Glasharmonika

The instrument was even banned from a German town by police decision for ruining the health of people and disturbing public order (a child died during a concert).

Franklin's armonica, also known as a glass harmonica, was made from 37 glass bowls of varying thicknesses and sizes threaded horizontally on an iron spindle which could be turned by a foot pedal. By moistening their fingers with water, a player could produce up to ten notes or chords at a time.

The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, glass harmonium, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonica or harmonica (derived from ἁρμονία, harmonia, the Greek word for harmony), is a type of musical instrument that uses a series of glass bowls or goblets graduated in size to produce musical ...

hydrocrystalophone (See discussion of works written for the instrument following the source list for this article) Named after the Italian word armonia, meaning “harmony,” the armonica also has quite a few alternative names: the hydrocrystalophone, the glass harmonica, the bowl organ, and the glassychord.

The glass armonica took the world by storm in its early stages after being hailed as one of the most celebrated instruments of the 18th century but, by the 1820s, it took a turn for the worse after people soon began reporting harrowing stories after playing it.

Invented by Ben Franklin and once rumored to drive people to madness (it didn't), the glass armonica is a strange and delicate instrument that only a handful of people in the world can still play. But that hasn't put a stop to its otherworldly sound.

Various features of the film were deemed unfit for release by the censors. The surreal hand-drawn animation style and unorthodox score composed by Alfred Schnittke contradicted the artistic style of socialist realism that had been mandated by the Soviet government.

Furthermore, studies show that learning a musical instrument like the harmonica helps strengthen the same parts of the brain responsible for language processing (source). Learning harmonica introduces the language of music and enhances our brain's ability to learn other languages.

These are different spellings of the same instrument. Franklin originally named his invention the "armonica", after the Italian word "armonia" which means "harmony", in 1761. Franklin's armonica was especially popular in Germany where it was known as the glassharmonika.

The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica include diatonic, chromatic, tremolo, octave, orchestral, and bass versions.

Franklin never collected funds from his invention, nor did he patent the idea. Although still around, by the 1830s the glass armonica had become a thing of the past. There are a few musicians who play the instrument today, such as Dennis James.