The Cristal Baschet (Crystal Organ)

The Cristal Baschet, also known as the crystal organ, sounds very much like it’s crystallophone similitude, the glass armonica. Both of these instruments are friction idiophones, that is they produce their sounds when their glass ‘keys’ (in this case, 54 chromatically tuned glass rods) are vibrated, usually by a wet finger.

“The vibration of the glass rods in the Cristal Baschet is passed to a heavy block of metal by a metal stem whose variable length determines the frequency produced (i.e., the note). Amplification is the result of fiberglass cones fixed in a wood frame and a tall cut out metal part, in the shape of a flame. “Whiskers”, placed under the instrument to one side, amplify high-pitched sounds.” Wikipedia

The Cristal Baschet was invented by the French brothers Bernard and Francois Baschet in 1952 as one of their playable sound sculptures. The Cristal Baschet is completely acoustic (free of any electronics) and the amplification cones can be bonged like a gong, which makes the instrument even more odd!

A compilation of Michel Deneuve on the Cristal Baschet:

A frightening cacophony by Catherine Brisset on Cristal Baschet and Gilles Dalbis on percussion:

Sources: Thomas Bloch and Wikipedia