[sdiy] We are the Mummies (was: Freak at Home)

[Peter Grenader]

elmacaco wrote:

> Whoa!
> 
> Got any links for that horseshoe stuff?
> 
> ed\


Unfortunately not - these experiments, done by a guy by the name of C.G.
Page, were in 1840-ish, well before the invention of the electric light, let
alone recording technology.  But, they did have batteries and knew about
coils and horseshoes were all over the damn place.

Other milestones of pre-electronic instruments were:

 Ernest Lorenz (sp?) and his Elekrisches Musikinstrument (something like
that) which used current to drive an electromagnet that were connected to
resonating boards which did the work of primitive speakers.

The turn of the 20th century marked the invention of the Singing Arc by
Duddell in England.  This thing used carbon arc lamps to create sound

The first biggy , one that many people, not just weirdo's like us who eat,
sleep and breathe this stuff remember is Thaddeus Cahill and the
Telharmonium in the early 1900's.  This monster cost Cahill over $200,000 in
his day to make (finally something more expensive than a Buchla 200!) and
weighed over 100 tons.  Yes folks, no B.S.  It filled thirty boxcars when it
was moved to it's final destination for assembly, New York City.  Cahill
envisioned an instrument even larger than this one which 20 musicians could
play at the same time (20 manuals) - but the thing didn't take off.

>From there came the Theremin - in the 20's, the famous Trautonium and the
Odes Martenot and in the in about 1930, the Hammond Organ.

As far as the earliest known music to be written for electronic instruments,
this is a tough one to spout off with any great accuracy. - but  I know
Messiaen wrote a piece for six martonot's in 1935 and Oskar Sala did
extensive work with the Trautonium in the mid 40's.

Hope this helps,

Peter


> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Peter Grenader" <petergrenader at mksound.com>
> To: "mark verbos" <mverbos at earthlink.net>; "synth DIY"
> <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
> Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 6:57 PM
> Subject: Re: [sdiy] We are the Mummies (was: Freak at Home)
> 
> 
>> I agree - Kraftwork wasn't Genesis in this scenario, not by a long shot.
>> Yet I don't think it's correct to put them in the same pile as Henry and
>> Karl, either.
>> 
>> They both used wholly electronic means, so yeah, they can both be called
>> 'electronic music', but that's where the simularity ends, and I'm pretty
>> sure no one will contest this statement.  There is a distinction that must
>> be made between music that uses electronic instruments and 'electronic
>> music' or electro-acoustic music'.
>> 
>> Henry and Stockhausen weren't the beginning, either, not be a long shot.
>> Things started way way before them, the first forrays being before the
>> electric light was invented (please don't think I'm nuts) - there were
>> experiments going on with music caused by vibrations  from horseshoes
> which
>> were placed in magnetic fields (coils).  Was this EM? - surely not, but it
>> was the beginning of it all.
>> 
>> I'm up to my eyeballs at work right now - when I get home, I'll spend a
>> couple of minutes (string willing) and list some of the milestone
>> oldie-oldies of EM tonight after I am out of here.
>> 
>> Not to worry, it won't be a novelette!
>> 
>> P
>> 
> 
> 
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.473 / Virus Database: 271 - Release Date: 4/17/03
> 
>