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The history of the glass harmonica provides important insights into the nature of the innovative process. Five aspects are particularly significant.
Here is the fourth aspect:
The development of an innovation is closely connected with the development of the team developing that innovation.
The development of the glass harmonica was not easy; there were many mistakes and failures along the way, especially with regard to the glass bowls intrinsic to the instrument's design.
In his writings, Franklin describes how his glassblowers sometimes moved away from his instructions and experimented with the design of the glass bowls. Even though Franklin expresses significant frustration and genuine annoyance about this apparently ineffective use of time, he tolerated it.
This was because he realised too things:
- The innovative process always involves false starts, dead ends, failures and mistakes.
- For people to successfully innovate they must be given the opportunity to learn from the above and gain new knowledge and develop new skills that will eventually lead to success.
Despite his frustrations, Franklin persevered with his team of glassblowers and kept them in his employ for almost the entirety of the glass harmonica's development. He managed to strike a balance between being patient with the process of innovation but demanding of the people with whom he worked.
This measure of team stability meant that each craftsman had the time and opportunity to practise (and experiment with) making the glass bowls and add gradually to his knowledge and skills. Eventually, these incremental insights and ongoing improvements in expertise combined to create the perfect glass harmonica bowl.
It is true that Franklin's ire led to the coming and going of one or two glassblowers, but each blower originated from the same co-located pool of craftsmen. This made it highly likely that each worker was aware of what his colleagues were doing to develop the glass harmonica's bowls (and also of the failures and mistakes made and what had been learnt from them).
Franklin understood that his glassblowers could not fail to learn from each other as they worked side-by-side for a significant period of time. More than this, he understood that the development of the glassblowing team's knowledge and skills went hand-in-hand with the development of the glass harmonica. He knew that admonishing or disciplining the team too harshly (or changing it too drastically) would hobble its progress and be counter-productive to his goals.
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The history of the glass harmonica provides important insights into the nature of the innovative process. Five aspects are particularly significant.
Here is the third aspect:
Innovation is commonly incredibly slow and incremental. It can, however (given the right people, resources, culture and environment), become fast and transformational.
Analysing the evolution of the glass harmonica over a period of approximately 400 years highlights the following 6 things about the process of innovation, each of which supports the above statement:
- An often lengthy period of time can pass during which something is known about but not acted upon (or any actions go unrecorded and unacknowledged).
- The timing and conditions have to be right for an innovation to be developed, widely acknowledged and adopted.
- Individuals need to be encouraged to explore new ideas, and communities need to be created where these ideas can be shared and developed.
- At some stage, an individual or group of individuals will make a decisive and positive difference to an innovation, enabling its rapid development and encouraging its enthusiastic adoption.
- This individual or group of individuals will only emerge when the time and conditions are supportive, and they will only be able to make a positive difference if they are aware of and have good and ready access to the work of others.
- To become interested in and support new ideas and innovations, people need to have time and space for them.
Since the Renaissance, which began around 1350, it had been known that sliding wet fingers around the rim of a wine glass would produce an appealing and potentially musical sound. This knowledge was not acted upon in any significant or known way until the 1740's when an Irishman (Richard Pockrich) created the glass harp (a number of goblets, each filled with a precise amount of water to produce a specific tone) and gave its first public performances.
Over the following two decades, interest in the glass harp increased significantly. Christoph Willibald Gluck raised the instrument's profile in England by performing it during his visits there, and Edward Delaval (a Fellow of the Royal Society and colleague of Benjamin Franklin) improved the design of the instrument by enhancing the tuning of the glasses and increasing the ease with which they could be played.
Then, in 1761, Franklin saw and heard a performance of Delaval's new and improved glass harp and was inspired to invent a radically different instrument: one that could be played more efficiently and effectively (and musically) than its predecessor.
One year later, Franklin's new 'glass harmonica' was given its first public performance.
Almost non-existent and then slow, small-stepped evolution of an idea had transformed into rapid innovation within the space of one year.
The above shows that the seeds of an innovative idea, even though identified, can lie apparently dormant for a great deal of time. Work may be done to develop them (it is unlikely that Richard Pockrich was the first person to put together and play some form of glass harp) but this work tends to be done out of sight and unrecorded until the time and conditions are right for an innovation's recorded and recognised development and public acknowledgement.
