A glass harp (also called musical glasses, singing glasses, angelic organ, verrillon or ghost fiddle) is a
musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...
made of upright
wine glass
A wine glass is a type of glass that is used to drink and taste wine. Most wine glasses are stemware (goblets), i.e., they are composed of three parts: the bowl, stem, and foot.
Shapes
The effect of glass shape on the taste of wine has not been ...
es.
It is played by running moistened or chalked fingers around the rim of the glasses. Each glass is tuned to a different pitch, either by grinding each goblet to the specified pitch, in which case the tuning is invariable, or by filling the glass with water until the desired pitch is achieved. Adding water causes the pitch do go down. Each glass model may have its pitch lowered by a fourth or even large
interval
In addition, the sounds of a musical glass may be generated by bowing its rim with a bow for stringed instruments. In this case, a skilled musician may obtain the lowest tone (such as the one created by rubbing with the soaked finger) and also one or more higher notes, corresponding to the glass bowl highe
History
Musical glasses were documented in
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
in the 14th century.
[ Apel, Willi (1969). ]
Harvard Dictionary of Music
', p.347. Harvard. . The glass harp was created in 1741 by Irishman
Richard Pockrich, who is known as the first virtuoso of the musical glasses. Pockrich called his instrument the "angelic organ" and it was played with sticks, rather than by rubbing the glasses with a moistened finger. It was reported in 1760 that, "Pockrich played Handel's ''
Water Music
The ''Water Music'' is a collection of orchestral movements, often published as three suites, composed by George Frideric Handel. It premiered on 17 July 1717, in response to King George I's request for a concert on the River Thames.
Structu ...
'' on the glasses."
His successful concert career was brought to a premature end by a fire in which both the inventor and instrument perished in 1759.
The composer
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...
played the musical glasses. He performed in London in 1746,
and Copenhagen. His instrument consisted of 26 goblets, "filled with spring water."
The instrument was popular in the 18th century. Pockrich's contemporary, Ford, published ''Instructions for the Playing of the Musical Glasses'' while Bartl published a German version. In 1929
Bruno Hoffmann
Bruno Hoffmann (15 September 191311 April 1991) was a German glass harpist. Hoffmann is widely acknowledged as the virtuoso who reanimated contemporary interest in the glass harp and glass harmonica.
Bruno Hoffmann was born in Stuttgart, Germ ...
invented a glass harp consisting, "of 46 individually tuned glasses fixed on a resonant table."
''The Art of Instrumentation''
Contemporary uses
In 1924, radio station WLAG (Minneapolis-St. Paul) broadcast musical glasses performances by Olin Wold and "Mrs. J. Albert Huseby."
On March 9, 1938,
Bruno Hoffmann
Bruno Hoffmann (15 September 191311 April 1991) was a German glass harpist. Hoffmann is widely acknowledged as the virtuoso who reanimated contemporary interest in the glass harp and glass harmonica.
Bruno Hoffmann was born in Stuttgart, Germ ...
performed on the glass harp at the London Museum in a program including Mozart's Adagio (K. 356) and Quintet for harmonica, flute, viola, oboe, and cello (K. 617), accompanied by
Geoffrey Gilbert
Geoffrey Winzer Gilbert (28 May 1914 – 1989) was an English flautist, who was a leading influence on British flute-playing, introducing a more flexible style, based on French techniques, with metal instruments replacing the traditional wood. H ...
,
Leon Goossens
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...
,
Frederick Riddle
Frederick Craig Riddle OBE (20 April 19125 February 1995) was a British violist. He was considered to be in the line from Lionel Tertis and William Primrose, through to the violists of today such as Lawrence Power.
Early life and career
Frede ...
, and James Whitehead. It was an "exquisite performance, in which the flute and viola in their upper registers were almost indistinguishable from the glasses,
hich
Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...
held spell-bound a large audience, crowded over the floor, stairs and galleries".
On February 18, 1979,
Gloria Parker
Gloria Parker (née Rosenthal; August 20, 1921April 13, 2022) was an American musician and bandleader who had a radio show during the big band era. ''The Gloria Parker Show'' was broadcast nightly from 1950 to 1957, coast to coast on WABC. She ...
performed as a musical glasses
solo
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Comics
* ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series
* Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics
Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
ist with the
Hartford Symphony Orchestra
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra (HSO) is an American orchestra based in Hartford, Connecticut.
Overview
The orchestra presents more than 100 concerts annually to audiences numbering more than 110,000.
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s exten ...
at the
Jai alai
Jai alai (: ) is a sport involving bouncing a ball off a walled-in space by accelerating it to high speeds with a hand-held wicker ''cesta''. It is a variation of Basque pelota. The term ''jai alai'', coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also oft ...
fronton in Hartford, Connecticut.
Richard Hayman
Richard Hayman (March 27, 1920 – February 5, 2014) was an American musician who was the chief music arranger of the Boston Pops Orchestra for over 50 years, and served as a pops conductor for orchestras including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra ...
, noted for his arrangements for
Boston Pops
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart.
Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...
conductor
Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler (December 17, 1894 – July 10, 1979) was an American conductor known for his association with both the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one o ...
