近距离内射合集

Corrales resident Mayling Garcia is celebrating America鈥檚 250th birthday with a musical instrument designed by Benjamin Franklin. The glass armonica, also known as a glass piano, produces pure, crystalline tones when its rotating glass bells are pressed with moistened fingers. Garcia is one of only about a dozen people worldwide who owns and plays one.

鈥淏enjamin Franklin went to a wine glass concert (where the performer rubbed his fingers on wet wine glasses) 鈥� in 1751 and said, 鈥楳y goodness, that鈥檚 the most pure, beautiful sound, and unlike a piano or a violin, it needs no tuning,鈥欌�� Garcia said. 鈥淪o, he hired a glass blower 鈥� and in 1761, he released his first glass armonica.鈥�

Franklin named the instrument an 鈥渁rmonica鈥� after the Italian word 鈥渁rmonia,鈥� meaning 鈥渉armony.鈥� It predates the harmonica, an unrelated instrument, by 60 years.

Garcia bought her glass armonica in 1993 after seeing a street performer in Boston playing one. Although she had no musical training, she committed herself to learning the instrument. Now, 33 years later, she has mastered a wide repertoire, from classical compositions like Franz Schubert鈥檚 鈥淎ve Maria鈥� to popular songs like 鈥淟ove Me Tender鈥� and 鈥淥ver the Rainbow鈥� 鈥� and even a few Mexican folk songs like 鈥淐ielito Lindo鈥� in honor of her Mexican heritage.

鈥淚 think Benny Franklin would be happy that a little Mexican girl is carrying on his instrument,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淗e created a country of diversity, and here鈥檚 a Mexican girl 鈥� an Italian Mexican Jew 鈥� playing his glass piano. I鈥檓 the melting pot, in the flesh. And I鈥檓 pursuing one of his dreams. He wanted this instrument to take off.鈥�

In the weeks leading up to the 近距离内射合集 States semiquincentennial 鈥� the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence 鈥� Garcia recorded herself playing 鈥淭he Star-Spangled Banner鈥� on Franklin鈥檚 instrument and produced a music video for it, featuring a montage of iconic images from U.S. history.

鈥淚 hired a company to put America鈥檚 triumphs and tragedies, the moon walk, JFK, the presidents and the wars, all behind this video, and I released it two weeks ago on YouTube,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a 30 year dream. It cost me $700, and I鈥檓 not rich. I just did this as a tribute to my country.鈥�

Part of the production expense, she said, went to a sound editing company who toned down the piercing quality of the instrument鈥檚 sound. Although Franklin described the armonica鈥檚 tones as 鈥渋ncomparably sweet,鈥� others have compared them to microphone feedback, especially when played loudly.

鈥淵ou need to edit the sound, because these high, piercing tones 鈥� they just penetrate your soul,鈥� Garcia said.

When Garcia performed her glass armonica for judges on 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Got Talent,鈥� their verdicts were harsh. But Garcia knows the glass armonica is a love-it-or-hate-it instrument, so she doesn鈥檛 let other people鈥檚 opinions about it bother her too much.

鈥淚 carry myself with positivity every day,鈥� she said.

The instrument has aroused strong feelings, both positive and negative, throughout its storied history. When Franklin brought it to France, a young Marie Antoinette was utterly captivated and demanded to take lessons. Leading composers, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Gaetano Donizetti wrote compositions for it. But some people began noticing armonica performers behaving strangely and suspected the instrument was inducing madness.

鈥淢ore and more people started hating it and thinking that it was evil. 鈥� They actually had bonfires, thinking it was witchcraft, and they would throw them in it, and the glass armonica was banned,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淭he last straw was during a performance when a baby had an epileptic seizure due to the high, piercing notes, and they blamed it on the instrument.鈥�

Early versions of the armonica contained lead, so some researchers have theorized that the 鈥渕adness鈥� reported in daily armonica performers could have been the result of lead poisoning.

The instrument went nearly extinct until a master glassblower in Germany, Gerhard Finkenbeiner, revived it in the 1980s, creating a modern, motorized, lead-free version that was otherwise faithful to Franklin鈥檚 original design. However, he only made a small number of them.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the rarest thing in the world, because the shop that made it, Finkenbeiner Incorporated, closed last year,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淭here are only nine people in the world who play publicly, in a world of 8 billion. 鈥� And because the shop closed, if one of us nine breaks a bell, we鈥檙e done.鈥�

Until then, Garcia plans to continue recording, performing and sharing her love of the historic instrument.

鈥淧art of my performance is my speaking. I speak about Benjamin Franklin, America and my journey. And then I play songs in between,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淪o, when I talk about dreaming, I play 鈥楽omewhere Over the Rainbow.鈥� When I talk about America, I play 鈥楾he Star-Spangled Banner.鈥欌��

Readers interested in learning more about Garcia and her glass armonica may visit .

Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the 近距离内射合集. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .