Ben Franklin Month Hits Musical Crescendo with Free Sunday Concert

Ben Franklin, America’s Man for All Seasons, was not only a scientist, inventor, and diplomat he also dabbled in music and, fascinated by the familiar phenomenon of wine glasses producing an eerie sound when rubbed, created a whole musical instrument – the glass armonica (or harmonica). Its slowly rotating bowls of different diameters can be played, almost like a keyboard instrument, by gentle application of one or more fingers.

It's the 18th century invention, that composers like Mozart and Donizetti found enchanting, and that also makes amazing 21st century sounds.

On Sunday, again in honor of Ben Franklin’s birth month, armonica artist Vera Meyer will appear in concert at Dean’s Marvin Chapel in a free event that is open to the public. Last year’s concert at the public library reached capacity necessitating the move to a larger space for 2025.

Meyer’s style is audience focused, and includes a sing-along portion and sometimes an opportunity for a few audience members to come up and give the armonica a try. You can listen to Vera play the Harry Potter theme here.

When her performance ends, Dean drama students will perform a short, humorous, and self-critical skit written by Ben, about Ben, called “Ben Franklin and the Gout” in which his ailment (the gout) is personified! Marvin Chapel is on the second floor of Dean Hall, the main brick building at the center of the campus. During this event, members of the Dean community and community members may park in the Dean lot off of Emmons Street, behind Dean Hall. An elevator is available.

This event, and all the events in Ben Franklin Month have been made possible through the cooperation of the Franklin Historical Commission, Franklin Library, and Dean College with the support of the Franklin Cultural District, Franklin Cultural Council, and the Massachusetts Cultural Commission.

Other
events upcoming or ongoing into February include:

• ‘Ben
  Gave us Books and We Gave the World Books’
  —
  a display of Franklin-authored books, past and present. Continues
  into
  mid-February
  during regular hours (Sat. 10-1 and Sun 1-4) at the Franklin
  Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street. (Are you a Franklin
  Author? — contact alan.r.earls@gmail.com to join the display!)
• Franklin-ventions:
  Revolutionary Ideas in Franklin Industries +
  a look at some of Ben Franklin’s famous inventions. Continues
  all month (and
  until 2/23) during regular hours (Sat. 10-1 and Sun 1-4) at the
  Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street.
• Jan.
  30, Min
  Chen, Assistant Dean of Admissions at Boston’s Benjamin
  Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology,
  a 2-year college, which was begun with a bequest from Benjamin
  Franklin, will conduct back-to-back afternoon information
  sessions
  for students at Franklin High School and Tri-County Vocational,
  sharing our common thread with Ben Franklin and the modern career
  programs available via commuter rail in Boston.
• Jan.
  30, JUNTO A Non-Fiction Book Club at the Franklin Library,
  rescheduled from earlier in the month (Inspired
  by Ben Franklin’s famous Philadelphia reading group, the Junto)!
  The first official
  meeting
  is Thursday January 30th
  at 6:30PM. The January Book is Think
  Again by
  Adam Grant! Get a physical or digital copy through the Library
  Catalog!
• Questions?
  Contact Alan Earls alan.r.earls@gmail.com

BELOW, Some images from the Ben Franklin Autobiogaphy Readathon at the Museum on Thursday:

Aida DiChiara

Paula Renkas

State Rep Jeff Roy