 1786 Glasschord from the Hans Adler Collection | |
| Other names | Glasscord, Glassichord, Glace-chord |
|---|---|
| Classification | Idiophone |
| Inventor(s) | M. Beyer |
| Developed | 1785 |
| Related instruments | |
| Glass harmonica | |
| Builders | |
| Chappell & Co. | |
The glasschord (French: fortepiano à cordes de verre) is a struck crystallophone resembling the celesta, invented circa 1785[1] by physicist[2] M. Beyer of Paris.[3][4] It creates sound by using cloth covered wooden hammers to strike glass tubes laid on a cloth strip, with no dampeners. The instrument has a range of three octaves, in various models from c' to c'', f' to f'', and g' to g''.[5] The instrument was largely inspired by the glass harmonica created by Benjamin Franklin,[6] and was given the name glasschord by him.[7] On 6 July 1785, Thomas Jefferson that Franklin carried a version of the instrument with him, describing it as a sticcado.[8]
Beyer originally presented the instrument on 19 January 1785, in a presentation at the French Academy of Sciences, while the instrument still was nameless,[9] with the instrument being publicised in the Journal de Paris multiple times through the same year.[10]
Many glasschords were built by Chappell & Co., until around 1815.[11][12]
The instrument was used in some scores, most notable by Hector Berlioz, who wrote the first version of La Tempête, and Camille Saint-Saëns who used the instrument in L'aquarium.[13]