How It Started

We all know Ben Franklin as a Founding Father, writer, scientist, and philosopher, too as the inventor of the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove. Every bit a human of many talents, he as well played various instruments including the guitar, harp, viola da gamba, and his very ain musical invention—the one and only glass armonica.

In 1761, Franklin attended a concert in London where the lead musician "played" a water-tuned prepare of vino glasses. While Franklin thought information technology was a unique, cute audio, it occurred to him that the instrument itself wasn't all that functional.

He decided to take matters into his own hands and create some other, more avant-garde version of this musical instrument called the glass armonica–a proper name originating from the Greek word for harmony.

How It Works

The glass armonica was an iron rod with rotating drinking glass bowls, fitting ane inside the side by side, held together with cork. The varying sizes of the bowls allowed them to vibrate at different pitches used in the Western scale. Franklin color-coded each bowl to represent different notes, making information technology possible to go beyond simple notes and incorporate various chords and melodies as well.

The rod was fastened to a bicycle, which was manually turned by a foot pedal. The musician would dip their fingers in h2o and touch each bowl'southward border as it turned to go a sound similar to that of the singing glasses.

Glass Armonica

Ji-Elle via Wikimedia Commons (CC Past-SA 3.0)

This invention rapidly made waves, and before he knew it, Franklin's invention was existence used professionally by industry legends like Beethoven and Mozart. Shine sailing through the world of instruments, correct? Not so fast.

Franklin's armonica was becoming a true icon in the music world… until information technology started wreaking havoc on the minds and bodies of performers and their audiences.

Things Took a Turn, Quite Literally

Franklin'southward intention with the armonica was to provide soothing, cute music mimicking that of the h2o glasses. But unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. Living upwardly to its nowadays-solar day nickname, "the world's deadliest instrument," Franklin's glass armonica allegedly began killing people. The complication of the armonica overstimulated the brain, which ultimately caused dizziness, nervousness, hallucinations, and cramps amid performers.

Playing the Glass Armonica

Missus Martian via Flickr (CC By-NC-SA 2.0)

In 1808, German language glass armonica player Marianne Kirchgessner passed abroad, and many attributed her death to the chilling tones of Franklin's armonica. It was not only becoming an issue for musicians but listeners, too. A young child in Germany also died during an armonica performance, which resulted in some towns banning the musical instrument for good.

And as for the players of the armonica, information technology was also believed that, due to the constant touching of paint used to colour-code each bowl, musicians were falling very ill from pb poisoning.

Summoner of Spirits?

Bated from the physical toll the instrument supposedly took on players and listeners, some also believed that the high pitch sound summoned spirits of the expressionless–that the armonica had magical powers and, in some cases, drove individuals mad. It was reported that it fifty-fifty caused listeners to commit suicide.

Where Accept All The Armonicas Gone?

Thankfully, none of these bizarre killer claims accept ever been proven true. In fact, Ben Franklin chose to ignore near of them and continued to play the glass armonica until he died in 1790.

At that time, about 5,000 drinking glass armonicas had been built. Franklin never collected funds from his invention, nor did he patent the idea. Although withal around, by the 1830s the glass armonica had get a thing of the by.

At that place are a few musicians who play the musical instrument today, such equally Dennis James. If you're brave enough, give James a listen as he plays 1 of Mozart'due south compositions for the drinking glass armonica!

By Sam McCormack, contributor for Ripleys.com

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