Title: The Music of Madness: Franklin's Armonica and the Vulnerable Nervous System
Abstract: Neurology of the Arts, pp. 207-235 (2004) No AccessThe Music of Madness: Franklin's Armonica and the Vulnerable Nervous SystemStanley Finger and David A. GalloStanley FingerDepartment of Psychology, Washington University Campus, Box 1125, One Brooking's Drive, St Louis, Missouri, 63130-4899, USA and David A. GalloDepartment of Psychology, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, 63130-4899, USAhttps://doi.org/10.1142/9781860945915_0012Cited by:1 PreviousNext AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsRecommend to Library ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Abstract: The armonica (or glass armonica) was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761 as a way to simplify the playing of musical glasses. Franz Anton Mesmer purchased one of his instruments. Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart heard Mesmer play it, and Wolfgang was among several major composers (including Gluck, Beethoven, and Donizetti) who wrote compositions or parts for it. Nevertheless, the armonica quickly garnered a sinister reputation. First, it was looked upon as a health hazard, the belief being that armonica players either went crazy, became physically ill, or even died from its unearthly sounds. Second, its music was used to promote images of madness, ghosts, and the crypt. And third, Mesmer used the instrument during his seances, ostensibly to promote healing by enhancing the flow of animal magnetism through the nerves. Although Franklin played the armonica and remained of sound mind throughout his own long life, he might have diminished the popularity of his own instrument by being extremely critical of Mesmer and his theories in his letters and in his committee's formal report of 1784 to the King of France. FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited By 1Stephanus Bisius (1724–1790) on mania and melancholy, and the disorder called plica polonicaEglė Sakalauskaitė-Juodeikienė, Paul Eling and Stanley Finger16 June 2020 | Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, Vol. 30, No. 1 Neurology of the ArtsMetrics History PDF download
Publication Year: 2004
Publication Date: 2004-04-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 28
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot