Omaha daily bee., 1912-07-21
VOCAL FLORA IS PRODUCED
Ella Wheeler Wilcox Tells Of Beau
tiful Field of Research.
WOMAN INvENTS EIDOPH0NE
By Means of Device Voice Is He
corded in the Form of Ferns.
Daisies and Fruits of Va
rfOus Kinds.
BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.

The unity of all life, the oneness Of all
things and the wonder and glory of the
Creator, have been newly brought to my
mind, over here in England. DR.. Haydn,
the leader Of violinists in st. james or
chestra, is lecturing on Vocal Flora
and Fauna" That phrase may mean
nothing as you read 1t. But learn Its
true meaning.
DR.. Haydn illustrates his lecture by
lantern slide pictures, showing floral
shapes of notes sung through a funnel
upon gelatine and other substances.
The note, E Flat, sung by highly
trained voice, produces the perfect shape
Of daisy. This form is not accidental;
for innumerable tests will invariably pro-
duce the same shape, when sung by diff
ferent voices of equal culture. The un-
cultivated voice will produce a SEM
blance Of the flower.
Ferns, trees and fruit forms are pro-
duced by other notes, and perfect or
ange was exhibited as the result of the
high note struck by g. fine tenor at the
end of an arpeggio passage.
Margaret Watts Hughes is the dis
coverer of this marvellous new scientific
fact The discoverer describes the cylin-
der used as the eidophone, and tells how
she came to invent it, as follows:
Its construction may be said to have
originated from the following circumstan-
ces. In the year 1885 1 had been devotlng
attention to the study Of the six proper
ties Of sound in relation to the voice, and,
being impressed with the important part
played by intensity in the formation OF
vocal sounds, especially in relation to
quality and the creation Of over-tones,
1 became desirous to find some means
by which l could test the different in
tensities Of the tones Of the human voice.
Ny first task was to search for an in
strument and l made dilligent inquiry
as to what had already been accomplished
in this direction So far as I was able
to ascertain no such instrument had
been produced, and I felt very much
disappointed
Mechanism Of Ediphone.
mot willing to give up my project
endeavored to construct an apparatus Of
my own, which hoped eventually might
answer my purpose. This apparatus con-
sisted Of a tube, receiver and mem
brane, which was stretched over the top
Of the receiver. The membranes were
made. of various kinds of material-paper.
parchment, fine silk, gold beaters' skin,
tin and India rubber. My aim at this
time was to test the force of the differ
ent notes sung into the tubes by the
weight Of various substances placed on
the membranes.
II had been working on this path until
May s, 1855, when on one occasion as !
sang 1 noticed that the seeds which
had placed on the India rubber mem.
brane, on becoming quiescent. instead OF
scattering promiscuously in all directions
and falling over the edges of the receiver
on to the table, as was customary when
a rather loud noise was sung, resolved
| themselves into a perfect geometrical
figure. Surprised at the unexpected ap-
pearance, and wondering If it were the
result of mere accident, 1 cleared the
diaphram of its contents and scattered
fresh seeds on its surface Upon sing
ing the same note as before, the seeds
gave the same figure.
"This figure, therefore, which i never
searched for, became the progenitor of
all that followed in the department OF
the dry powders, and the apparatus which
was intended to demonstrate the capaci-
ties Of only one of the properties OF
sound, has proved since to be the in
strument that was needed to enable the
singer to make visible the effects of the
| vibrations and to show the endless pos
sibilities of the human voice this new
path of the world Of sound.
] THE eidophone disc can be set in mo-
ton SO as to form some figures in sand
and other substances by means of the
flute, cornet, organ or any musical in.
strument giving sounds sufficiently pow
erful to cause the disc to vibrate regu-
larly.
| But complete success can be insured
only when the movements in the disc are
directed by the voice Of skilled vocalist
| ANY flexible disc, whatever its shape
or size, under the influence of regular
vibrations, may be made to divide and