wineglass setup, on the basis of superior sound.

where did you get that idea ?
the instruments made by Finkenbeiner are IMV far superior to any set of table top glasses

http://finkenbeiner.com/

also this lot are very good

http://www.glassmusic.org/en

[tony yyy]

The Bruno Hoffman recordings used to be the standard (only?) ones. I don't know if they've been superseded.

[aeolium]

The first recording of the work I heard, in an LP of Mozart's Masonic music, had the celesta as the solo instrument (played by Peter Maag) - it was only quite a bit later that I got to hear the work played with a glass harmonica (probably in the Hoffman recording). It would be good to hear in concert.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The Bruno Hoffman recordings used to be the standard (only?) ones. I don't know if they've been superseded.

Bruno Hoffman preferred the table glasses to the hi-tech version. I've been trying to find the picture of him playing it. I'll keep trying.

The glass harmonica is one of those non-electronic instruments that doesn't fit into the normal scientific categories of aerophones, chordophones, membranophones and idiophones. It has certain affinities with idiophones, but has even been given a class of its own - "aquaphones".

[MrGongGong]

Actually
It's a friction idiophone, like some of the Baschet instruments and Ellen Fullmans "Long string instrument"
where do you get your information ???

(though Elgar would be much improved by the addition of Franklins great invention !)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Actually

(though Elgar would be much improved by the addition of Franklins great invention !)

Don't be silly, MrGongGong. You can't improve on Elgar. It's like Hawes Wensleydale cheese. :)

[doversoul1]

tony
The only work for the glass harmonica by Mozart I know is Adagio and Rondo in C Minor, K. 617. You don’t mean this? Not that I have heard this played so far (or I missed it if it has).

[tony yyy]

Yes, that's the one, doversoul - it's a gorgeous quintet for glass harmonica, flute, oboe, viola and cello, although I think there's also a separate adagio

[doversoul1]

Tony
Ah! Glad to know that I was thinking of the same work, and by Bruno Hoffman. I owned his LP and thought it was the most beautiful sound in the world. I posted this on the old R3 MBs but there is another recording: by one Thomas Bloch on Naxos, with the adagio. I played it once and put it away. It wasn’t the glass harmonica itself that made the music so magical but it was Hoffman. I should have held on to my memory.

As for this fest, I expect it was played on the harp or some such and quietly left to slip away.

[tony yyy]

I think one of the many trailers/adverts said that tomorrow is to be devoted to 1791 so perhaps it will be broadcast then. I still can't find any trace of of it on the schedule.

At the risk of seeming obsessed by this, I feel it it would be a shame not to give the piece at least some prominence as, slight as it is in some ways, for me, at least, it contains some of the essence of Mozart's genius. Even with an unconventional choice of instruments, as far as I'm aware, he achieves a wonderful blend and texture to produce a thing of beauty.

[aeolium]

Did this work surface at all - does anyone know whether it was played and if so when?

Strange that it should prove so elusive when there were lots of performances of some works. I almost lost count of the number of broadcasts of the Magic Flute overture, for instance.

[Panjandrum]

Did this work surface at all - does anyone know whether it was played and if so when?

Strange that it should prove so elusive when there were lots of performances of some works. I almost lost count of the number of broadcasts of the Magic Flute overture, for instance.

It definitely was played as I listened to it on one of the recordings I made, before discarding Unfortunately, I cannot recall when or where. However, I wholeheartedly recommend Philips compilation of Mozart quintets, containing as it does unsurpassed performances of the string quintets by Grumiaux et al, in addition to that for the glass harmonica.