So Now You Know

The glass armonica (named after the Italian word for harmonic) was devised by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. This once-popular instrument which employed glass bowls stacked horizontally inside one another and mounted on a small table inspired original scores from Mozart, Beethoven and other greats.

Franklin made beautiful, haunting music by dipping his fingers in water, spinning the bowls using a foot treadle and then playing them almost like a piano. One difference - he could sculpt each note by varying the speed of the bowls and the amount of pressure he applied -- similar to how a violinist uses a bow.