Fourth movement from Cynthia Folio’s Philadelphia Portraits

for piccolo and piano

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PORTRAIT – NOTES BY LOIS BLISS HERBINE

“Of all my inventions, the glass armonica has given me the greatest personal satisfaction.” – Benjamin Franklin

In the other Portraits, Folio created her compositions around quotations of other works and musical allusions, yet Benjamin Franklin is all Cynthia’s own. It is also our favorite of the Portraits. Her inspiration was the heavenly musical instrument invented by this famous Philadelphian.

Email from Cynthia to Lois: “The Franklin movement will be more abstract (no quotes at all), but expressive and “ethereal.” I hope to evoke the sound of the glass armonica; it should fit into the spiritual theme just fine.”

Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn composed for Franklin’s glass armonica, which he invented in 1761. It is the sound of drawing a wetted finger along the rim of a drinking glass, which Franklin mechanized so the glasses would rotate rather than the arms of the player. The photo below is a reproduction glass armonica that is displayed at Benjamin Franklin House, Philadelphia. Ben Franklin’s own armonica is held at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

I enjoy trying to mimic the celestial sounds of Franklin’s favorite invention. The tone needs to ring clear like a bell. In practice I dropped the dynamics down by one level (for example mp to p) to help the piccolo sound more delicate. Cynthia went back to the score and notated this difference in both the piccolo and piano parts.

How to Make a Bell Tone

In the music Folio advises to “play all staccato notes like bell tones.” Bell tones in the upper register can be best described as a clear and light articulation of each note like a “ping,” a brief sounding of the note that is pure in quality with a shimmery vibrato, then a fast but controlled decay or taper before the next note sounds. I articulate with the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth, close behind but not touching the teeth, which is the American flute method passed down from the legendary Philadelphia Orchestra principal flutist William Kincaid. Using this or a similar method of articulation, try to imitate the way a small handbell sounds when the clapper strikes.

Normally we would diminuendo between notes to an almost imperceptible volume before rearticulation. In the case of the Franklin Portrait the music moves too quickly for sound decay or use of vibrato. I would strive to direct the air squarely on individual notes to make each one crystal clear. Or as teachers coming from the American school of woodwind instruction with roots in Philadelphia would advise, “make every note a pearl.”

Performance Challenges

Measures 17 through 21 can be difficult to fit together with a pianist. Of concern is the rhythm — three notes in the right hand of the piano against four notes in the left hand against ties over downbeats in the solo line. It is hard for the piccoloist to discern where to place the pick-up notes in the tapestry of tinkling tones emanating from the piano.

In masterclasses settings I have suggested that both players focus attention on the left hand of the piano, which is slightly more dominant, even though the piccolo part closely relates to the rhythm in the piano’s right hand. The pianist’s focus is to keep the tempo steady throughout and the piccoloist should listen for the downbeats and respond accurately after the tie. Start with slow practice, then when performing up to tempo feel the flow with only two beats per measure.

At the end of the movement I think of the vibrato on the longest notes as slowly rotating rather than vibrating, to imitate the sound the fingers make on the revolving glass of Franklin’s armonica.