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The Era of Megaphonics: on the Productivity of Loud Sound, 1880-1930

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The Era of Megaphonics: on the Productivity of Loud Sound, 1880-1930 ! ! ! THE ERA OF MEGAPHONICS: ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF LOUD SOUND, 1880-1930 by Timothy Hecker Art History and Communication Studies, McGill University, Montreal A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Timothy Hecker ABSTRACT This thesis examines a cultural interest in loud sound as a productive force between 1880 and 1930. Recent historical scholarship on sound at the turn of the 20th century has given substantial attention to noise abatement movements and their efforts to control public space. In shifting the focus towards a significant collection of people interested in the generative aspects of sonic power and its ability to paralyze the body, empty the mind and even threaten life is to suggest ways in which idealist or utopian hopes were interlaced with an idea of sonic agency. This thesis looks at three aspects of the megaphonic: firstly, the push to build the world's loudest instrument, a pipe organ; secondly, the proliferation of powerful fog-signalling along North American coastlines; and lastly, the development of shock-wave science and the increasing understanding of sound as a physical and mortal force. Cette thèse examine un intérêt culturel pour le son fort comme force productive entre 1880 et 1930. De récentes recherches historiques sur le son au début du 20e siècle ont accordé une attention considérable aux mouvements d'atténuation du bruit et à leurs efforts pour contrôler l'espace public. En déplaçant l'accent vers un important groupe de personnes intéressés par les aspects générateurs de puissance du son et leur capacité à paralyser le corps, vider l'esprit et même menacer la vie suggère des façons dont certaines aspirations idéalistes ou utopiques ont eu une dimension sonore. Cette thèse porte sur trois aspects du mégaphone: d'une part, la pression de construire l'instrument au son le plus puissant du monde, un orgue à tuyaux, d'autre part, la prolifération de puissants signaux de brume le long des côtes nord-américaines et, enfin, le développement de la science de l'onde de choc et la compréhension croissante du son comme une force physique et mortelle. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................................... 6 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 8 THE MEGAPHONIC ..................................................................................................................................... 13 WHY STUDY THE MEGAPHONIC? ............................................................................................................ 19 NOISE HISTORIES ARE NOT LOUDNESS HISTORIES ............................................................................ 22 SOME INTERPRETATIONS AGAINST MEANING .................................................................................... 27 FRAMING THE PERIOD .............................................................................................................................. 29 LOUDNESS AND THE SUBLIME ................................................................................................................. 34 SECULAR TRANSCENDENTAL EXPERIENCES AND THE DISSOLUTION OF SELF ............................ 37 OUTLINE OF CHAPTERS ............................................................................................................................. 42 CHAPTER 1: THE MEGAPHONICS OF MUSIC: SECULAR TRANSCENDENTALISM AND THE MODERN PIPE ORGAN .................................................................................. 45 A DEEP HISTORY OF THE ORGAN AS AN INSTRUMENT OF SONIC IMMENSITY ............................. 49 AN EMBLEM OF A CULTURE OF MUSICAL IMMENSITY: ROBERT HOPE-JONES .............................. 56 WORCESTER CATHEDRAL, DIAPHONICS, WIND PRESSURE, OFF TO AMERICA .............................. 63 AN ERA OF HIGH WIND PRESSURE: OCEAN GROVE .......................................................................... 73 THE ORGAN: VESSEL OF THE DIVINE TO MEDIUM OF SECULAR TRANSCENDENTALISM .......... 80 ARCHITECTURE AS INFERNAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: ATLANTIC CITY ........................................ 89 CHAPTER 2: DIAPHONICS OF THE VOID .................................................................... 103 BASIC NAUTICAL NAVIGATIONAL CONCERNS: A NECESSARY FAITH IN THE EAR .................... 112 THE FOIL OF AURAL IMMENSITY: ZONES OF SILENCE AND RAYLEIGH’S WORK ....................... 131 ASCENT OF DIAPHONES IN NAUTICAL COMMUNICATION .............................................................. 