120 Years of Electronic Music
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120 Years of Electronic Music Electronic Musical Instruments 1870 - 1990 - 2 - 1870 Introduction........................................................................................................ 12 Elisha Gray and "The Musical Telegraph" (1876)............................................. 14 Thaddeus Cahill's “Dynamophone/Telharmonium” (1897)............................... 18 1900 Choralcello Electric Organ (1888-1908)............................................................ 22 The "Intonarumori" (1913), "Rumorarmonio" (1922) & the "Enharmonic Piano" (1931) ..................................................................... 23 The Audion Piano (1915)................................................................................... 26 The Audion Piano (1915)................................................................................... 27 The Optophonic Piano (1916)............................................................................ 29 Lev Sergeivitch Termen & "The Theremin" (1917) .......................................... 31 The "Rhythmicon" (1930) The first electronic rhythm generator.................. 32 The "Terpistone" (1930) ................................................................................. 32 The "Keyboard Theremin"(1930) ................................................................... 32 The "Theremin Cello" (1932) ......................................................................... 32 The Electrophon, Sphäraphon, Partiturophon - 3 - §and the Kaleidophon (1921-1930) .................................................................. 34 The Pianorad (1926) .......................................................................................... 36 The Staccatone (1923) .................................................................................... 36 The Pianorad (1926) ....................................................................................... 36 The Dynaphone (1927-28)................................................................................. 37 The Cellulophone (1927) ................................................................................... 38 The “Clavier à Lampes” (1927) The “Orgue des Ondes” (1929), The “Givelet” (1930)................................................................................................................. 41 The Ondes-Martenot (1928)............................................................................... 43 The Sonorous Cross -"La Croix Sonore" (1929-1934) ...................................... 44 The "Hellertion"(1929) & the "Heliophon"(1936)............................................. 45 1930 The Trautonium, Mixtur-Trautonium, Radio Trautonium ................................. 47 and Concert-Trautonium (1930) ........................................................................ 47 The Ondium Péchadre (1930) ............................................................................ 50 The Rhythmicon or "Polyrhythmophone" (1930) .............................................. 51 The 'Theremin Cello' (1930) .............................................................................. 53 The Westinghouse Organ (1930) ....................................................................... 53 - 4 - The Westinghouse Organ (1930) ....................................................................... 54 The "Sonar" (1930) ............................................................................................ 54 The Saraga-Generator(1931).............................................................................. 54 The "Radio Organ of a Trillion Tones" (1931) .................................................. 55 The "Radio Organ of a Trillion Tones" (1931)............................................... 55 The Polytone Organ (1934) ............................................................................ 55 The Singing Keyboard (1936) ........................................................................ 55 The Variophone (1932)...................................................................................... 56 The Emiriton (1932)........................................................................................... 56 The Emicon (1932) ............................................................................................ 57 The Rangertone Organ (1932) ........................................................................... 58 The "Syntronic Organ" (1934) & The "Photona" (1935)................................... 58 The Hammond Organ (1935)............................................................................. 59 The Sonothèque (1936)...................................................................................... 60 The "Licht-Ton Orgel" (Light-Tone organ) (1936)............................................ 62 The "Warbo Formant Orgel" (1937) The "Melodium: (1938) The "Melochord" (1947-49) Bode Sound Co (1963)..................................................................... 63 The Hammond Novachord (1939) ..................................................................... 65 - 5 - 1940 Homer Dudley's Speech Synthesisers, "The Vocoder" (1940) & "Voder"(1939)................................................................................................ 67 The Univox (1940)............................................................................................. 69 The Multimonica (1940) .................................................................................... 69 The Ondioline (1938-40) ................................................................................... 69 The Hammond Solovox (1940).......................................................................... 71 The "Electronic Sackbut"(1945) and The "Sonde" (1948)................................. 71 Hanert Electric Orchestra (1944-1945).............................................................. 76 The Clavioline (1947) & Combichord (1953).................................................... 77 The Monochord (1948) ...................................................................................... 78 The Free Music Machine (1948)........................................................................ 79 - 6 - 1950 The "Electronium" and "Electronium Pi" (1950)............................................... 83 Dr Kent's Electronic Music Box (1951)............................................................. 84 "An Electronic Music Box" ................................................................................ 85 The "Clavivox" (1950) & The "Electronium-Scott" (1950-70) ...................... 90 The RCA Synthesiser......................................................................................... 93 Images of the RCA Synthesiser ...................................................................... 95 Computer Music: Music1-V & GROOVE......................................................... 99 The GROOVE System (1970) ........................................................................... 99 The 'Siemens Synthesiser' or Siemens Studio For Electronic Music (1959-1969)................................................................... 102 History of the Siemens-Studios for electronic music..................................... 109 The Wurlitzer "Side Man" (1959).................................................................... 111 1960 Milan Electronic Music Studio ........................................................................ 113 Robert Moog and Moog Synthesisers .............................................................. 114 Mellotrons and Chamberlins............................................................................ 115 - 7 - Buchla Synthesisers ......................................................................................... 117 The Donca-Matic DA-20 (1963)...................................................................... 119 The Synket (1964)............................................................................................ 119 Tonus/ARP Synthesisers.................................................................................. 119 PAiA Electronics, Inc (1967)........................................................................... 122 Computer Music: MUSYS III (1962) hybrid system....................................... 124 EMS Synthesisers 1969-1979 .......................................................................... 125 1970 The 'Optigan' and 'Orchestron'(1971)............................................................... 128 The Roland Corporation................................................................................... 131 Maplin Synthesisers (1973) ............................................................................. 134 Korg Synthesisers ............................................................................................ 136 The Electronic Dream Plant "Wasp" (1978) .................................................... 139 Yamaha Synthesisers ....................................................................................... 140 Palm Productions GmbH (1975 - 1987)........................................................... 144 Serge Synthesisers ........................................................................................... 146 The Fairlight CMI............................................................................................ 148 - 8 - 1980 Casio Synthesisers (1982-1992)....................................................................... 150 The