The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-05-02
Sight and Scent Harmonies
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN

danger to those testing its delights.
1t has been used for some time as an
interesting novelty.
The score for a color composition is
generally written in advance, and the
colors are projected on a screen in
the combinations and order that the
score directs. The concert is pro-
duced by an operator at an organ-like
instrument with a key board, and
stops which control different light
rays.
Almost anyone who is not color
blind or who is not entirely devoid Of
feeling for beauty can get some
pleasure from a simple color concert,
it is claimed. Very subtle harmonies
require a more sensitive audience.
OF course, at any color performance.
the person who is critic and lover of
colors can get much more out of the
display than person who is indiffer-
ent to the appeal of the spectrum.
Civilized man is used to depending
on his eyes for information more than
his ears, nose, or fingers. For that
reason, at least, the color organ has
a chance for popularity When it
comes to the neglected, 1t seems likely
that at first only few sensitive souls
will be able to enjoy fully the subtle
ness of a perfume concert.
A perfume scale has been fixed by
Dr. Septimus Piesse. a French chem
list He uses delicate and pungent
scents for the high notes and the
heavy scents for the low notes.
/ Though few of the odors of his scale
are not familiar to the layman. most
of them are; so we quote the plan OF
| the perfume keyboard:
PatchouIi to CIvet
Starting with the base clef, three oc
| taves below middle G: do, patchouli
re, vanilla; mi, Glove bark; ia, ben
zoin; sol, frangipane; la, storax; ST
| Glove; do, sandalwood ire, clematis
mi, rattan; ia, castoreum; sol, pergu
| laire; Ia, balsam of Peru; 81, carna
! ton; do, geranium; re, heliotrope; mi
| iris; ia, musk, sol, pois de sonteur; la
balsam of Tolu; 81, cinnamon; do
rose.
Rose corresponds to middle c. The
treble rises with re, violet; mi, cassia
| ia, tuberose: sol, orange flowers; la
| newmown hay; 81, aurone; do, cam
phor: re, almond: mi, Portugal; ia
| jonquil sol, syringa; la. tonka bean;
! ST, mint; do, iassamine; re- bergamot
mi, citron ia, ambergris; sol, mag
nolia; la, lavender; 81, peppermint
do. pineapple; re, citronel; mi, yer
vain; ia, civet.
/ From this keyboard the skilled per
fumer can draw harmonies by com
bining the essences into chords fol
the delectation of his audience.
;oJ,.
develop greater sensitiveness to per
fumes The Arabs cultivated thu
sense of smell as an instrument o
pleasurable sensation. Il is writer
of their gardens that near the en-
trance were planted pungent, not al
ways pleasant smelling, plants Fa1
Their along the scents grew more softl,
fragrant, and in the heart of the gal
den the perfumes blended so delicatel
that only highly attuned olfactor,
nerves could appreciate them fully
The Arab garden is possible to fey
of US in this country. But we ma,
soon be able to achieve the same dc
gree of stimulation that the Arab di
through perfume concerts emanatin
from tiny walls and tubes of essences
Keen Scent Not Essential
Developing greater constituencies I
perfume harmonies with view to il
creasing ones capacity for enjoymer
is not exactly the same as developin
, keenness of scent. The two shout
not be confused. The primitive I,
dian had keener sense of scent tina
the modern white man has, but it
! doubtful whether the primitive India
reacted with much constituencies
! perfumes pleasing and displeasing.
, modern man may, like the Indian. hay
keen sense of scent and yet lack til
power of enjoying delicate flower pc
! fumes. A finely attuned set of OLA
/ tory nerves, however. is a help in 81
a toying a perfume concert, just as goo
e hearing is an aid to enjoyment (
| music
Given normally developed sense
( the taste for perfume and color ca
j. presumably be cultivated. like tast
( for music.
n Imagine an intense evening. saw te
years from now The walls of n
b ~oom would be screen for color ha
: monies played throughout the eyenfr
" an expert operator at a color orga,
e \ pianist at an ordinary musical piar
would accompany the color musician