The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-10-18
MUSICAL CLASSES
Mozart Composed For Them and
Chuck Played Upon Them
INVENTED BY AN FRESHMAN.

Who oriolosAsd rhs~. onn ussd
rhsSr Melody TO Charm Asssy ths
eainas Who He'd Ar~ssesd tttA
Richard Pockrtch. an hfshmnn wbo
uved IN the eighteenth century. was
Q true seniua "a dreamer ana ON tn
ssntG. He proposed mesni sfiIn. pre.
dicted dying machines. advocated bog
drainage and vine planting In the Em.
Gaid Lshs. invented an instrument for
uanxfmsing blood and WIS Co some
ysan q brewer In Dublin.
II vas IN the domain Of art thar be-
achieyed his one real triumph. the one
b. whfrh he h known In contemporary
muatca1 history. by which hs became
known 10 general European civilization
during bis lifetime and by which bis
name viii long survive. He invented
the musical glasses. These can be
heard today In vaudeville houses all
over tho world and wfll probably sur
vive a. long a. the musical art itself.
Most OF our readers have heard them
They are simply q set OF tumbler or
goble< ike glasses selected for tonal
quality 70 carry out a musical scale.
Pockrich seems to have been the frst
man to be struck By tie musical tc1e
IN glass and 30 be thought the thing
out and produced a scale on which be
could play any melody.
lie exhibited his discovery In Dublin
and finally took u TO England about
the year 1750 where 1t berame the sen.
sation of the hour. Nothing was talk-
Cd OF but the marvellous. simple. new
musical instrument. II seemed to the
ears Of the jaded Loudopers that the
heavenly art In all Its elemental beauty
had returned to enrth- Far from sneer.
Ing at 50 very simple an idea for max
ing melody. the coSnoscenti Of London
went into rap1ures over the musical
giasses% Gluck. the great composer.
Who vas In London. did not disdain
20 play his immortal airs upon them
The opera nourishes more than IN
any recent year." wrote Horace Wal
pole TO q friend The composer is
0luck. q German. He is to have a
benefit az which be Il to play a set
Of drinking glasses which be modu.
lafes with water. think I have heard
you speak Of some such thing"
Not only DID Gluck perform upon
PccknchS new instrument. but Bee
thowen. Mosart and other great mu-
ncilns In later years actually COM
posed muz1c for C. Goldsmith refers
60 is In The Vicar " Wakefield" Not
long afte1 the inventor visited London.
and B>ntamin Franklin speaks Of him
IN q letter 60 q frieud thus:
"You hsve doubles heard the sveee
toos thar is drawn from q drinking
giass By passing Q vet finger round tn
brim. Ors Mr.. Poctrich. q gentleman
from lrsland. was the nryt WHO thoushf
cf playing times formed Of such tones.
Hs cc1lectsd q Number q gtasses OF
different d4ea. nxed them near each
other On q table and tuned them by
potttng info them water, moro o. Iens
@ each oOts required. The tones wers
orouxnt ont By passing tis nnSsrs
round the hrfmL-
There u q story q Purkr1ch. WIN
was making occasional tours to Ena-
land aftT the inveutioo of the mustcal
glasses. that illustrates the garprisinx
eject o. bin own peefrmancs ON thm.
It is toe by his friend Becckhiu New
ouryh. psntIemau q wealth and DO
dtion. VITO lived In Dublin at Tho tine:
Mr.. Pcchrfch In his bre~ery near
lsiandbridgs. happeuine to be ons day
es1zsd b. bailfYs. thus addrzeed them:
Gentemrn am yom pdsouer. but
before l do myself the honor TO attend
you give ms leave as sn humble per
former In Uusick to entert,in you with
q tune
Sir e1chimed one Of TIE bnilifrs
We came here II execute our warrant.
not TO bear tupes."'
"Gentiemen.' says the captain, 4
submit To your authority. but In the
interim while you are only taking a
dram-here. Jack (calling to his serv.
anti. bring bottle Of the Rosa Soils I
lately disfilled-l say. gentlemen. be-
fore you tnke dram Z shall dispatch
my tune
In the meanwhile be ncurfshes a
prelude ON the giasees and aftcrvard
displays his skill through all the pieas.
Ing turns and variations OF The Black
Joke The monsters. charmed with
the magic Of his sounds. for sc:ne time
stand and gaze. AT length. recovering
from their trance. they thus accost the
captain.
"'Sir. upon your parole Of honor To
seep the sscret we give you your lib
erty. Ills well piaying upon glasses
70 not more commoo: if Il were BE-
hsve our trnde would and little en-
ployment'"
Another muHcai instrument that
Pockrich Developed as no man had
ever dreamed Of before was the drum.
He had dren med Of harmony even In
tho hrf1m Ho plappoA IN r~cS.<-<- "a