Mozart was not above experimenting with unusual instruments. For which of the following did he write a chamber work in two movements in 1791?
A) Balalaika B) Glass harmonica ü C) Pan-flute D) Zither
The glass harmonica (or “glass armonica”, as its inventor Benjamin Franklin called it) produces sound in essentially the same manner as a moistened finger rubbing the rim of a wine-glass. It is a much more versatile and nimble instrument, however, and has the great advantage that multiple notes can be played simultaneously with ease. The Adagio and rondo for glass harmonica was not Mozart’s only departure from standard instruments in 1791. Not long before the glass harmonica piece he had completed a number of works for the robot instrument variously called a “mechanical”, “barrel” or “automatic” organ.
