I thought this was an interesting and enjoyable programme on the Glass Harmonica (or Armonica as the title has it), presented by Evelyn Glennie. There were quite a few examples of compositions from C18 to C20, not just the well-known Mozart pieces, and I did not know that Gluck had performed his music on a set of glasses before Franklin developed his own version of the instrument. Well worth a listen, and I wish it could be followed up with other features on unusual instruments.
The Glass (H)armonica
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Originally posted by aeolium View PostI thought this was an interesting and enjoyable programme on the Glass Harmonica (or Armonica as the title has it), presented by Evelyn Glennie. There were quite a few examples of compositions from C18 to C20, not just the well-known Mozart pieces, and I did not know that Gluck had performed his music on a set of glasses before Franklin developed his own version of the instrument. Well worth a listen, and I wish it could be followed up with other features on unusual instruments.
The sad thing was that the perception was quite correct and rooted in simple but then-unknown science - constant licking of fingers that had been in hard contact with glass that had a high lead content meant acute lead poisoning and mental deterioration.I keep hitting the Escape key, but I'm still here!
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Originally posted by Eine Alpensinfonie View PostIt's an instrument that has defied thestandard classification of chordophones, aerophones, membranophones & idiophones. It is, therefore, sometimes classed as an aquaphone, though some still class it as an idiophone (which it would be if you struck a water-filled wineglass with a stick).
it's clearly a Friction Idiophone according to the Hornbostel-Sachs classification
I'm also keen on this system
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Mr Gonggong, in a way you are right that the Glass Armonica fits the Sachs Hornbostel classification as a friction idiophone, and Wiki's useful summary shows where it fits, but at the time I was publisher of the New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments in 1984, we did not think it was sufficiently clear cut as that, in that some versions of the instrument are struck rather than stroked. You'll find playing techniques in the article "Musical Glasses", and you'll see that we agreed to categorize it as a "cystallophone" (ie "an instrument that sounds as a result of the vibration of glass or similar brittle substance". I believe this is generally accepted by organologists. Why should I be interested? Well, I produced Dame Evelyn's programme...
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Originally posted by Alyn_Shipton View PostMr Gonggong, in a way you are right that the Glass Armonica fits the Sachs Hornbostel classification as a friction idiophone, and Wiki's useful summary shows where it fits, but at the time I was publisher of the New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments in 1984, we did not think it was sufficiently clear cut as that, in that some versions of the instrument are struck rather than stroked. You'll find playing techniques in the article "Musical Glasses", and you'll see that we agreed to categorize it as a "cystallophone" (ie "an instrument that sounds as a result of the vibration of glass or similar brittle substance". I believe this is generally accepted by organologists. Why should I be interested? Well, I produced Dame Evelyn's programme...
I would think that Franklins Armonica is definitely of the friction idiophone (like the Cristal Baschet) where's there are "tuned glasses" that are less of a "built" instrument and more of an assembly of parts (though I have seen some with specifically made glasses)........ like Harry Partch's "Cloud Chamber Bowls"
Gerhard Finkenbeiner who was responsible for making many modern instruments also vanished in mysterious circumstances (I'm sure you know this anyway and i haven't had time to listen to the programme yet so apologies if it was included !)
and for many years there was a plea for information on their website
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