- Benjamin Franklin's Musical Invention

David---

I saw a special about Benjamin Franklin a couple of months ago, and he was truly an amazing man. His standard "lightning rod" invention has barely changed since his original patent on it back in the 1700's. That invention literally saved millions of dollars in fire damage since he invented it, and millions upon millions since. It was a major invention and discovery of the time, since no one really knew that lightning was static electricity. He was also brilliant at "magic squares" like the one below, but could create much larger ones. If you notice, no matter which direction you go, side to side, up or down, or diagonally, no matter what row, the numbers add up the same(below is a 4 X 4 magic square that adds up to 34 in all directions). Benjamin Franklin could create these in his head, but in much larger squares--16 X 16 size squares for example, where the columns of numbers all add up the same amount no matter which direction you go(imagine that---16 columns of numbers in all directions and they all add up the same---and creating one in your head?? ---that is true genius---and he could create them in a matter of minutes). Note: on the square below even all four corners when added up still equal 34. Ben could do this on the larger squares also.

1 14 15 4
8 11 10 5
12 7 6 9
13 2 3 16

part 1

http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om14725.html

The Armonica: Its Place in Colonial History: An Ingenious invention of The Enlightenment Destroyed by Medical Quackery and Hysteria.

by

David Mauldin

Benjamin Franklin’s musical invention, “The Armonica” is an example of pragmatic

visionary thinking that typified the 18th Century, only to be ruined by a quack physician

and a society easily influenced by rumors and given over to hysterics. On September 17th,

2007 I had the pleasure of introducing the armonica to a group of elementary school

teachers. Their reaction to the instrument is one of uniform amazement. Its ethereal tones

elicit quizzical reactions. Yet, rather than asking questions as to how the instrument

works, they want to know why they have never heard the instrument before? “Why is this

instrument so obscure?” “We all know who Benjamin Franklin is, we know he was an

inventor, but why haven’t we heard about the armonica, his ‘favorite invention’, before?”

“Why did this instrument find such initial success, yet just a few years later, vanish from

the face of the earth?” In the following paper I will attempt to answer these questions by

introducing the armonica in its 18th century context along with its rise in popularity. Next,

I will discuss its downfall in popularity attributed to the physician Franz Mezmer. and

the paradox of credulity within the enlightenment. Finally, I will show that the

armonica’s history typifies the struggle between reason and emotionalism in the

enlightenment.

Benjamin Franklin’s early life, born in 1706, could be viewed as a launching point

for the enlightenment. Franklin’s own minister, Cotton Mather, regrettably, had

participated in the Salem Witch Trials only a few years earlier and these events had only

served to decrease the power of the clergy and encourage alternative philosophies to

emerge. Franklin would become a leader in a period of history known as The Age of

Enlightenment. This, defined by Immanuel Kant, “is man’s emergence from his nonage.”

This nonage or immaturity he continued was caused not by “lack of intelligence, but lack

of determination to use that intelligence without another’s guidance.”1 In other words the

enlightenment is an era of history where theorists embraced new ideas about religion and

liberalism (reason being the primary basis of authority.) These ideas manifested

themselves in a form of systematic thinking. Theorists applied it to all areas of human

activity. More and more, as the 16th Century progressed, men began to think, if not to

say, that things were true in science because their own experience told them so-through

observation and experiment.2 As a result, the 18th century became the discovery point of

many new inventions, one being the armonica. Benjamin Franklin’s evidence of

enlightened thinking can be exemplified in this invention. Most people today are familiar

with the association of glass and music. It is a common occurrence at dinner parties to

hear someone producing a sound from a goblet. This practice has been around for

hundreds of years. The ancient Egyptians are known to have used porcelain in musical

instruments.3 During the 16th century, Galileo Galilei wrote about the effect of the “wet-

finger-around-the-wine-glass phenomenon”.4 However, it wasn’t until the age of

enlightenment that performers began to specialize in the genre.

