Harmonica

It's all in the tongue, as Chinese Emperor Huang Tei knew full well when he made a harmonica out of bamboo 2,800 years ago. Although the concept of producing sound by allowing the tongue to oscillate freely was discovered early on, the invention of the mouth organ was still a long way off. The journey led to Thuringia, and the son of a famous instrument maker. Initially intended more as an aid to piano tuning, Buschmann junior at the age of just 16 developed a musical instrument similar to a harmonium which was four inches long and had 15 steel tongues.

It was not long before he realized his little invention's potential. By constantly blowing into the "Mundaeoline", as Buschmann named the instrument, 21 tones could be produced – either in a soft piano or loud forte, depending on the player's mood. The new instrument caused a sensation, and the yearning, soulful melody of the mouth organ still has a powerful effect on listeners today.

Significance: small, affordable and easy to play, the harmonica is a popular instrument all over the world, and nowadays it would be impossible to imagine blues and folk music without the sound of the "blues harp".

Invented by: Christian Buschmann
In: 1821

Special Information On 16 December 1965, the mouth organ celebrated its premiere in space. On board the Gemini 4 spacecraft, astronaut Walter Schirra played "Jingle Bells" on his harmonica, which he had secretly taken with him.