This week we’ve got a collection of sites with plenty of harmony?musical harmony, that is. From the sweet sounds of a Stradivarius to the eerie echo of the Theremin, here’s a look at the quirky side of hitting all the right notes.
It’s hard to change our mental stereotype of a Neanderthal (brutish and stupid) to imagine one of these ancient hominids sitting down on a sunny afternoon to play the flute. But That’s exactly what at least one of them did, as this 50,000-year-old bone flute proves.
From Aeolian Harps to the Bazantar, there’s something in this gallery of unusual instruments for every taste. You can even listen to a tune on the beer-bottle organ?That’s right, an organ played by blowing across the tops of beer bottles.
Biggest Pipe Organ in the World
You might expect the world’s largest working pipe organ to be in a cathedral somewhere. Instead, it can be found on the second floor of Macy’s department store in Philadelphia, where It’s been played regularly since its installation there in 1911.
You may not recognize the name of this unique instrument (the only one you can play without touching it), but if you’ve ever seen a ?50s science fiction film, you’ve heard the spooky sounds of a Theremin.
For years, musicians and audiences alike have speculated about the seemingly magical qualities that make Antonio Stradivari’s violins and cellos sound so rich. As this Time article explains, one professor emeritus of biochemistry at Texas A & M University thinks he’s got it figured out.