The Glass (H)armonica

[aeolium]

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.

[LeMartinPecheur]

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.

I was fascinated by the perceived link by contemporaries between the intrument and madness, hence Donizetti's use of it in the 1st version of the Lucia mad scene.

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.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It'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).

[umslopogaas]

If you struck a water-filled wine glass with a stick, wouldnt it more accurately be described as an idiot'sphone?

[MrGongGong]

It'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).

Not at all

it's clearly a Friction Idiophone according to the Hornbostel-Sachs classification

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction_idiophones

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbostel–Sachs

I'm also keen on this system

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Musical_instrument_classification_by_physics-based_organology.png

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'm also keen on this system

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mu...organology.png

I do like that one.

[Alyn_Shipton]

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...

[MrGongGong]

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...

Thanks for this
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 !)

http://www.glassarmonica.com/armonica/gerhard_finkenbeiner.php

and for many years there was a plea for information on their website

http://www.finkenbeiner.com/about.htm