These performers, Anne Ford and C.W. Gluck, could be found in Europe

during the early to mid 18th century.5 Benjamin Franklin attributes his first introduction

to glass music to a “Mr. Richard Pockeridge” who became famous for performing

challenging tunes upon his “Angelic Organ”.6 This “Organ” was an arrangement of wine

glasses filled at different levels with water. The glasses were set on a table with three

different levels that allowed Mr. Pockeridge to reach without stooping over. These, when

rubbed, would produce a variance of sounds which enabled him to play a range of notes

and perform musical compositions. Afterwards Franklin took this idea and improved

upon it by arranging the glasses in a “narrower compass, so as to admit a greater

number of tunes, and all within reach of the hand”.7

Franklin’s invention transformed musical glasses (which could be awkward and

difficult to arrange and limited in their musical possibilities) into one convenient

instrument. “Wishing to see the glasses disposed in a more convenient form,”8 Franklin

nested the bowls inside of one another. These ascended in diameter from left to right. He

eliminated the need to fill the glasses with water, tuning the glasses by engineering their

size and thickness. They were also created with holes in the bottom and attached together

with the use of a rod

part 2

A foot treadle enabled the bowls to spin. This allowed the performer to play a much

greater range of music.9 The convenience of the player to place all ten of his fingers on

the bowls at once enabled him to produce as many notes.

The first public performance of the armonica occurred on February 18th 1762 by

Marianne Davies.10 Miss Davies, a friend of Franklin and an accomplished singer,

flautist and harpsichordist, toured with the instrument for many years in England, Ireland,

France and Italy. It was during these tours that composers like Mozart, Hayden and

Beethoven became familiar with the armonica. (Mozart composed three works for the

instrument, The Adagio in C, the Adagio and Rondo and Fantasia in C.)11 In a letter to

Mr. Franklin in 1767, a Mary Rich writes that “Miss Davies has been performing

with great applause.” More than anyone else, Ms. Davies was responsible for the

vogue the armonica was to enjoy, especially in the German states and Vienna 12

When considering the armonica in the colonial American context we have to remember

that New England was settled by English Puritans. Because these Puritans sought to rid

themselves of the bishops, rituals and elaborate music of the Catholic Church and were

intent upon imposing their own religious demands and restrictions upon New England,

the development of public music entertainment would be stunted.13 One historian states

that,“The Puritans in both England and New England had mixed feelings about music.

All agreed that neither instruments nor any other sort of music apart from unaccompanied

congregational singing of psalms in unison had any place in public worship…” 14

Although privately music and musical instruments were enjoyed it wouldn’t be until after

the death of Cotton Mather February 1728, that the city of Boston would perform its first

public concert on February 3rd 1729. 15 Gradually there were more and more public

concerts and the Puritan culture would give way to the commercial and political culture

that led to the Revolution. 16 Yet the Puritan way was deep rooted: significant concert

activity, theater and opera would only come in the years after Independence.17 It was

during this time musicians in America were routinely counted amongst the least desirable

elements of society.18 In colonial America a musician was tabulated at one notch above

an actor, a sausage maker and a perfumer.19 Most musicians were forced to work a

number of jobs. It was common to read advertisements that listed skills like, “Shaves,

dresses hair and plays the French Horn” 20 Interestingly Franklin’s own attitudes towards

music reflected these same sentiments, suggesting to the founders of the University of

Pennsylvania to emphasize the practical instruction in the English language, history,

philosophy and science. His own interest in music did not surface until he was past fifty

years of age and he preferred the simple folk music of Scotland to the classical learning

of his day. The following is a statement from a letter he wrote concerning Scotch tunes,

“ …it is my opinion they will never die, but in all ages find a number of admirers among

those whose taste is not debauched by art…” 21 The armonica was played publicly

on a number of occasions. Benjamin Franklin advertised the first public performance on

December 27 1764 and George Washington attended a performance at Williamsburg

Virginia during April 1765. At this point it should be noted that the enlightenment was

not only an era known for its emphasis on reason and science but also for pseudo science,

visionaries and outright quacks. Individuals during this time persuaded people that they

could perform a variety of wonders. They could transmit invisible healing powers, give

birth to rabbits and correspond with a man on the moon.22 Into this context entered Franz

Mesmer.

