For as long as glass has existed,
experiments with glasses have produced sound
either by rubbing or striking.
There has been written evidence of this
in Europe since 1492.

In 1761 Benjamin Franklin became familiar
with the sound of the "musical glasses"
and invented the glass harmonica. This instrument
proved to be successful and gained popularity
throughout Europe. There are about 400 compositions
available from this period until 1830.

In 1791 the Quintet for Glass Harmonika was composed
by Mozart for the virtuoso Marianne Kirchgässner.
Around 1830 the glass harmonica almost fell into
oblivion. There was rarely anything composed for
this instrument e.g. "Die Frau ohne Schatten"
which was composed by R. Strauss in 1919.
Even the art of producing harmonicas died out from
about 1945. It was only around 1983 that actual
construction of harmonicas got under way again.