, was the guest conductor for the 90-piece orchestra that accompanied the musical glasses which included songs such as "
Lara's Theme
"Lara's Theme" is the name given to a leitmotif written for the film ''Doctor Zhivago'' (1965) by composer Maurice Jarre. Soon afterward, the leitmotif became the basis of the song "Somewhere, My Love". Numerous versions, both orchestral and voc ...
" from the movie ''
Dr. Zhivago
''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations.
Description
The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago
Yuri Andreievich Zhivago is the ...
'', "
Lover" and "
Amor".
There are several current musicians who professionally play the glass harp. Among them are the
Glass Duo
Glass Duo was founded by Anna and Arkadiusz Szafraniec. They are the only glass harp music group in Poland, one of few professional ensembles worldwide.
They perform both solo concerts and concerts with additional musicians. They have performe ...
from Poland, Philipp Marguerre and Clemens Hofinger in Germany, France's Jean Chatillion and Thomas Bloch, Brien Engel, and Dennis James in the United States and Canada's Real Berthiaume.
Glasses have been also used by rock band
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
during the recording of "
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition written by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright. It appeared on Pink Floyd's 1975 concept album ''Wish You Were Here''. The song is written about and dedicated to Syd ...
" on their ''
Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here may refer to:
Film, television, and theater Film
* ''Wish You Were Here'' (1987 film), a British comedy-drama film by David Leland
* ''Wish You Were Here'' (2012 film), an Australian drama/mystery film by Kieran Darcy-Smith ...
'' album, recorded and released in 1975.
Igor Sklyarov played the glass harp on the same song during two 2006 concerts recorded in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
by former guitarist
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...
. Gilmour also used the effect during his August 26, 2006, concert in
Gdańsk
Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, with the help of
Guy Pratt,
Phil Manzanera
Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801, and Quiet Sun. ...
and
Dick Parry. Both recordings are available on Gilmour's ''
Live in Gdańsk
''Live in Gdańsk'' is a live album by David Gilmour. It is a part of his ''On an Island'' project which includes an album, tour, DVD, and live album. It was released on 22 September 2008. A David Gilmour Signature Series Fender Stratocaster ...
'' CD, although the Venice recording is only available on the five-disc version of the album or as an internet download with the three- and four-disc versions.
A colorful set of water tuned glasses is depicted as being played with a pair of metal sticks in several key scenes of the 2009 Korean TV drama ''
Queen Seon Deok
''Queen Seondeok'' () is a 2009 South Korean historical drama produced by MBC and Time Box Production for the former's 48th founding anniversary, starring Lee Yo-won, Go Hyun-jung, Uhm Tae-woong, Kim Nam-gil and Park Ye-jin. It chronicles t ...
'', showing the series' main anti-heroine
Mishil
Mishil (c. 546/548 – c. 612) was a Silla aristocrat whose historicity is debated. According to the '' Hwarang Segi'', she was concubine to several kings and, along with his mother Queen Sado, played an instrumental role in dethroning King Ji ...
(
Go Hyun-jung
Go Hyun-jung (; born March 2, 1971) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the entertainment industry as a Miss Korea runner-up in 1989 and went on to star in '' Sandglass ''(1995), one of the highest-rated and critically acclaimed dramas in ...
), playing her own haunting theme melody ''Yurijan (Glasses)'' on that instrument.
''A Toast To Christmas with the Singing Glasses'' is an album recorded and released in 1980, composed and performed by Gloria Parker. Fourteen well-known
carols are performed with the glass harp producing flute-like sounds on crystal glasses, marking the first commercial album to use glasses as a musical instrument.
Recently, there have been new advancements in the popular use of the glass harp. British musician and composer
Jacob Collier
Jacob Collier (; né Moriarty; born 2 August 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His music incorporates a combination of jazz with elements from many other musical genres, and often features extensive use of reha ...
developed a similar instrument for his own productions
[ ] in 2016.
Glass Base (Foot) Vibration
Not only the rim of a wine glass may be rubbed to produce sounds, but also its base (foot), provided the stem is sufficiently long. This can be easily demonstrated by taking a glass for
gin and tonic
A gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin and tonic water poured over a large amount of ice. The ratio of gin to tonic varies according to taste, strength of the gin, other drink mixers being added, etc., with most recipes calling f ...
, for instance, with a large bowl and a rather long stem.
See also
*
Glass harmonica
The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, glass harmonium, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonica or harmonica (derived from , ''harmonia'', the Greek word for harmony), is a type of musical instrument that uses a ...
*
Jal tarang
The ''jal tarang'' (Hindi: जलतरंग) is a melodic percussion instrument that originates from the Indian subcontinent. It consists of a set of ceramic or metal bowls filled with water. The bowls are played by striking the edge with bea ...
*
Stick-slip phenomenon The stick–slip phenomenon, also known as the slip–stick phenomenon or simply stick–slip, is the spontaneous jerking motion that can occur while two objects are sliding over each other.
Cause
Below is a simple, heuristic description of stick ...
References
Further reading
*
Geissler, H. W. (1953). ''Die Glasharmonika''.
External links
glassharp.orgGrand Harmonicon, Baltimore, ca. 1830at
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 F ...
{{Authority control
1741 in music
Crystallophones
Sets of friction vessels
Pitched percussion instruments
Improvised musical instruments