Does the Armonica still exist?

[homer]

I heard that Mozart once was attracted to a blind musician and wrote a compostion for her to be played on her "armonica" which was allegedly a series of glasses filled with water which made a sound like wine glasses do when you rub the rim. Can this be right and if so do people still play this thing? (And before you are tempted, no jokes about the 'armonica' a mouthorgan favoured by Cockneys.)

[andy hughes]

The armonica does still exist, and is enjoying something of a revival, having fallen from popularity when once considered the height of fashion in 16th century European society. The instrument, which allows the player to play a tuneable version of the wine-glasses-with-water-and- moistened- fingers, was created in 1761 by Benjamin Franklin. He named his instrument the 'armonica' because he thought the Italian word as musical as his invention. It was an instant massive success, even Marie Antoinette had lessons, and everyone in high society enjoyed the new craze. Mozart fell in love with the sound, and in the final year of his life, he wrote two pieces for his blind distant cousin Marianna Kirckgessner, who was well known as an exponent of the craft. Mozart was writing a third piece for the armonica when he died in 1791. After its fall from grace, fuelled in part by superstition that the haunting sound drove musicians insane, the armonica is enjoying a revival. Dennis James, an American armonica player created an International Festival in 1983 bringing various glass instruments and players together. Rumours that Chas and Dave are secretly rehearsing with an armonica are greatly eggagerated! (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

[Peter Hook]

An Armonica is how someone from the East End of London says Harmonica.