Franz Mesmer was a German physician who developed a theory of “animal

magnetism” or “mesmerism”.23 This “animal magnetism,” according to Mesmer, was the

existence of a magnetic fluid or ethereal medium as a therapeutic agent. Mesmer’s

doctoral dissertation was, On the influence of the Planets on the Human Body. He

believed that just as the planets have a gravitational effect upon the oceans they have an

effect on the “tides” within the human body. Mesmer performed treatments on the ill by

channeling his magnetism with the use of a number of mediums one being the armonica!

His individual treatments involved touching the patient with his hands on the affected

area of the body. Mesmer, an accomplished musician, came into the possession of an

armonica around 1773 and is noted for performing on it with skill.24 Mesmer

incorporated the armonica into his group treatments. These treatments were characterized

by a number of people gathered around a wooden tub. This was filled with magnetized

bottles of water. Iron rods extended from the bottles outwards from the tub and could be

reached by the patients gathered around. While the treatment was in progress Mesmer

played the armonica with its ethereal tones, from behind a dark curtain with astrological

signs printed on it in order to propagate the magnetism from the bottles to the patients.25

During his career as a physician in Venice, Mesmer claimed numerous successes.

Many of his patients testified to being “relieved of symptoms” after receiving his care.26

Yet after having failed to cure the blindness of a famous pianist, Maria Theresa Von

Paradis, he found himself discredited and moved to Paris.27 Remarkably he was well

received and soon built up a thriving practice. Hundreds of patients were under his care.

part 3

He treated all kinds of illnesses: blindness, deafness, apoplexy, asthma, tumors of all

kinds, skin and scalp diseases, leprosy and migraines.28 However, in 1784 King Louis

the XVI appointed four members of the faculty of medicine as commissioners to

investigate “animal magnetism” and five additional commissioners from the Academy of

Sciences, ironically one being Benjamin Franklin himself. The investigations into

Mesmer’s claims were conducted in Franklin’s Paris home. Five months later the

commission concluded that the “cures” were the result of good salesmanship and the

patients’ imaginations. Mesmer’s career was over and that same year he left France. 29

In the years that followed the armonica became the target of numerous

accusations. No longer was it looked upon as a healing instrument but rather the opposite.

In 1798 Fredrich Rochlitz wrote, “…it excessively stimulates the nerves, plunges the

player into nagging depression…dark and melancholy mood.”30 In 1788 J.C. Muller

warned that people who have been upset easily should abstain from the armonica, “That

their state of mind should not be aggravated.”31 During this time people attending

concerts began exhibiting hysterical emotions, even running from the halls screaming. To

add to all this, performers began complaining of “loss of feelings in their hands.” A

panic seemed to spread through the music world. The armonica was now being blamed

for domestic disputes, premature births, and mortal afflictions. In certain German states

the armonica was banned from use. By 1830 the armonica had literally disappeared from

the music world.32 In all fairness it should be mentioned that these types of hysterical

behaviors were not uncommon occurrences. It was not uncommon for concert goers to

have extremely emotional reactions to music during this period of history.

In conclusion we have seen that the armonica was invented during a

period of history known as the enlightenment. We have seen that it was invented by one

of the leading thinkers of the enlightenment, Benjamin Franklin, who is famous for

numerous other inventions and ideas of this time period. We have seen that initially the

armonica was well received by the leaders of the musical world, composed for by Mozart

and performed on in colonial America and throughout Europe. We have seen that the

Puritan influence on colonial society affected the popularity of the instrument in contrast

to that of Europe. We have also seen that the armonica was used as an “instrument of

medicine” by a physician who was later dismissed as a fraud. Lastly, we’ve seen the

armonica become the target of rumors and blamed for numerous maladies and societal

ills. Finally, we’ve seen that the armonica virtually disappeared from the world of music.

