# Musical Water Glasses- ever treated as more than just a parlor trick? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 29, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240 "2013-03-29T03:22:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/1 "2013-03-29T03:22:33Z")
[A friend recently shared this video on Facebook.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwoopjvq8vI) (YouTube Link) The guy’s musicianship is worthy of note. The sound from the instrument isn’t really duplicated by any more traditional more practical instrument. Got me wondering about water glass music performances. I’ll confess my own ignorance here. I’m not saying that musical water glass performances _are_ limited to street performers and novelty acts, but that is exactly how I think of it. So, take this as an inquisitive OP rather than an OP of hard statement. I am _wondering if_ musical water glass performances are limited to street performers and novelty acts. Anyone know of water glass musicians used on professional recordings? Or any granted a venue for serious concert performances? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/2 "2013-03-29T03:38:31Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > [A friend recently shared this video on Facebook.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwoopjvq8vI) (YouTube Link) > > The guy’s musicianship is worthy of note. The sound from the instrument isn’t really duplicated by any more traditional more practical instrument. Got me wondering about water glass music performances. > > I’ll confess my own ignorance here. I’m not saying that musical water glass performances _are_ limited to street performers and novelty acts, but that is exactly how I think of it. So, take this as an inquisitive OP rather than an OP of hard statement. I am _wondering if_ musical water glass performances are limited to street performers and novelty acts. > > Anyone know of water glass musicians used on professional recordings? Or any granted a venue for serious concert performances? I can see why it would be problematic to use in theatrical performances, over there the closest instrument used to get close to that sound is the one invented by none other than Benjamin Franklin: The Glass Harmonica. > **[Benjamin Franklin | Ken Burns | PBS | Watch Benjamin Franklin: A Ken Burns...](https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/benjamin-franklin/)** > > Ken Burns’s four-hour documentary, Benjamin Franklin, explores the revolutionary life of one of the 18th century’s most consequential figures, whose work and words unlocked the mystery of electricity and helped create the United States. Here is a modern performance with the instrument: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/O2_E0PI_xw4/hqdefault.jpg "Quartet - Benjamin Franklin / glass harmonica (Thomas Bloch) and strings") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2_E0PI_xw4) > [@](#): > > Thomas Bloch, The French multi-instrumentalist virtuoso Thomas Bloch (ondes Martenot, glassharmonica, cristal Baschet, waterphone), Jean Thorel (conductor) and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong play the “Quartet” for strings with continuo (glass harmonica) by Benjamin Franklin. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/3 "2013-03-29T03:56:52Z")
Chicago’s classical music station WFMT occasionally plays such a recording, though I don’t remember the piece. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/4 "2013-03-29T03:57:34Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > The Glass Harmonica. > > [Watch Benjamin Franklin: A Ken Burns Film | Full Documentary Now Streaming | PBS](http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_inquiring_glass.html) > > Here is a modern performance with the instrument: > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2\_E0PI\_xw4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2_E0PI_xw4) I had never heard of it. Thanks for the links. Very cool. > [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > Chicago’s classical music station WFMT occasionally plays such a recording, though I don’t remember the piece. Do you think it’s a water glass performance or a glass harmonica performance (which I just now learned about)? ---
**Author:** ![Shooby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f475e1/32.png) [@Shooby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shooby)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/5 "2013-03-29T04:13:51Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > [A friend recently shared this video on Facebook.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwoopjvq8vI) (YouTube Link) > > The guy’s musicianship is worthy of note. The sound from the instrument isn’t really duplicated by any more traditional more practical instrument. Got me wondering about water glass music performances. > > I’ll confess my own ignorance here. I’m not saying that musical water glass performances _are_ limited to street performers and novelty acts, but that is exactly how I think of it. So, take this as an inquisitive OP rather than an OP of hard statement. I am _wondering if_ musical water glass performances are limited to street performers and novelty acts. > > Anyone know of water glass musicians used on professional recordings? Or any granted a venue for serious concert performances? Check out Robert Tiso’s stuff: Beethoven’s 5th Symphony: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzf9hITzuOM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzf9hITzuOM) Fur Elise: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47TGXJoVhQ8](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47TGXJoVhQ8) Canon in D (with accompaniment): [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGftsRH7A2w](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGftsRH7A2w) Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULiNR-k4m70](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULiNR-k4m70) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/6 "2013-03-29T04:46:47Z")
[Mozart, Handel, Beethoven, and Strauss all wrote music for the glass harmonica](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_harmonica). I’ve even got a record of glass harmonica music. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/7 "2013-03-29T04:54:16Z")
Cool stuff. I had no idea Franklin dabbled (ha!) in it either. Using old fashioned glasses and water, it must be a bitch to tune up before a performance. In an outdoor performance in hot weather, the glasses would slowly (or quickly?) go out of tune as the water evaporated, right? ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/8 "2013-03-29T06:42:54Z")
Bjork used them along with other unusual instruments on her MTV Unplugged performance. Here they are in Come to Me and briefly in the intro to Violently Happy: Come to Me: [Björk "Come to Me" - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS6dDMBvlTk) Violently Happy: [Bjork (MTV Unplugged) 'Violently Happy' - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ7yrISdzfM) ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/9 "2013-03-29T07:42:02Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > [Mozart, Handel, Beethoven, and Strauss all wrote music for the glass harmonica](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_harmonica). I’ve even got a record of glass harmonica music. I was all set to quote the Mozart piece, which I have the music for in a collection of organ pieces. It sounds just fine on a 8’ soft flute, but there is a [Youtube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE_MZzvigd4) recording on the proper instrument. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/10 "2013-03-29T11:21:30Z")
