Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1907-01-23

cided success.
From banks of dynamos iu the basement came
music similar, but in some respects superior, to the
tones of the pipe organ the French horn the claro.
net, but this music was produced without reeds,
pipes strings or any of the element heretofore EN-.
ployed in the formation of musical sounds Elimi.
mating all techncas consideration of the inevnton,
it consists simply OF producing by electrical current
the exact number of vibrations required for each
tone in the major and minor scales and then build,
ing up the harmonics or oveItones which belong
with each basic tone.
With all the novelty and wonder of the thing
there was just touch OF magic in this first perfor
nance of the electric music machne. Strains of
ChOpin's Second Nocturne, reproducing the tone Of
the French horn, would come first from chandelier
then from large vase OF roses then from the floor
beneath one's feet. Mendelsshon's 'Sprng Song, F"
as if produced by the pipe organ, came first fom
hanging basket of ferns, then from large horn
protudng from the wall and again from the key
board, where the player sat All this was done
simply by the manipulation of a switchboard just
operator would change the connection of a
telephone from one house to another.
In each of the places from which the music came
was 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 produc-
ton OF music from ordinary arc lamp, where
nothing cond be except the bright CLEAN OF the
electric light. This9music very soft and ex
ceedingy sweet and dreamlike, similar to the music
OF an orchestra far ont in the water on summer
night.
Even more marvellous than this was an exhib
tion in which a row of incandescent lights glowed
brightly and grew dim just as the theme played ran
into the higher or lower notes. This done to
demonstrate that the higher notes require more
vibaration than the lower ones. The selection taken
for that was Mendessohn's 'Spring Song" When
the high notes of the theme were being played the
lights would fade and disappear When the theme
ran down into the lower register they would CLEAN
with light that illumined the big room, and again
when the higher notes touched the room became
dark.
Eventually it is the purpose OF those who are
perfectng the telharmonium to transmit these music
al vibrations Or currents into theaters halls and
homes just as telephone messages are sent now. In
fact, the music will be carried ordinary tele
phone wires and may be started in one's dining
drawing room or sleeping room at any hour OF the
day or night, merely by opening a switch. The
volume may be regulated to suit the tastes and mood
of the listener.
Edward Bellamy, in 1887, in his "Looking
Backward" outlined this system of transmitting
music to the homes of city, but he predicted that
it would come in the year 1000, and even in the
flights of fancy chen he did not dream that eectPic
ty would be employed in the actual creation Of
music. He simply prophesed that ordinary man
made music would be transmitted over telephone
wires.