Glass Armonica
A Contemporary Take on a Historical Instrument
As a fan of Benjamin Franklin’s, I’ve always had an interest in his more outlandish inventions, and the glass armonica is no exception. A musical instrument made of a series incrementally larger glass bowls, the musician would wet their fingers and play strong ringing notes, playing the bowls like wine glasses.
"As we enjoy great Advantages from the Inventions of others we should be glad of an Opportunity to serve others by any Invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously." - Ben Franklin
“Ben Franklin completed his glass armonica in 1761. (Its name is derived from the Italian word for harmony.) He didn't simply refine the idea of musical glasses, which were played much like children at the dinner table play them today, with notes being determined by the amount of water in the glass. Rather, Franklin made chords and lively melodies possible on his new instrumental invention.
Working with a glassblower in London, Franklin made a few dozen glass bowls, tuned to notes by their varying size and fitted one inside the next with cork. Each bowl was made with the correct size and thickness to give the desired pitch without being filled with any water. Franklin also painted them so that each bowl was color-coded to a different note. A hole was put through the center of the glass bowls, and an iron rod ran through the holes. The rod was attached to a wheel, which was turned by a foot pedal. Moistened fingers touched to the edge of the spinning glasses produced the musical sounds.”
Benjamin Franklin’s Glass Armonica. The Franklin Institute.