For the seed ideas of the glass harmonica, and indeed many other innovations, the time and conditions that brought them recorded and recognised development and public acknowledgement occurred during the 'Age of Enlightenment'. This was a time that placed science and reason over tradition and superstition. Most crucially, it encouraged individuals to explore new ideas and facilitated the creation of communities and institutions where these ideas could be shared and developed.
For example, Edward Delaval was a member of the Royal Society (an institution created at the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment to promote excellence in science). This institution and its philosophy encouraged Delaval to explore new ideas and innovations and one of these was the glass harp. He improved it, played it and shared his ideas about it.
Then comes Franklin. Franklin was a genius, and the age he lived in (along with its enlightened institutions) offered him many opportunities to be in the right places at the right times and put his unique intelligence and skills to good practical use. He was an enlightenment 'X Factor' who identified and rapidly developed many new ideas and innovations, among them the glass harmonica.
It must be recognised, however, that Franklin could not have developed the glass harmonica (and most, if not all, of his other inventions and innovations) without knowledge of the work of others and others' willingness to share their ideas publicly.
Lastly, the popularity of Franklin's glass harmonica provides one additional insight about successful inventions and innovations: people need the time to become interested. The Age of Enlightenment and the scientific and social advances it enabled gave an increasing number of the 18th century's population sufficient leisure time to pursue arts, hobbies and other interests not essential to immediate survival. Music was one of these things, so the glass harmonica would have been welcomed by an ever-growing audience. This raised the instrument's profile and encouraged its continued development (and increased the likelihood of it being adapted to new and imaginative uses).
In short, innovation is commonly incredibly slow and incremental. It can, however (given the right people, resources, culture and environment), become fast and transformational.
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The history of the glass harmonica provides important insights into the nature of the innovative process. Five aspects are particularly significant.
Here is the second aspect:
Some sort of communal or institutional space is created to encourage innovative thinking and the sharing of innovative ideas.
In 1660, roughly at the start of the 'Age of Enlightenment', the Royal Society (a scientific academy dedicated to promoting excellence in science) was founded. It was this society, through raising the profile of Edward Delaval's glass harp, that inspired Benjamin Franklin to invent the glass harmonica:
"At the time, Franklin was living in England as a Colonial envoy. He spent much of his time consorting with his fellow scientific enthusiasts in the Royal Society, and it was through them that he became fascinated with the musical glasses."
(From Music of the Spheres: the Glass Harmonica by Elijah Wald)
Without this platform for the public sharing of ideas, some of these sharings becoming catalytic events that inspired individuals to innovate, it is less likely that the glass harmonica would have been invented during the 18th century. Indeed, it is conceivable that the instrument might not have been invented at all.
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The history of the glass harmonica provides important insights into the nature of the innovative process. Five aspects are particularly significant.
Here is the first aspect:
Innovation often begins with some sort of personally inspiring and catalytic event. This event has some specific characteristics.
In the case of the glass harmonica, the catalytic event that inspired Franklin was watching and listening to a colleague (Edward Delaval, a member of the Royal Society) play the glass harp.
The following four things contributed to this performance being personally inspiring and catalytic for Franklin:
- It was public and high profile.
- It was credible in terms of both the quality of the content (in this case the music produced) and the status of the audience (which included members of the Royal Society).
- Franklin had a pre-existing personal or at least professional connection with one of the 'key players'. This would have encouraged him to engage with and appreciate the performance.
- It was memorable because it engaged with not only people's intellects but also their emotions.
The performance captured Franklin's interest and enthusiasm and kickstarted his commitment towards creating a new and improved instrument: one that could produce musical sounds more beautifully, efficiently and effectively than wine glasses that were fragile and difficult to transport (and each of which needed to be filled with a precise measure of water to produce a specific tone).
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The way Benjamin Franklin thought, allied with some of his other qualities and the nature and extent of his knowledge, offers important insights into a creative mind that was capable of making practical and successful inventions and innovations. Six aspects are particularly significant.
Here is the sixth aspect:
Franklin was totally committed to developing his ideas and making his inventions a reality.
The above is clearly demonstrated by Franklin's unhesitating commitment of time and resources to the development of the glass harmonica: at one point he engaged approximately 100 glassblowers to the task of developing and creating the glass bowls central to the instrument's mechanism.
