Evening star., 1955-02-06
By Doy Thorpe


The little white fox terrier
has heard his masters voice
undergo some remarkable
permutations in O half CEN
tury. but now he either is
seeking the counsel Of q
psychiatrist or Is of some
where biting a man.
He can't take 1t any longer.
"Electronics, in the race to
achieve new triumphs," said
Brig. Gen. David Sarnoff,
chairman Of the board Of the
Radio Corp. Of America. last
week. "is run on the big track
Of Time on which there is
room for all who would COM
pete. There Is no finish line"
This Is q remarkably flne
example Of the preamble
reserved for the biggest busi-
ness executives. one Of which
Gen. Sarnoff certainly is.
Generates Any Sound
Taking q deep breath after
the prologue to his handout.
he continues. saying: ". The
scientists and engineers OF
RCA laboratories have created
an electronic system capable
of generating any tone pro-
duced by the human voice or
any musical instrument, as
well as any musical tone that
is beyond the capabilities Of a
voice or conventional musical
instrument.
"It is q means Of produc-
ing electronically an infinity Of
new musical completes en-
ploying the sound Of human
voices and conventional IN
strumentS, or tones that may
never before have been heard.
either in solo performance or
blended in any desired Or
chestral arrangement.
This new system Of making
music should encourage musi-
cal composers to write new
compositions that can take ad-
vantage of the wider scope and
superior characteristics offered
them by electronics for the ex-
preston of their genius. In this
new role, electronics performs
in marked contrast to the
musician whose playing is lin
tied to the use of 10 fingers
and sometimes also the two
feet.
Old Records Con Live
This electronic instrument
also offers new opportunities
for production Of phonograph
records, since it can produce
any kind of sound that can be
imagined. Further, with this
new system. old recordings can
be rejuvenated into new
phonograph records free from
distortion and noise.
"It is not necessary that .
composer be able to play o
musical instrument, for what
ever musical effects he wants
to create he can achieve by use
~ tho SvY1theSizar
But the vital factors Of cor
rect interpretation Of the
music written by the composer
the heart, the soul and the.
mood Of the omposition-con-
tinue to be the task and the
function Of the human being
who synthesizes the music
from the score. That person
must be o good musician. In
the hands Of Q great musician
the electronic synthesizer can
create great music"
Notes Stronge and New
Gen. Sarnoff goes on to
say that when he first heard
the synthesizer, many OF the
musical notes sounded 30 new
and strange to him that he
wondered whether Maestro
Toscanini, Jascha Heifetz, or
Richard Rodgers would be
needed to produce music with
this new system. But the re-
search men explained that
the machine does not turn en-
gineers into composers, con-
ductors or instrumentalists: 1t
does enable them to become in
terpreters Of music.
For example, they can take
the musical score Of o great
composer. key it through the
synthesizer, and obtain results
that would be achieved by
musicians playing their con-
ventional instruments. And the
men who operate the synthe-
sizer need not know how to
play any musical instrument.
They can simulate instru-
mental artists by merely press
ing typewriter like keys that
actuate electron tubes and
transistors.
Movies and Tope
The RCA electronic musical
synthesizer, strangely enough,
has not been demonstrated by
Gen. Sarnoff except at first
remove. He shows movies OF
the machine in operation, and
plays a tape recording of the
synthesizer (the trade name Of
which may someday be Frank
enola) synthesizing old-fash-
toned conventional instru-
ments playing old-fashioned
notes and timbres. "The en-
gineers who interpreted and
synthesized the music are not
musicians and they employed
no instrumentalists, nor did
they use any musical instru-
ments in any Of the music
heard in the demonstration.
@ D -!