Dictionary of Music - Birding America

Glinka, Mikhail 161complete Borodin’s unfinished opera, Prince Igor,and reconstructed the opera’s overture from memory,having heard Borodin play it on the piano.fig. 111 p/u from p. 165made to turn by means of a treadle. The playermakes the bowls sound by touching their rims withthe fingers as they rotate. The glass harmonica wasinvented in 1761 by the American statesman BenjaminFranklin, who named it armonica. It is basedon an older instrument, musical glasses, which consistssimply of a series of glasses filled with water todifferent levels and sounding different pitches whenstruck or rubbed. Franklin’s contribution was, ineffect, to mechanize the musical glasses. The glassharmonica became very popular, both in Europe andAmerica, during the next century or so. In 1784 akeyboard was added, making it much easier to play(this type is sometimes called keyed harmonica),but no keyboard mechanism could render the subtleeffects for which the instrument was most highlyprized. Mozart and numerous other composerswrote pieces for glass harmonica, usually in combinationwith other instruments, and Richard Straussused it in his opera, Die Frau ohne Schatten. Sincethe middle of the nineteenth century, however, it hasusually been replaced by the harmonium. However,several twentieth-century composers, among themSatie and Honegger, have composed for the bouteillophone,an instrument consisting of tuned bottlesstruck with small mallets.Glazunov (glä zoo nôf′), Alexander (a′′leksän′dər), 1865–1936. A Russian composerwhose works are noted for reflecting the musical traditionof his country (see NATIONALISM). His bestknowncomposition is the ballet Raymonda. He alsowrote nine symphonies, seven string quartets, concertosfor violin, cello, and piano, and many choralworks. In addition, he helped Rimsky-Korsakov toglee Originally, an unaccompanied song for men’svoices, a form that became very popular during theeighteenth and nineteenth centuries in England andAmerica. Glees are usually quite brief, have three orfour voice-parts (often including one for male alto),and are set in simple chords. The texts may be seriousor humorous. The most famous composer ofglees was Samuel Webbe (1740–1816), who is saidto have written at least three hundred. By the late1700s some glees were being written for mixedvoices (men and women) as well.glee club Originally, a type of English clubfounded for the purpose of singing glees, catches,and, eventually, various other short choral compositions.In the course of the nineteenth century thistype of club was formed in numerous American highschools and colleges so that students might take partin choral singing. Until about 1920, school gleeclubs performed mostly popular music, but sincethat time they have been devoted more and more toserious music. The glee club may be for girls only,for boys only, or for both.A direc-gleichmässig (glīKH′mā siKH) German.tion to perform in an even, steady manner.Glière (glyer), Reinhold (rīn′hôlt), 1875–1956.A Russian composer and teacher who is rememberedmainly for his symphonic music, written in alargely traditional nineteenth-century style. His bestknownwork is his Symphony no. 3, entitled IlyaMurometz (after a legendary Russian hero). Glièrealso wrote five operas, numerous songs, ballets, acello concerto, French horn concerto, chambermusic, and many piano compositions. His mostfamous pupil was Prokofiev.Glinka (glēn′kä), Mikhail (mi KHä ēl′),1804–1857. A Russian composer who was one ofthe first to use Russian subjects and Russian musicalmaterial. (He is sometimes called “the father ofRussian music.”) Glinka’s most famous works are