The glass harmonica, also known as glass armonica, ‘”hydrocrystalophone” or simply armonica (derived from “armonia”, the Italian word for harmony) is a type of musical instrument that uses a series of glass bowls or goblets graduated in size to produce musical tones by means of friction, making it both a crystallophone and a friction idiophone). Despite being played with wet fingers, the sound is produced by vibration of the solid glass, so that the glass harmonica is not a hydraulophone even if played completely submerged in water.

“Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” on the Glass Armonica

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Superwave launches Stylophone, a FREE a monophonic VSTi synth for Windows.

Features:

1 Sample Oscillator
Samples: 20 Multi-Samples
Waveforms: Saw
1 Responce Curve: Exponential
1 Envelope
Fixed Values: Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release
1 LFO
Waveforms: Sine
Controls: Vibrato
Monophonic operation
On/Off switch
2 high quality presets

“Over 40 years old, the Stylophone pocket synthesizer made popular by the likes of Rolf Harris and David Bowie” Superwave

via Making Music

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Daito Manabe is a programmer, artist, and designer who obviously isn’t afraid to experiment. From Daito’s website, “Yes. It is painful. but not as much as you think.”

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Cycling ‘74 & Ableton Release Max For Live

Ableton and Cycling ‘74 have released Max for Live, the bridge-product that puts the power and potential of Max/MSP inside Live. Co-developed by Ableton and Cycling ‘74 over a period of more than two years, Max for Live effectively opens up the Live platform, allowing users to create and edit their own devices.

Users are free to create whatever they can think of: unique synths and effects, algorithmic composition tools, or hybrid
hardware/software music machines. Devices created with Max for Live are seamlessly integrated into Live’s interface and workflow, just like the “home-grown” Ableton instruments and effects. Read more »

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The opening of the 58th annual BMI Student Composer Awards competition has been announced by BMI President and CEO Del Bryant and BMI Foundation President Ralph N. Jackson. The competition, which is co-sponsored by BMI and the BMI Foundation, will award $20,000 in prizes. Student composers under the age of 28 who are citizens of the Western Hemisphere (North, South and Central America, the Caribbean Island Nations and the Hawaiian Islands) may apply. All entries must be postmarked no later than February 5, 2010.

The Student Composer Awards were established in 1951 to encourage young composers in the creation of serious music, and, through cash prizes, to aid in continuing their musical education. Celebrated composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich serves as the Awards Chair; Milton Babbitt is the Chair Emeritus. Composer luminaries such as William Bolcom, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, Philip Glass, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Donald Martino, Steven Mackey, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner, Michael Torke and Charles Wuorinen received their earliest recognition through this program.

There are no limitations as to instrumentation, style or length of work submitted. The prizes, which range from $500 to $5,000, are awarded at the discretion of the final judging panel and compositions are judged completely under pseudonyms. Official rules and entry forms are available at www.bmifoundation.org.

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