The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-09-11
COLOR MUSIC THE LATEST.

COLOR MUSIC THE LATEST.
Can sounds be translated into color,
and can the musical tones that now exist
solely for ear be transformed until they
appeal definitely to the eye as we'll? That
is the modern and also an old question,
which is being answered in the affirma-
tive by the devotees of what is known as
color music"
The art has suddenly become serious
one, and wealthy artist named Riving-
ton, who lives in London, has recently
invented and put into operation, at a
cost of nearly $4,000, a "color organ"
by means Of which, as certain notes are
struck, the melody is reproduced in a
bewildering succession Of color tones
and combinations on a SCREEN at the
same instant they are heard by the ear.
At preliminary recital in St. Jane 8
Hall the other day the exquisite delicacy
of the mechanism Of this new instrument
was tested, and it's responsiveness was
found to be wholly adequate. Chopin's
preludes were played, and the screen
showed a bewildering succession of
rhythmical waves of color passing so
rapidly that it was hard for the eye to
take them all in, ranging from beginning
to end of the spectrum, and flashing not
only the intermediate tones, half tones
II,
merable lovely combinations which hith-
erto had never suggested themselves to
the imagination, but were the inevitable
results Of a harmony that worked the
same for the eye as for the ear.
Hardly possible, and more within the
domain of fairyland than the regions of
actual science, seems this art of color
music but it is certain that this much
was actually accomplished: that unepd-
ing combinations of color were produced
by the mechanical principles that govern
the diatontc scale and musical octaves.
What the exact details of his instru-
ment may be, and just how each color is
produced, Mr.. Rivington viii cot divulge.
All that is known is played upon the new
"color organ" is played upon keyboard
which is almost the exact counterpart
of that used for piano, and that when
ever note is struck it's color appears
upon the screen. Chords show combina-
tions of tints that are only comparable
to harmonic combinations of musical
noter, middle c corresponding, for ex-
ample, to the low red of the spectrum.
The other Cs Of the keyboard, when
struck, show yet other reds, toning per-
fectly.
Without carrying the description fur
ther, it may thus readily be seen how
the colors grade, shade and tone, and
how the sharpening of a piano note or
its f1attening makes the suggestion of a
change in color hardly to be expressed
with painters british yet quite percepti-
BILE to the visual scenes
This instrument has an especial fasci-
nation, for the reason that it is the first
in the world to show definite connec-
ton between sound and color 1t was
the belief of one of the ancient schools
of philosophy at least, that these two
perceptions came closely together, and
that the borderland between them was
narrow and readily to be bridged. There
has existed at all events. among some
few people mysterious faculty Of
"color hearing" This was first brought
to notice comparatively recently in the
experiences Of DR.. Nussbaumer.
For Nussbaumer each sound had it's
peculiar color-this word corresponding
to red, this note to blue, this to yellow
and this to green. While a child he was
striking in his play a fork against a
glass. AS he heard the sound an impress
sion of a color flashed quickly into his
mind, varying in tipt by the energy with
which he struck the glass, and after stop
ping his ears tightly he could divine
merely by his eyes just how loudly the
glass had sounded.
Other men may be instanced to whose
organs of sight the waves Of sound were
in some way perceptible. There was a
youth Of Zurich recently to whom mu-
steal notes presented themselves in
shades and tints, high-pitched sounds
showing clear and brilliantly to the
sight and low ones DULY and sombrely.
NJ. Pedrono, an opthalmOlogist, of Mates,
had "a friend, whose name has not
been recorded, but whose popularity
along these lines was very marked. Sew
era1 young fellows were talking in his
presence one day, and a joking express
sion, That's as fine as a yellow dog"
being popular in their set, they applied
it to a man who was heard shouting
across the street. The gentleman, who
heard in color, Immediately lifted him
self up in response.
NO" he said, his voice is not yell
low; it is pure red"
When pressed for an explanation, he
answered quite simply that he could see
the color of voices. Medical men ex-
amined him, and found that his hear
ing, his sight and his general health were
all perfect. In explaining the phenom-
enon they agreed that it was that his
chromatic sensitiveness was SO sharp
that the luminous impression was made
before the sonorous one, for they found
that before he could judge Of the quality
and intensity Of a sound he had seen it
and knew it's color.
Most interesting of all, there was no
sensation of the eye at times. When his
eyes were. shut and bandaged sounds
conveyed direct color impressions to his
mind. When his eyes were opened and
looking directly at the sonorous body the
sound appeared in it's color, according to
his statement, as near as possible to the
/ body itself Should a piano be played,
the color was over the keys. In the case
of a guitar it hung on the vibrating
strings, and as regards singing points of
color came and went in rapid succession
directly over the vocalists heads
In the light of history Rivington's in
vention has not that newness and nov
city it would seem to have. So for back
as 1874 Father Castel, French Jesuit,
constructed a model of color harpsi-
chord That this ingenious priest died
before his device was quite perfected
does not destroy the originality of his
idea nor the priority of his claim. No
details of the construction of his instru-
ment have come down to the present
day, but so far as can be learned it very