The opera ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’ by Gaetano Donizetti features an extended cadenza in Lucia’s aria (better known as ‘Lucia’s Mad Scene’) which was originally written as a duet for soprano and glass harmonica obligato. This cadenza is often performed with flute, because it’s essentially the right range and a similar sound. The upcoming production at the Canadian Opera Company features the original glass harmonica. It’s much more effective because of the vibrato-less, otherworldly sound of the instrument. **squeegee** - it’s tuned based on the size of the [interlocking glass bowls](http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.innervik.no/bilder/glass/glass_harmonica.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.innervik.no/pages/research/projects/glass/glass_links.html&h=493&w=800&sz=65&tbnid=2SviMyCAhFSezM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=135&zoom=1&usg=__NHWPTsJ_OPpm2-8JtO5xTi9GAWk=&docid=NcfSQwxnFGn-iM&sa=X&ei=AnlVUZXRBeXm0QHK2YHICg&ved=0CEsQ9QEwCA&dur=1296), and the tank of water is just there to lubricate the playing surface, so they don’t go out of tune as easily as the ‘matching water glasses tuned by the level of water’ instrument. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/11 "2013-03-29T11:56:06Z")
I’ve seen glass harmonicas in museums. I’ve also seen a street performer in New Orleans with a table full of glasses with varying amounts of water in them. He played musical pieces on them, even though it wasn’t a proper “glass harmonica”, so this was either Beyond a Party Trick, or a Paryty Trick on a Grand Scale. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/12 "2013-03-29T12:10:33Z")
Here’s another more contemporary use of the instrument by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt covering Neil Young’s [“After the Gold Rush”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NW5ms4BOl4) ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/13 "2013-03-29T13:28:14Z")
In Indian classical music, there’s a percussion instrument called the [jal tarang](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jal_tarang). It doesn’t use the same principle as musical water glasses, since the tone is produced by striking the container instead of (essentially) bowing across the lip. But the overall idea (tonal instrument using water-filled containers) is similar. [Here’s what it sounds like](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjb0pPKkYcM). ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/14 "2013-03-29T13:43:19Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ve seen glass harmonicas in museums. > I’ve also seen a street performer in New Orleans with a table full of glasses with varying amounts of water in them. He played musical pieces on them, even though it wasn’t a proper “glass harmonica”, so this was either Beyond a Party Trick, or a Paryty Trick on a Grand Scale. According to Wikipedia, that is called a [glass harp](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_harp), and it was popular in the 1700s. Mozart, at least, wrote music for it, too. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/15 "2013-03-29T15:01:26Z")
My Dad’s younger aunt had a set of glasses spanning a couple octaves and fastened to a board arranged as a piano keyboard would be. She used to do performances at churches. She also led a bell choir. This would have been in the Grand Junction, CO area in the 1970’s and 80’s. Possibly later. I have not had any contact with her for years and years. They were tuned by filling with water, and each glass had a fingernail polish line for the approximate tuning. She bought them from a man that made up such sets to sell. She said the man had a set that were in-tune without needing the water, but it was so difficult to find the glasses that such were not for sale. Apparently the water lowered the Q of the glasses, so the tone was a little less pure and less sustained. Your fingers need to be very clean, and vinegar on the fingers makes it much easier to make the glasses sing, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/16 "2013-04-02T11:49:42Z")
Russian composer **Sofia Gubaïdulina** uses water glasses in _The Canticle of the Sun_. Take a look at the percussionist on the left side of the screen (close-up at 0:43): [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN4yafIorPM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN4yafIorPM) ---
**Author:** ![alphamatix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@alphamatix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphamatix)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/17 "2013-04-03T02:34:29Z")
This is more ‘parlor trick’ than otherwise, but…Paul McCartney used them at the end of the track “Hot As Sun/Glasses” from his first solo album “McCartney”. It’s more of an impressionistic little interlude rather than an actual composition. Fast forward to about 1:30: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNIidEQBiQ4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNIidEQBiQ4) ---
**Author:** ![CheapBastid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CheapBastid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheapBastid)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/18 "2013-04-07T20:48:29Z")
An amazing friend of mine played at the Alex theater: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pbeXa7qSJXo/hqdefault.jpg "Michael Greiner - Glass Harp, Alex Theater, Glendale CA") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbeXa7qSJXo) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/d0SE5PRejHg/hqdefault.jpg "Michael Greiner - Glass Harp, Alex Theater, Glendale CA Part 2") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0SE5PRejHg) ---
**Author:** ![troubledwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@troubledwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troubledwater)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/19 "2013-04-07T23:01:16Z")
A guy to check out is Alexander Zoltan: [http://www.alexomb.eu/glassmusic/en/](http://www.alexomb.eu/glassmusic/en/) [http://www.youtube.com/user/alexanderzoltan](http://www.youtube.com/user/alexanderzoltan) I was lucky enough to witness one of his performances on the Charles Bridge, in Prague. Looking at the Gallery on his site, it appears he does do some studio work, and has recently performed with Ennio Morricone on a film soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240/20 "2013-04-08T00:34:23Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ve also seen a street performer in New Orleans with a table full of glasses with varying amounts of water in them. He played musical pieces on them, even though it wasn’t a proper “glass harmonica”, so this was either Beyond a Party Trick, or a Paryty Trick on a Grand Scale. I’ve seen him! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-water-glasses-ever-treated-as-more-than-just-a-parlor-trick/654240.md?page=2)