Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-01-18
POOR RICHARD,'
SCIENTIST, ALSO
LOVER OF MUSIC
Franklin Built Quaint Old
Instrument, HarmOnica,
as Contribution.

NEW YORK, Jan. 1S.-National Thrift
Week, beginning Jan. IT, will recall not
only the familiar pictures of Benjamin
Franklin as philosopher, patriot, scien-
list and man of letters, but also the less
familiar but equally fascinating one Of
Franklin as a musician. In addition to
knowing the best European music of his
day, somewhat unusual thing in a Col
Onial, the author Of poor Richard" him
self enriched the field of music by his
invention, in 1852, of the harmonica, or
musical glasses, which attained a high
degree of popularity in the early days of
American national history. Franklin be-
came so proficient in playing this instru.
ment that he inspired a poem of praise
by one of the earlier American poets,
Nathaniel Evans.
To commemorate this side OF Frank
Inns gifted personality and to make
better known his contribution to the de-
velopment of the orchestra, the National
Thrift Week Committee has authorized
as one of its posters a picture showing
the Father of Thrift" as also lover of
music, seated in playing position before
his harmonica.
The principle underlying Franklin's
device Is that musical sounds can be pro-
duced by rubbing a wet finger over the
edge of a tumbler of water, the pitch
varying with the amount of water in
the glass Rather clumsy experiments
had been made previously by an Irishmap
Samed Puckeridge and few others, with
numerous tumblers Of assorted lengths
partly filled with liquid, so that the in
vention was not absolutely Franklin's.
AS shown by the illustration, Franklin's
Aarmonica was made by assembling a
number of glass dies so that they would
fevolve on a spindle, passing through
water as they turned. They were played
by touching the moist edges OF the
glasses with the fingers as they revolved.
The first virtuoso on the musical
glasses was Miss Marianne Davies, a rela-
tive Of Franklin, who created sensation
in England and, with her sister, Cecilia, a
vocalist of some fame, took the CONT
mental public by storm. Other skilled
players followed, and the harmonica APP
peared In concert In New York, Phila-
deiphia and Baltimore, and in many pri-
vate homes Of wealth. Toward the erSi
Of the eighteenth century improvements
were made in the Instrument. extending
It's range beyond the three octaves OF
Franklin's model and facilitating per-
formance by the use Of a fddle-bow in
stead of the bare hnrers
Thomas Jefferson heard the harmonica
IN Paris and expressed the opinion that
its Success would be the greatest pres
ent which has been made to the musical
world this century, not excepting the
, pianoforte. The instrument became a
part OF some Of the leading orchestras in
Europe. Johann G0ttlieb Naumann, a
noted composer or the eighteenth CEN
fury. played 1t and wrote six sonatas fol
It. and even Beethoven give it his at
tention in a short melodramatic selection.
Yet, despite these marks Of an extended
influence the instrument fell into disuse
before 1910. One reas on assigned for its
passing is that Its sweetness tended TO
cloy. Another is that II failed to secure
an easily manipulated keyboard like the
modern piano. However that may be. the
| harmonica stands as a symbol OF Frank
fms many sided genius and the artistic
bent Of bis scholarly mind. Even more.
1t exemplihes that characteristic OF his
nature which impe1led him not only to
seek knowledge with avidity but to put
his knowledge in a form to help others.
His early hardships and life experiences
be turned to the service Of his follow
men In his books The delight and re-
taxation he derived from music he re-
paid by his musical invention.