The Glass Harmonica was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761 and has been making creepy music ever since. Take a listen!


Have you ever rubbed your wet finger around a wine glass to hear the resonant hum? It's an interesting sound, noted all the way back during the Renaissance by Galileo. Over the years, people have made music with sets of wine glasses, all filled to different levels, but placing the glasses side by side was awkward, and a musician could play at most two notes at a time.

Then came Benjamin Franklin, perhaps still addled from flying his kite during a lightning storm (don't worry, I know that's apocryphal), who invented a practical solution. It's called the glass harmonica, or glass armonica for those people with a grudge against the letter h. Put all the "glasses" on a central pole - like kebabs - and rotate the pole. By keeping either hands or instrument wet, a person can "play" multiple bowls at once.


The music it makes, as you can see, is nearly indescribably creepy, but in a whimsical sort of way. Listening to it makes you feel as if you're about to get bitten to death by a thousand tiny tree sprites. Enjoy!

[Via Glass Armonica.]