Discovering the Glass Armonica

The cold, winter weather does not faze Madrid. There is a gay, fiesta atmosphere everywhere. The wide plazas are full of people of all ages. There are natives chatting with friends, having meals on the benches, watching their children play, walking their dogs or just plain hanging out. And among them are loads of tourists from all over the world. It is a happy sight made all the more enjoyable by the presence of mascots you can have your picture taken with, artists who will draw your portrait, acrobats, mimes and all sorts of musicians, one of whom is very interesting.

He is on the sidewalk, apart from the others doubtless because of the huge space needed by his instrument. It is a strange one. It looks like a glass harp but somewhat different. The title of the CD album he has on display says that it is a Glass Armonica. It uses wet glass bowls or goblets of graduated sizes to produce musical tones. This happens when wet fingers rub the glass. In the hands of an expert, the armonica can play anything. Unlike its relative the glass harp, which has a clear tinkling sound, this one is eerie and dissonant, a bit like chalk being rubbed on the blackboard. But it is of the sweet sort and when listened to intently, is one of exquisite beauty.

Playing the instrument on the Madrid street is Constantin Beloguazov, who constructed his own armonica. The CD, titled Clasica de Cristal that he offers to passers-by, features his recording of some of the most beloved classical compositions in the world. Para Elisa by Beethoven, Boccherini’s Minuet; Tchaikovsky’s Cancion Napolitana; Schubert’s Momento Musical; Handel’s Pasacaglia; Mozart’s Rondo a la Turca; Bach’s Aria and others. The production is simple. Just Beloguazov playing the armonica, but the familiar melodies combined with the unique sound is utterly fascinating.

The experience sent me to the web in search of all that I could find out about the armonica, which Wikipedia says is also called the harmonica. No, this glass instrument has nothing at all to do with the reed wind instrument that we call a harmonica today. That one was invented in 1821, which was a good 60 years after the glass armonica, which is the ancestor of the glass harp, was born. So now we know, whoever invented the harmonica that we blow into to play, appropriated its name from another musical instrument. We can’t really blame him as harmony is the root word of harmonica and is one of music’s beautiful attributes.

The armonica dates back to the Renaissance period. It is mentioned in Galileo’s papers. It is said that Marie Antoinette knew how to play it. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote music to be performed expressly on it. So did Beethoven, Donizetti, Strauss. So did Camille Saint Saens, whose famous Carnival of the Animals requires an armonica in some parts. And would you believe, the great Benjamin Franklin himself, founding father of the U.S. of A., discoverer of electricity and lots more, also played the armonica? Not only that, his instrument was a specially-made mechanical version that he himself invented. It is said that Franklin saw a performance on the armonica and in his characteristic fashion, decided to improve on it. A few pieces of Franklin’s armonica exist to this day and some are brought out and played on special occasions.

Now, I think the big question we all have about the armonica is how come it was not able to stay popular through the ages despite its illustrious beginnings and association with famous personages. It turns out that a long time ago, a rumor got around that playing the armonica can lead to madness. No one knows if it was because of Marie Antoinette’s final end or of Galileo’s reputation for being strange. Maybe it was because it was used in the mad scene from Donizetti’s Lucia de Lammemoor. Or maybe it was plainly because of its weird sound. Whatever the reason why, there came a time when people just stopped playing the armonica.

Interest in the armonica was revived during the ‘80s and there are now performances and recordings featuring this instrument available. I do not know if anybody owns one in the Philippines but those interested can go online and check out the albums. Music For Glass Armonica with a lithograph of Frankin on the cover is a good choice with classical pieces performed by Thomas Bloch and others. And if you are ever in Spain, check out Constantin Beloguazov on the street leading to the Palacio Real.