Glass harp
A glass harp being played in Rome, Italy. The rims of wine
glasses filled with water are rubbed by the player's fingers to
create the notes.
For the band, see Glass Harp (band) or for the similar instrument, see Glass
harmonica.
A glass harp (also called musical glasses, singing glasses, angelic
organ, verrilion or ghost fiddle) is a musical instrument made of upright wine
glasses.
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.
Contents
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History[edit]
[1]
Musical glasses were documented in Persia in the 14th century. The glass
harp was created in 1741 by Irishman Richard Pockrich, who is known as the
[2]
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
[1]
Handel's Water Music on the glasses." His successful concert career was
brought to a premature end by a fire in which both the inventor and instrument
[3]
perished in 1759.
The composer Christoph Willibald Gluck played the musical glasses. He
[1]
performed in London in 1746, and Copenhagen. His instrument consisted of 26
[4] [1]
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
[5]
published a German version. In 1929 Bruno Hoffmann invented a glass harp
[1]
consisting, "of 46 individually tuned glasses fixed on a resonant table."
The Art of Instrumentation[edit]
This instrument, consisting of a number of tuned glasses, adapts itself
excellently for the accompaniment of a Zither, owing to its delicate tonal-
quality. The following is its usual compass: [image: G3-E6] But some possess a
compass of only two octaves from [image: C4] to [image: C6]. Its tone [timbre] is
very similar to the harmonics of a Zither, and if treated skilfully can be easily
produced, in all tonal-shadings, from the most delicate 'pianissimo' to a
moderate 'forte.' It is very effective as a solo instrument, with the
accompaniment of a muted string quartette. Only sustained songs
and melodious passages are adapted for this instrument.
[6]
— Prof. Henri Kling, The Art of Instrumentation (1905)
Contemporary uses[edit]
On March 9, 1938, Bruno Hoffmann 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, Leon Goossens, Frederick Riddle, and James Whitehead. It was an
"exquisite performance, in which the flute and viola in their upper registers
were almost indistinguishable from the glasses, [which] held spell-bound a large
[7]
audience, crowded over the floor, stairs and galleries".
On February 18, 1979, Gloria Parker performed as a musical glasses soloist with
the Hartford Symphony Orchestra at the Jai Alai Fronton in Hartford,
Connecticut, USA. Richard Hayman, noted for his arrangements for Boston
Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler, was the guest conductor for the 90-piece
orchestra that accompanied the musical glasses which included songs such as
"Lara's Theme" from the movie Dr. Zhivago, "Lover" and "Amor".
There are several current musicians who professionally play the glass harp.
Among them are the Glass Duo 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 famous rock band Pink Floyd during the recording of
"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" on their Wish You Were Here album, recorded and
released in 1975. Igor Sklyarov played the glass harp on the same song during
two 2006 concerts recorded in Venice, Italy by former guitarist David Gilmour.
[8]
Gilmour also used the effect during his August 26, 2006 concert
in Gdańsk, Poland, with the help of Guy Pratt, Phil Manzanera and Dick Parry.
Both recordings are available on Gilmour's Live in Gdańsk CD, although the
[9]
Venice recording is only available on the 5-disc version of the album or as an
internet download with the 3- and 4-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 extremely successful 2009 Korean TV
drama Queen Seon Deok, showing the series' main anti-heroine Mishil (Go Hyun-
jung) playing her own haunting theme melody Yurijan (Glasses) on that
[10]
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
[citation needed]
musical instrument.
See also[edit]
Glass harmonica
Jalatarangam
