Amazing Multi-Harmonic Antique Fountain Bowl – Low E2/F2 and B3

Unusual Antique Singing and Fountain Bowl.  E2/F2 and B3 Notes

Weight 2 lb 9 oz (1.16 kilos).  Size 9½ x 4 inches (24.5 x 10 cm)

This large multi-harmonic antique singing bowls is capable of producing amazing fountains when struck or played with water inside.  Indeed it is one of the best fountain bowls I have come across in almost 30 years.   It is so responsive that even a gentle strike on its wall with a padded mallet will make the water erupt into a myriad of small fountains.  A heavier strike will make the water leap right out of the bowl, and it will do the same when played around the rim.  This is no ordinary bowl!

This bowl has interesting sonic properties too.  The fundamental note is an unusually low second octave.  The struck note sings at a frequency 85Hz.  This is almost exactly midway between an E2 (82.41Hz) and an F2 (87.31Hz), which means that either note might come to the fore when struck.  Sometimes the note you hear will switch from one to the other, or they may even sing together in harmony!  Sometimes even the rim note appears.  This note is something else entirely…a rather nice third octave B with a frequency of 240Hz.

The shape of this bowl is rather unusual with its flat bottom and thin, slightly conical, straight wall.  The rim, which is merely the top of the wall, varies in thickness…and it is this that produces the resonance and vibrant energy necessary to create the fountains.

Decorative features are limited to a few circles on the floor of the bowl, and a pair of incised lines about an inch apart that form a band or collar just below the outer rim.  The bowl is clean and structurally sound.  A padded striker and a ringer are included in the price.

One of the most interesting bowls in my collection…and certainly one of the best fountain bowls ever!

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Listen: (3 struck notes and 2 played notes with suede then wood ringers).