glass harmonica

American  

noun

1. a musical instrument composed of a set of graduated, revolving glass bowls, the rims of which are moistened and set in vibration by friction from the fingertips.

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glass harmonica British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: harmonica.  Also called: musical glasses.  a musical instrument of the 18th century consisting of a set of glass bowls of graduated pitches, played by rubbing the fingers over the moistened rims or by a keyboard mechanism

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Etymology

Origin of glass harmonica

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Mariko Anraku’s harp and Friedrich Heinrich Kern’s turn on the glass harmonica were especially beautiful, the warble of the latter capturing the wobble of Lucia’s wits.

From Washington Post

He refused to patent any of his inventions — which also include a superior sort of stove, bifocals and the glass harmonica, an instrument for which both Mozart and Beethoven would compose — because “as we enjoy great advantages from the invention of others, we should be glad of the opportunity to serve others by an invention of ours, and this we should do generously and freely.”

From Los Angeles Times

His father, Andrey, is a renowned film-maker, whose 1968 film The Glass Harmonica became the first animated movie to be banned in the USSR.

From The Guardian

In the mad scene, this was underscored by the use of the glass harmonica Donizetti originally intended, which has the shivery sound of a finger on a wine glass, rather than the more commonly used flute: an effective reflection of an altered mental state.

From Washington Post

Well, Benjamin Franklin, the first American ambassador to France, was a pioneer of the glass harmonica.

From New York Times