Given Franklin's great responsibilities and wide interests, many of which entailed grappling with the pressing issues and problems of his time, one might think that inventing a musical "curiosity" like the glass harmonica would be nothing more than a hobby occupying the fringes of Franklin's thinking.
As his previously mentioned writings and above commitment of resources make clear, however, Franklin did not consider making the glass harmonica to be a mere hobby. When he turned his attention to inventing the instrument it was not with a relaxed and fleeting glance but a concentrated and intensely focused stare.
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The way Benjamin Franklin thought, allied with some of his other qualities and the nature and extent of his knowledge, offers important insights into a creative mind that was capable of making practical and successful inventions and innovations. Six aspects are particularly significant.
Here is the fifth aspect:
Franklin was very generous with his ideas and innovations and encouraged others to use and develop them.
"As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously."
The above quotation, from his autobiography, perfectly sums-up Franklin's generous attitude towards his ideas and inventions: he passionately believed that ideas and inventions, and the thinking and work that led to them, should be freely and widely shared.
The glass harmonica was no exception to this rule, as this letter from Franklin to a European colleague demonstrates. It clearly describes the glass harmonica and provides details about how to make one. Franklin goes so far as to encourage his colleague, if so inclined, to go ahead and make the instrument.
Franklin's generous attitude is also demonstrated by the fact that he never took out patents on any of his ideas and inventions, which were many and varied.
As well as being an enlightened thing to do, this free sharing achieved 3 important things:
- It helped Franklin's ideas and inventions become embedded and widely used within society.
- It helped and encouraged others to build upon and improve Franklin's ideas.
- It enabled people to adopt and adapt Franklin's ideas and inventions to their own contexts and uses.
In the case of the glass harmonica, it quickly became a popular and commonly played instrument of its time (with Mozart and Beethoven, among other composers, writing music for it). It was also gradually improved by others: the process of creating the glass bowls was greatly enhanced, superior quality glass was used to make the bowls, and the colour-coding of the various musical notes was simplified and made easy to understand. Lastly, people quickly adopted and adapted the glass harmonica to their own uses. An interesting example of this was the instrument's use within a form of medical therapy (Dr Mesmer's Mesmerism).
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The way Benjamin Franklin thought, allied with some of his other qualities and the nature and extent of his knowledge, offers important insights into a creative mind that was capable of making practical and successful inventions and innovations. Six aspects are particularly significant.
Here is the fourth aspect:
Franklin combined logic with passion.
"Franklin is seldom thought of in connection with music, but he both delighted in it and thought clearly and critically about it."
(From Benjamin Franklin by Carl Van Doren)
Franklin's invention of the glass harmonica is a clear example of how he could combine his scientific logic with his passionate feelings; he used his scientific knowledge to create new and beautifully moving music.
The perfect marriage of the logical and the emotional that the glass harmonica represents led Franklin to write the following:
"Above all my inventions, the glass armonica has given me the greatest personal satisfaction."
His ability to move between logic and emotion enhanced his inventiveness: his passions inspired and drove him to create and his scientific knowledge provided the methods and tools with which he could create.
Whenever Franklin sought to innovate, passion was his spur. It was his love of music that spurred his creation of the glass harmonica, and passionate beliefs about other things (such as humanity and society) spurred his endeavours in other important areas.
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The way Benjamin Franklin thought, allied with some of his other qualities and the nature and extent of his knowledge, offers important insights into a creative mind that was capable of making practical and successful inventions and innovations. Six aspects are particularly significant.
Here is the third aspect:
Franklin was patient with the process of innovation but demanding of the people with whom he worked.
Whilst developing the glass harmonica Franklin was patient with the creative process, accepting that there would be mistakes and failures along the way, but intolerant of what he saw as the ill-disciplined work of others. His comments about the work of his glassblowers are a prime example of this intolerance:
"I am vex'd with Mr. James that he has been so dilatory in Mr. Maddison's armonia. I was unlucky in both the workmen that I permitted to undertake making those instruments. The first was fanciful, and could never work to the purpose, because he was ever conceiving some new improvement that answer'd no end: the other is absolutely idle. I have recommended a number to him from hence, but must stop my hand."
(From Angelic Music: The Story of Ben Franklin's Glass Armonica by Corey Mead)
This combination of patience and demandingness encouraged Franklin and the people he worked with to engage in purposeful innovation: mistakes and failures were an expected and accepted part of the process but only when they occurred as a result of thoughtfully directed activity.
