Glass harmonica Franz Mesmer also played the armonica and used it as an integral part of his Mesmerism. An original Franklin armonica is in the archives at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, having been donated in 1956 by Franklin's descendants after "the children took great delight in breaking the bowls with spoons" during family gatherings. It is only placed on display for special occasions, such as Franklin's birthday. The Franklin Institute is also the home of the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial. A website has attempted to catalog publicly known Franklin-era glass armonicas. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has an early 19th-century
Adagio and Rondo for glass harmonica, flute, oboe, viola and cello purchased by Zweig from a Berlin auction house in 1930. The work was first published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1799. The adagio, in C minor, is 58 bars long, while the rondo (C major) contains 230 bars. According to Willi Apel, "Among various compositions for the glass harmonica, Mozart's Adagio in C major (K. 356) and Adagio and Rondo (K. 617)...both composed in 1791, are the most interesting. They seem to require an instrument equipped with a keyboard mechanism such as that constructed in 1784." Adagio and Rondo for glass harmonica, flute, oboe, viola and cello The Adagio and