135 MUSICALITY IN FOG SIGNALING ........................................................................................................... 140 THE MADNESS OF THE FOG SIGNAL .................................................................................................... 144 “NECESSARY NOISE” AND THE CHICAGO HARBOR SIGNAL ........................................................... 147 FADE OUT, OR, THE MADNESS OF THE LIGHTKEEPER .................................................................... 150 CHAPTER 3: SONIC SHOCKS AND MEGAPHONIC MATERIALITIES ...................... 155 THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS: MACH, FECHNER AND THE SEEDS OF PSYCHOPHYSICS ........... 158 SHOCK WAVES, MACH AND THE SPEED OF SOUND .......................................................................... 162 BULLETS, ARTILLERY FIRE & ORDINANCE FEVER ............................................................................ 169 THE METRICS OF MEGAPHONICS .......................................................................................................... 188 SHOCKS AND THE SHAKING OF THE BODY: TREMORS, HYSTERIA AND FEAR ............................ 195 SHOCKS ON THE BODY II: THE END OF LIFE BY SOUND ................................................................ 204 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 210 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 216 ! ! ! 3 ! TABLE OF FIGURES Figure!1.!A!Crowd!Almost!Dwarfed!by!Performers,!National!Peace!Jubilee,!Boston,! June!1869!.........................................................................................................................................!10! Figure!2.!Promises!for!the!1872!Jubilee!(Jubilee!Days)!.........................................................!11! Figure!3.!Acoustic!Network!Signaling!in!Kircher's!Phonurgia!Nova!(1673!Facsimile) !..............................................................................................................................................................!13! Figure!4.!Illustration!of!a!War!Organ!.............................................................................................!50! Figure!5.!A!Church!Congregation!Adrift!in!Organ!Sound,!ca.!1872!..................................!55! Figure!6.!Robert!HopeVJones!.............................................................................................................!57! Figure!7.!Depiction!of!Organ!Blower!and!Promotional!Material!.......................................!68! Figure!8.!Ocean!Grove,!NJ,!ca.!1907!................................................................................................!73! Figure!9.!Depiction!of!Ocean!Grove!Auditorium,!1908!..........................................................!76! Figure!10.!Civic!Auditorium!Organ!Concert.!San!Francisco,!April!1917!........................!87! Figure!11.!Cover!of!American!Organist,!February!1932!.......................................................!90! Figure!12.!Atlantic!City!Convention!Hall,!Atlantic!City!NJ,!ca.!1929V32!..........................!91! Figure!13.!Two!of!Atlantic!City's!Electrical!Wind!Blowers!..................................................!96! Figure!14.!Building!the!32Vfoot!Diaphone,!Atlantic!City!.......................................................!96! Figure!15.!Relative!Scale!of!the!32Vfoot!Diapason!...................................................................!98! Figure!16.!Helicopter!Sound!Both!Literal!and!Metaphorical,!Atlantic!City!Convention! Hall!ca.!1970!.................................................................................................................................!100! Figure!17.!Georges!Seurat,!Au!Divian!Japonais!(1887V1888)!...........................................!105! Figure!18.!From!In!The!Fog!ca!.1901!...........................................................................................!107! Figure!19.!The!Sea's!Lonely!Roar,!New!England!Magazine!(1897)!................................!110! Figure!20.!Example!of!Daboll!Trumpet!Experiments,!ca.!1890!........................................!118! Figure!21.!1888!Map!of!Expanding!West!Coast!Foghorn!Network!................................!120! Figure!22.!Depiction!of!Tyndall's!Acoustic!Fog!Signal!Experiments!..............................!129! 4 Figure!23,!Depiction!of!Zone!of!Silence!(1888)!.......................................................................!131! Figure!24.!HopeVJones'!1896!Diaphone!Patent!for!both!Music!and!Signaling!...........!139! Figure!25.!The!Fog!Signal!at!Twilight!..........................................................................................!151! Figure!26.!Mach's!1887!HighVSpeed!Photograph!of!a!Bullet!.............................................!164! Figure!27.!Spectators!Watching!the!Hell!Gate!Explosion!(1885)!....................................!176!
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