The Glass Harp | National Geographic

for centuries Prague has been a center
of art and home to great composers
Dvorak Chopin and jackowski performed
their best works here inspired by this
musical heritage is Alexander Zoltan who
plays a less traditional instrument the
glass harp his steady gig is on the
charles bridge constructed in the mid
14th century and named for emperor
charles the fourth alex is a busker or
street performer he’s performed in
Bulgaria Romania and when he defected
from Czechoslovakia 1982 he performed on
the streets of Barcelona after
immigrating to Australia he soon burned
out on street performing and found work
with a company that imported crystal
gasps Alex began collecting crystal
wineglasses 22 and all that make up his
glass harp and so Alex’s music change
from the racket of a booming one-man
band street performer to the delicate
sounds produced by glass but his success
not only comes from his skills as a
musician he also can work a crowd I free
cookie about
most important part of my sound
equipment is so-called coin treat to
play music is easy in Milan it is more
or less change monkey but to learn how
to how to handle a half audience how to
handle interruptions in your favor how
to make the audience laughs and failure
is the hardest start with once you know
it the life is very easy but it’s tough
tough way of learning alex has performed
on television in Japan Australia the
Czech Republic and Canada and on
occasion still plays in concert halls
but his favorite stage is the street the
street was much more entertaining and it
just driven straight this real life once
you’re on this change is like do now
nature the people are also nature
recognized bad days who is playing off
policemen who is a big pocket it’s say
like Aborigine in the desert you can see
things no more people don’t see I would
say a good busker is the same