about this recording:

The glass harmonica was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761/62, who had attended a concert by a glass player in London. These instruments, called “Musical Glasses”, were very fashionable at that time. Franklin was fascinated by the sound and being a physicist and inventor, he wanted to improve the instruments, by putting the glasses, which produced the tones, closer together. He also wanted them to rotate in order to make the playing easier. Therefore he created hemispherical glass bowls with a small centre piece, which were installed on an axis. The glass bowls decreased in size, so that they would fit into each other. A cork was placed between the glass and the axis; the rotation came from a pedal and a flywheel.

Franklin gave this instrument to the Davis sisters. Cecilia, who was a celebrated singer in Europe, and Marianne, brought the glass harmonica to Vienna, where they were invited by Johann Adolph Hasse. On the occasion of the wedding of archduchess Maria Amalia with Ferdinand, archduke of Parma, Hasse composed “L' Armonica” in 1769. This piece requires not only a huge register of tones – down to low c – but also great virtuosity. It is astonishing, that only Wolfgang Amadé Mozart’s composition for glass harmonica, flute, oboe, viola and violoncello (1791) demands a similar virtuosity for the instrumentalist. Both compositions are superior in their quality to other works for the glass harmonica and mark beginning and end of the heyday of this instrument.

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