The Washington herald., 1907-01-13
MUSIC FROM DYNAMOS
Tones Reproduced by Vibra-
ti0ns of a Diaphragm.
EARM0NIEs FROM ARC LIGHT
Telephones Concealed In ChandeI-
iers, Vases OF Flowers or a Basket
OF Ferns Give Forth Classic selee-
tiOns-CoIor Effects ia the spring
song"-BeIIamy's Dream OatdOne.

Musicians and scientists made ~ the
public exhibition in New York OF Thad-
deus cahilfs Invention, the telharmo-
mum. through which perfect music is pro-
dgced from electrical vibrations.
From banks Of dynamos in the base
ment came music similar 6u- IN some re-
spects So eriOr TO the tones OF the pipe
organ the French norm, the clarinet, bat
this music was produced without reeds,
pipes, strings, or any OF the elements
hitherto employed in the formation Of
musical sound. Eliminating ali technical
consideration Of the invention. il consists
simply OF producing by electrical current
the exact number Of vibrations required
for each tone in the major and minor
scales and then building Up the har-
moaics or overJoHes which belong with
each basic tone.
With al the novelty and wonder Of the
thing there was Just a touch Of magic in
this first performance Of the electric mu-
sic machine, says the New York Herald.
strains Of Cho?ln's Second NoctUrne. "
reproducing The zone Of a French horn,
would come first from a chandelier. then
from a large vase OF roses, then from the
floor beneath ones fees MendeIssohn's
Spring Song as II produced by the
pipe organ. came first from a hanging
basket of ferns. then from q large horn
protruding from the wall. and again from
the keyboard, where the player sat All
this was done simply by the manlpula-
ton OF a switchboard. just as an operator
would change the connection Of a tele-
phone from one house to another.
lamp Gives Out Music.
In each OF the places from which the
music came was a diaphragm similar TO
that OF the telephone. and the electrical
vibrations OF the dynamOs were merely
switched from one place to another where
the telephones were concealed.
Another interesting exhibition was the
production Of music from an ordinary arc
lamp whore nothing could be seen except
the bright CLEAN Of the electric light This
music was very soft, but exceedingly
sweet and dreamlike, similar to the
music OF an orchestra far out on the
water on summer night.
Even more marvellous than this WAS an
exhibition in which row Of incandescent
lights giowed brightly and grew dim just
as the theme played ran into the higher
or lower notes This was done 70 demon
strate that the higher notes require more
vibrations than tee lower ones. The Sc
lection taken fer that was Siendelssohn's
Spring Song. When the high notes Of
the song We're being played the lights
would fade and disappear When the
theme ran down into the lower register
they would gieam with q light that iilu-
mined the big room, and again when the
higher notes were touched the room be-
came dark.
BelIamy's Dream Realized.
Eventually it ls the purpose Of those
who arc pegfect.ns the telharmonlum TO
transmit these musical vibrations OF cur
rents into the theaters. halls, ard homes.
just as telephone MESA es are sent now
In fact the music VIII be carried over
ordinary telephone wires. and may be
started n ones dining-room. drawing
room. or sleeping-rOom, at any hour OF
the day or night merely by opening a
switch The volume may be regulated &c
suit the tastes and mood Of the listener.
Edward Bellamy IN 1881 IN his Look
ing Backward outlined this system OF
transmitting music q the hcmes Of q
city, but b. predicted that IL would come
in TIE year 200. and even in the flights
Of fancy then, he did not dream that cleo
tricity would be employed in the actual
creation Of music. he simply prophesled
that ordinary man-made music would be
transmitted over telephone wires.