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LITR 4231 Early American
Literature Sample Research Posts 2014 (research post assignment) Research Post 2 |
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Liz Nolen
Weird and Beautiful, All At The Same Time
I would have to say that my musical background was a major reason I was
curious about the Glass Armonica. My parents made me take piano lessons at a
young age, and being a tomboy I did not appreciate them. This did not stop my
love for classical music, and I still enjoy listening to it even today. As a
matter of fact, I played the French horn in junior high and high school, mainly
because I loved the sound it made. In one Early American Literature class we were shown a YouTube video of
an odd instrument being played, and I could not resist doing my research paper
about it and its inventor. For instance, what was the deciding factor that made
Benjamin Franklin want to make one of these? I also wanted to know how he made
his first Armonica and how did he know his design would work? In my search for
the answers to my questions, I came across some
legends and a few other interesting
facts about the Armonica and its creator.
While visiting London in 1757, Franklin attended a recital given by
Edward Delaval, who played music by passing a wet finger around the rim of a
drinking glass. Delaval improved the idea of Richard Pockrich, the original
inventor, who perished in a fire in his own home. Delaval used glasses that were
better tuned and easier to play. As
soon as he heard the sound of the tunes, Ben was captivated.
He decided that he could make something that made the same sounds, but
would be easier to manipulate. I can picture him drawing his ideas on the
program during the recital. As a result of this idea he had, Franklin invented
the Glass Armonica, which he first called the
glassychord in 1761. How he built
this instrument, and the thought behind it, is truly amazing.
The word Armonica comes from the Italian word
harmony, and eventually through the
years it was changed to Glass Harmonica. Franklin’s invention eliminated having
to tune the glasses with water; in fact it improved the ability to play and
reduced the size of the device that Delaval played. Franklin did this by first
contracting a glass-blower and had him make each glass piece, or bowl, the
correct size and thickness to give the desired pitch without them having to be
filled with water. The glass near the edge of each bowl is about a tenth of an
inch thick compared to the thickness near the neck. Eventually there will be
thirty-seven bowls put together on a spindle, and tuned to create three octaves
of notes. Each tone is made by the thickness of the glass, not the diameter of
it. Franklin would have the bowls ground down around the neck and up towards the
brim until the desired tone was reached. He also mentions tuning the glass by
using a “well-tuned” harpsichord. It was stated in my readings that Franklin
color-coded the bowls to explain the different notes. I discovered that the type
of water was very important, as well as clean hands. One reference said that
when a player used soft water, no tone came out at all. Another reference stated
that if your hands were not washed properly, body oil could also affect the
instrument and how it played.
Surprisingly, one article included Franklin’s original directions and even
pointed out what type of wood he used to build the wooden parts of the Armonica.
“My
wheel is of mahogany, 18 inches diameter, and pretty thick, so as to conceal
near its circumference about 25 lb of lead.”
Lead was frequently mentioned in many of
my articles, and fit in with some of the legends surrounding the Armonica.
There were many legends, or myths, about the Armonica; just listening to
or playing the instrument would cause you to go insane or mad. A number of
audience members claimed they fainted or were beset with emotion. Once during a
concert in Germany a small child died and the Armonica was blamed and then
banned in some areas. Still others thought the high-pitched unearthly tones
invoked the spirits of the dead, and that they had magical powers.
Another key point is that an occult German physician, Franz Mesmer, used
the Armonica in treating patients. This practice was based on his theory of
“animal magnetism” or the use of human magnetic forces to cure ailments. Mesmer
would soothe his patients into a hypnotic state using the Armonica, which is why
the music is referred to as mesmerizing.
Equally important is the fact that some players became ill, complaining
of muscle spasms, cramps, nervousness, and dizziness, and had to stop playing.
Lead from the crystal bowls or the paint used could have been absorbed into the
musicians’ fingers when they touched the glass, causing these issues. One point
that could be overlooked is that lead was a commonly used metal in the
eighteenth century, and glass contained unsafe amounts of it. It is hard to
blame just the Armonica when these same people could have easily been in contact
with the lead from other sources. There was no scientific explanation or proof
that the Armonica caused the illnesses I have talked about, but it
was mentioned that Franklin was
never bothered by any of these problems.
I want to mention some interesting facts that I found while researching
the Glass Armonica. The armonica’s
interesting tones were effective enough to grab the interest of some of the
major composers of that time period. Beethoven, Mozart, Donizetti, Richard
Strauss and Saint-Saens all wrote music for the Armonica. Marianne Davies, a
well known London musician, played the Armonica all over Europe when it
premiered in 1762. As a matter of fact, it was mentioned that women performed
with the Armonica the most, which was unusual for this period of time. It is
equally important to mention that at the time of Franklin’s death in 1790, there
had been more than 5,000 armonicas built. I found it admirable that Mr. Franklin
never collected any money for this invention, and he refused to patent it. I
think this says quite a bit about the type of man he was. The Armonica was
popular until about the mid-1800s, when it started losing its popularity.
Gerhard Finkenbeiner gave the instrument a new start in 1982, and you will find
that the music is still being produced to this day, but only by a few classical
musicians.
I enjoyed learning more about the Glass Armonica, while learning quite a
few things I did not know about Benjamin Franklin.
This man was constantly thinking about inventing something, or improving
something he saw. I found the answers to my questions, although the
why he built it was simple; he wanted
to improve something because it piqued his interest.
How he made the Armonica was very interesting, and Franklin’s directions
were so detailed I feel a craftsman could reproduce one of these instruments.
The legends made me laugh, and I wonder how these people would react if they
could hear some of the music that we play today; surely they would faint! The
lead information reminded me of years ago, when we had commercials on the
television telling people to remove any lead paint in their homes because it
could endanger them and their family members. I am grateful that the class
leader showed us this particular YouTube video so that I could learn something
new, and share it with my future students.
References
http://www.fi.edu/learn/sci-tech/armonica/armonica.php?cts=benfranklin-recreation
http://www.glassarmonica.com/armonica/franklin_correspondence/index.php
http://www.hektoeninternational.org/medicine-musica.html
http://www.reviler.org/2010/10/26/do-look-back-the-glass-harmonica/
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