AURORA - Creating music by rubbing a wet finger along the rim of a glass has been a form of entertainment since the 1400s.
This form of musical art gained in popularity with the invention of the glass armonica by Benjamin Franklin in 1761.
Today though, the glass music is rarely heard, but some local residents got a chance to do just that on Saturday.
As part of its family art series, the Aurora Free Library organized a performance by Brien Engel, a professional glass harpist, at the Morgan Opera House in Aurora.
“The glasses create the music by friction that is caused when the wet finger is rubbed along the rim of a glass,” Engel explained to the audience during his performance. “The friction works much like the bow against the strings of a violin.”
Engel's glass harp consists of 50 glasses of varying shapes and sizes that create the different chords of a musical number when rubbed along the rims. Engel is from Atlanta, and travels the world with his performances.
His glass harp is just a collection of regular glasses that can be bought at any store.
“They are not expensive or made of crystal,” he said. “They are glasses that come from everyday places like the dollar store.”
Engel said that he is a self-taught glass harpist, and that he became interested in the rare musical art form about 15 years ago. As a musical technician for a puppet show theater, Engel said that it was his job to create new music that would be performed throughout the show.
In the process he discovered that he was fascinated by the music that it created. “And the rest is history,” he said.
During the performance Engel also incorporated the historical, scientific and educational aspects of the glass music art form into his show.
“I like the way that he makes it fun and educational,” said the Aurora Free Library President Cameron Taylor. “He is very good at what he does.”
In addition to the support it received from the library, the Family Art Series in co-sponsored by the Mandel Therapy Group.
Taylor said that the month of May will be a busy one for the library and its guests with many events being planned.
Next week will be a plant and book sale fundraiser, and on May 17, there will be an adults-only event that will focus on foods and wine titled “Food for the Palate and the Mind.”
Taylor said that the library is currently updating its Web site to include many new dates and events.
On the Web
€ For more information on Brien Engel and Glass Music: www.glassharp.org
€ For more information on the Aurora Free Library: www.flls.org/auroralib/
Today though, the glass music is rarely heard, but some local residents got a chance to do just that on Saturday.
As part of its family art series, the Aurora Free Library organized a performance by Brien Engel, a professional glass harpist, at the Morgan Opera House in Aurora.
“The glasses create the music by friction that is caused when the wet finger is rubbed along the rim of a glass,” Engel explained to the audience during his performance. “The friction works much like the bow against the strings of a violin.”
Engel's glass harp consists of 50 glasses of varying shapes and sizes that create the different chords of a musical number when rubbed along the rims. Engel is from Atlanta, and travels the world with his performances.
His glass harp is just a collection of regular glasses that can be bought at any store.
“They are not expensive or made of crystal,” he said. “They are glasses that come from everyday places like the dollar store.”
Engel said that he is a self-taught glass harpist, and that he became interested in the rare musical art form about 15 years ago. As a musical technician for a puppet show theater, Engel said that it was his job to create new music that would be performed throughout the show.
In the process he discovered that he was fascinated by the music that it created. “And the rest is history,” he said.
During the performance Engel also incorporated the historical, scientific and educational aspects of the glass music art form into his show.
“I like the way that he makes it fun and educational,” said the Aurora Free Library President Cameron Taylor. “He is very good at what he does.”
In addition to the support it received from the library, the Family Art Series in co-sponsored by the Mandel Therapy Group.
Taylor said that the month of May will be a busy one for the library and its guests with many events being planned.
Next week will be a plant and book sale fundraiser, and on May 17, there will be an adults-only event that will focus on foods and wine titled “Food for the Palate and the Mind.”
Taylor said that the library is currently updating its Web site to include many new dates and events.
On the Web
€ For more information on Brien Engel and Glass Music: www.glassharp.org
€ For more information on the Aurora Free Library: www.flls.org/auroralib/
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