Franklin probably tolerated thoughtful and imaginative experiments that led to flawed and cracked bowls, knowing that the lessons learnt would eventually lead to the creation of perfect bowls which could be used within the glass harmonica. On the other hand, flights of unthinking creative fancy that led to unusable bowls were definitely perceived by Franklin as a waste of time and money (and, importantly, creative energy).
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The way Benjamin Franklin thought, allied with some of his other qualities and the nature and extent of his knowledge, offers important insights into a creative mind that was capable of making practical and successful inventions and innovations. Six aspects are particularly significant.
Here is the second aspect:
Franklin was a methodical and detailed recorder of his activities and progress.
This letter, written by Benjamin Franklin and describing how he invented the glass harmonica, is an excellent example of the above. Indeed, as the author states, the committed and careful reader would unlikely need any additional information to make the instrument.
Keeping this detailed record achieves two things:
- Firstly, it adds clarity to the progress or otherwise of Franklin's work. Failures and successes (plus the reasons for them) can be easily identified and subsequently avoided or enhanced as appropriate.
- Secondly, it provides excellent information to others who may be interested in recreating or building upon Franklin's work. This increases the likelihood of Franklin's innovations not only becoming widely known but also improved over time.
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The way Benjamin Franklin thought, allied with some of his other qualities and the nature and extent of his knowledge, offers important insights into a creative mind that was capable of making practical and successful inventions and innovations. Six aspects are particularly significant.
Here is the first aspect:
Franklin had many interests and access to a varied and ever-increasing body of knowledge and expertise that he was willing and able to combine and apply as required to solve specific problems.
He was a writer, scientist, printer, social commentator and moderniser, founder of institutions, musician and composer, and other things too numerous to mention here. Being a polymath, however, was only part of the reason for the effectiveness of his creativity and longevity of his innovative legacy. Key to these things was his strong believe that knowledge should be put to work to make a positive difference in the world. This belief made him think firstly about the problem at hand and then about the specific combination of knowledge, skills and experience needed to solve it.
If Franklin needed additional knowledge and expertise he would gain them, by either becoming expert in them himself or calling upon the knowledge and expertise of others.
This approach is clearly demonstrated by his creation of the glass harmonica: he made a positive difference in the world by enabling people to hear a new and beautiful sound; he used his musical knowledge to identify the notes and scales the instrument would play; he used his scientific and technical knowledge to identify the type of glass bowl and mechanism that would ensure quality of sound and ease of playing; he used the skills and experience of a professional glassblower to develop and make the glass bowls; he used the skills of a professional musician to test the instrument and introduce it to the public.
Having assured himself that what he wanted to do would make a positive difference in the world, Franklin placed his challenge and the problems it presented front and centre of his thinking. He then brought together the unique mix of knowledge, skills and expertise he needed to solve his problems and meet his challenge.
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This is a glass harmonica:
Click on the link below to see and hear it being played:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEKlRUvk9zc
As you can see and hear, it is a musical instrument that uses a series of glass bowls graduated in size to produce sounds by means of friction applied by the player's fingers. It was invented in 1761 by Benjamin Franklin, one of the most creative and influential thinkers of his time.
It is an unusual instrument; to some, it may even seem a little quirky. It is not played very much today, falling out of favour sixty or so years after it was invented.
It has not, however, disappeared. It is still being made and played (and indeed improved) by a small but globe-spanning community of passionate enthusiasts inspired by its sound and the ingenuity of its invention.
The passion and inspiration the glass harmonica still manages to ignite, over 250 years after its invention and despite the stigma of becoming unfashionable, imply that it possesses a unique and enduring quality: a quality that has enabled it survive and even thrive despite barren times and relatively scant attention.
The reason for and precise nature of this enduring quality can be discovered by exploring two things:
- The qualities of the glass harmonica's inventor. What were his beliefs and passions? What did he know? What were his interests? How did he think and behave? What skills did he use? What habits did he develop? How did he solve problems?
- The history of the glass harmonica. What inspired the instrument? Why was it invented? How was it invented? How did people react to it? How did people use it? What problems did it encounter and how was it affected by them? How did it survive and even thrive despite these problems?
The answers to these questions are fascinating; they provide important insights into creativity and the process of innovation.
The following posts will provide these answers and show how we can use the resulting insights to enhance our creative problem solving and our ability to innovate.
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