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From an 18th-century engraving The glass harmonica was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. Glass hemispheres tuned at semitone intervals are mounted on a horizontal metal spindle that is turned by means of a pedal. The hemispheres dipped into a tank filled to a certain level with water. An astonishingly melodious sound was produced by touching the fingertips to the rim of the dampened glass. The glass harmonica was a popular instrument in the second half of the 18th century. Among the composers who wrote music specially for it were Mozart and Beethoven. |
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Copyright © 2006 State Hermitage Museum |
