Crystal Concert
Remember the Benjamin Franklin exhibit and my love of the armonica? This is one cool instrument. It is actually the first musical instrument invented in America (by Mr. Benjamin Franklin himself). It is played by dipping your fingers in water, pumping the pedal at the bottom which causes the crystal glasses to spin creating the same effect you get by running your fingertip around the rim of a glass. Mrs. Franklin said (upon hearing the instrument in the middle of the night) that she thought she had died and gone to heaven.
This is Dean Shostak. He is one of just a handful of people who play the armonica now. He is the only person who plays it with a foot "pump." The other people play with motorized armonicas. The armonica and piano forte were invented around the same time, and it was thought by some that the armonica would become more popular. But, for obvious reasons (breakability) it did not. Also, some armonica players went a little cuckoo...it is now thought to be due to the lead poisoning. There was lead in glass and lead powder to help the wheel spin.
Dean plays a whole range of glass instruments. This is a glass violin made in Japan. There are only 2 in existence. Dean owns one of the two obviously. It took molding the glass 100 times before they got one with the right shape, thickness, and sound. It has beautiful etching on it, and the only portions that are not glass are the string and bridge...aside from the bow.
This is a Cristal Bachet (Crystal Bash-ay). It is a brand new instrument developed in France by two very old men (91 and 93 years old). This instrument is their lifes work. There are only 23 in existence and only 2 in the USA. Dean owns this one and there is one in California somewhere. In order to play this instrument you must wet your fingers and stroke the crystal rods. This creates the vibrations and sound which is then amplified by those big cones on the front.
This is Dean Shostak. He is one of just a handful of people who play the armonica now. He is the only person who plays it with a foot "pump." The other people play with motorized armonicas. The armonica and piano forte were invented around the same time, and it was thought by some that the armonica would become more popular. But, for obvious reasons (breakability) it did not. Also, some armonica players went a little cuckoo...it is now thought to be due to the lead poisoning. There was lead in glass and lead powder to help the wheel spin. Dean plays a whole range of glass instruments. This is a glass violin made in Japan. There are only 2 in existence. Dean owns one of the two obviously. It took molding the glass 100 times before they got one with the right shape, thickness, and sound. It has beautiful etching on it, and the only portions that are not glass are the string and bridge...aside from the bow. This is a Cristal Bachet (Crystal Bash-ay). It is a brand new instrument developed in France by two very old men (91 and 93 years old). This instrument is their lifes work. There are only 23 in existence and only 2 in the USA. Dean owns this one and there is one in California somewhere. In order to play this instrument you must wet your fingers and stroke the crystal rods. This creates the vibrations and sound which is then amplified by those big cones on the front.