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What musical instrument did benjamin franklin invent?

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The name "glass harmonica" (also "glass armonica", "glassharmonica"; harmonica de verre, harmonica de Franklin, armonica de verre, or just harmonica in French; Glasharmonika in German; harmonica in Dutch) refers today to any instrument played by rubbing glass or crystal goblets or bowls. read more

When Benjamin Franklin invented his mechanical version of the instrument in 1761, he called it the armonica, based on the Italian word armonia, which means "harmony". The unrelated free-reed wind instrument aeolina, today called the "harmonica", was not invented until 1821, sixty years later. read more

Benjamin Franklin invented an instrument called the glass harmonica, which is rarely seen today and is not related to the harmonica we commonly see and hear played. Franklin's harmonica was based on earlier designs consisting of sets of glasses, partly filled with water, that were rubbed with a wet finger. read more

Of Benjamin Franklin's many achievements, probably the least well-known are his accomplishments in music. Not only did Franklin play viola da gamba and compose music, he also invented an instrument for which both Mozart and Beethoven composed music—the armonica, also known as the glass armonica or glass harmonica. read more

Composers were also struck by the haunting sounds produced by Franklin's instrument. Mozart wrote two pieces for the armonica, including "Adagio and Rondo 617," and in 1815, Beethoven wrote a short melodrama where a narrator told a story while accompanied by armonica. read more

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