It’s clear that the armonica and its history typify the struggle between reason and

emotionalism during the Enlightenment. In particular, one can see that elites such as

Franklin wanted to take a rational approach to issues such as public health. This can be

seen in the convening of the panel of experts to investigate Mesmer. This panel rightly

concluded that Mesmer was a fraud and should not have been trusted. However, the

public overreacted and rejected not only Mesmer, but the armonica as well. In a few short

years, the public went from believing that the armonica cured illnesses, to believing that

it caused them. This kind of wild swing in public opinion with regards to an invention,

indicates that during the enlightenment, the scientific establishment did not yet have the

kind of authoritative influence it later would.

What are we to conclude of Franz Mesmer and how does he fit into the scientific

context of the enlightenment? Was Franz completely a quack or can we find anything

redeemable about his medical practices? Was there anything scientific he could base his

theories on? It should be pointed out that Franz received his medical license at the

University of Vienna in 1759. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on, “The influences of

the Planets on the Human body.” This however wasn’t medical astrology, yet relying on

Newton’s theory of the tides. Mesmer simply expounded that certain “tides” of the

human body might be accounted for by the movements of the sun and moon. In 1774

Mesmer sought to produce an artificial tide in a patient by having her drink a preparation

containing iron and then attaching magnets to her body. In this background we see

Mesmer’s ideas are not completely beyond science. If the “fluid” did exist then it could

Part 4

possibly be effected by magnetism.33 (It should be pointed out that human blood does

contain iron and it is believed today that magnets can improve circulation in the human

body.) Given that the enlightenment produced a mood of optimism it not only opened the

door to science but also to irrational schemes. In this context we can see very easily how

Mesmer would fit. His error seems to have been his assumptions about the “tides of the

human body” yet there may not be any reason to believe he was a complete charlatan as

some have claimed. It should also be noted that Mesmer’s recognition of the ‘healing

power of music” is not without merit (people continue claim its effect today) and it

should be pointed out that the practice of hypnotism (autosuggestion) can be traced to

Mesmer. 34

What are we to conclude concerning the reactions towards this instrument? In one

setting it is a instrument of classical music, in another it is accepted as a physician’s

medium for an invisible force called “animal magnetism” and in another it is the cause of

domestic afflictions. Why this spectrum? Is this telling us something about the 18th

century society? Given the information discussed it seems reasonable to conclude that

17th century society could be easily persuaded by myths, rumors and information that

could not be supported by truth. It seems more reasonable to conclude that the Age of

Reason was more of the Age of Transitioning Towards Reason. Franklin, being its

Champion, demonstrates his character by not only inventing the armonica but

exposing Mesmer as a fraud as well.

: Vandyyke February 06, 2008, 08:47:05 PM

Did anyone see this right before the Super Bowl? Ben is played by Ralph Archbald. I had the joy meeting him last summer for breakfast.(He ate quite a lot!)
http://willdo.philadelphiaweekly.com/archives/2008/02/eli_manning_som.html

I kid you not, young pretty women kept coming up to (fat) Ralph, who was dressed as Ben, and flirting with him! Not a bad job eh!

The point of my illustration was simply this: The universe exists in such a manner that its behavior can be described on several scales. All of these levels are parts of the dynamic entity we call the "universe".

The human psyche is much more complex than planets and stars. In addition we already know the human psyche functions at multiple levels. So, to describe one level of our functioning such as Durkheim's "collective conscousness" does not in any way negate the fact that we function at other levels at the same time.

BTW, do not confuse Einstein's theories of special and general relativity with moral relativism. Einstien's theories are about physics. Moral relativism is about ethics. There is no connection beyond the word "relative".

T. Maddux

AssemblyBoard

General Discussion => Any and All Topics => : DavidM July 07, 2007, 12:29:16 AM