Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-10
COLOR MUSIC.

The Possibility of an Art Akin In
Effect to Music.
From the Nineteenth Century.
There are many considerations that lend
some FEASIBILITY to the fancy that future
times may zee the birth of 4 new art that
shall appeal to the emotions through color
alone in the same way that music makes
its appeal through sound. 1t is true that
no mechanism, no instrument at present
exists that can pass before our eyes notes
ard chords Of color such as music sends to
our ears nor. If this were possible, could
our feelings at present correspond to them,
or give them meaning; neither has the
color composer yet come forward who can
appeal to our emotions through a fresh
medium, perhaps with a delicacy and keen
ness Of sensation unknown before.
Color seems to have every element neces-
sary for exciting feelings as deep and as
sympathetic as any that music calls forth,
IL only the appeal can be made and I'M
derstood.
Already in some measure there is an as
ISOLATION of ideas with coors, as in the gay
effect of bright hues and the somber in
f1uence of dark; and the experience of a
sunset Is witness to the influence that color
can exert, and the depth of feeling it is
capable of stimulating.
Is it possible to create an art that shall
appeal to US in kindred way to music
and to educate our perceptions that we
may appreciate the melody and harmony of
color as we now appreciate the melody and
harmony of sound?
The analogy of color to sound is one con-
sideration that may lead us to think that
We can perhaps answer yes"
effectively, and as matter of physical
science. the two are so far alike that both
are wave motions, though of different
kinds; the pitch of a sound and the color
of light are both dependent on the num-
Der OF vibrations; violet light and high
notes result from frequent vibrations; red
light and low notes from comparatively
few vibrations, and probably, though not
Of necessity, they would arouse similar
sensations. The thunder of storm might
conceivably be represented by low notes
and red color, the lightning by high notes
and violent light.
The range of audible sound comprises
about eleven octaves, the range of musical
sound about seven; the range of visible
light is less than one octave: the range of
artistic color may. perhaps, be less, as is
the case with sound; but the seemingly
narrow limits of color to less than one oc-
tavs is more verbal than real, for If we
consider that the limits of musical sound
lie between forty and LOCO vibrations in a
second. while the limits Of visible light lie
between 46O millions Of millions and $50
millions Of millions in the same time. it
would seem probable that larger number
OF colors and tints could be appreciated by
the eye than notes by the ear and that
therefore, the variation producible by COM
b1nation of colors Is greater than the yaria-
ton possible by musical combination into
chords, while the change from tint to tint
could be incomparably more gradual and
delicate than the change from note to
note. But how far it would be possible
or desirable to have scales Of color start
ing from different points and with inter-
walls between the tints or colors, Deepen
dent on certain proportions between their
respective vibrations. I am not prepared
to guess.