Dept. for Speech, Music and Hearing Quarterly Progress and Status Report Musical acoustics in Russia Galembo, A. journal: STL-QPSR volume: 35 number: 2-3 year: 1994 pages: 001-044 http://www.speech.kth.se/qpsr STL-QPSR 2-311 994 Musical acoustics in Russia Alexander Galembo Abstract The former isolation of Russia have made many scientific works and results unknown to researchers in the Western countries. This is unfortunate, as the history of musical acoustics in Russia shows many interesting ideas and pioneer results reached by highly talented and enthusiastic scientists. Best known is probably Lev Termen with his "theremin" - the first application of electronic technology to musical art. A. V. Rimski-Korsakov, one of the most distinguished Russian acousticians, started his scientific carrier with investigations of stringed instruments. This paper presents a bibliography of Russian-Soviet publications on musical acoustics (in original Russian with English translation), covering the period 1885- 1994. Introduction Science in the Soviet Union was always isolated from the other world for political and language reasons. Still it is not uncommon that scientists in other countries are not aware of the results of the Russians, not even in their own special field of research. Needless to say, important scientific information may be lost due to this gap, waiting for a rediscovery. Russian science in general, and musical acoustics in particular, was one-way- isolated indeed, because Russian researchers knew much about the Western scientific results, mainly due to good scientific libraries in Moscow and Leningrad (most high- level Russian scientists read English and German). The scientists in Russia working in musical acoustics were highly professional and productive, especially in the last decade before World War 11. Only occasionally, some odd publications can be found, like rejecting the classical musical instruments in favor of future electronic substitutes (Abaza-Grigoriev, 1925), or including a political basis in discussing musical sounds (Veprik, 1930). The real start of organised research on musical acoustics in Russia took place about 1930, when the Central Music-Acoustic Laboratory was created in Leningrad by the Musical Union of Russia. Two years later, the laboratory was transformed into the Scientific Research Institute of Musical (Instrument) Industry (SRIMI), which at that time seem to have been the largest research centre on musical instruments in the world. The first important studies at this laboratory were devoted to acoustical investigations of wood for soundboards, conducted by Prof. N. Andreev (head of the laboratory, future member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences) and I. Kuznetsov. After the war, the largest and most active laboratories worlung in musical acoustics in Russia were found at the Moscow Conservatory, at the piano factory Krasny Oktiabr (Red October) in Leningrad, and at the Scientific Research and Design Technological Institute of the Musical Industry in the Moscow area. Russian research on musical instruments is in general characterised by a bias towards the practical implications. The laboratories were usually supported by the musical instrument industry, with thc task ol' working out ~~ractical~~ucon~~l~c'rlclilIio~is how to perfect the products. A peculiarity is that the talented scientists usually left musical acoustics after having reached important results, heading for a career in a better supported branch of science, such as hydroacoustics (with the exception of some real enthusiasts). Due to the interdisciplinary topic and the specific Soviet state organisation for publishing research material, works related to musical acoustics can be found in the physical, musical, psychological and technical literature, in information from trade associations, as well as in proceedings of scientific conferences. Special works and persons Among the Russian scientists in musical acoustics some are especially worth to mention. Lev Termen (in English often written as Leon Theremin) did not publish many papers, but the name of this physicist and musician is included in the main encyclopedia in the world. This pioneer in musical acoustics passed away only recently at the age of 97 years, being active up to his last years. Termen was one of the very first who introduced technology in the performing arts. As early as 1920 he invented the world's first concert electronic musical instrument, "termenvox" (or "theremin" in the West), by which the player produced very lyric sounds - reminding of a clear voice or violins. The instrument, which is controlled by graceful movements of the palms close to two metallic antennas, is in several respects still unpassed in its very original idea and playing possibilities. Termen was called to demonstrate the instrument in Kremlin to Lenin, who encouraged him to present it as a product of Bolshevik ingenuity. Termen was also allowed to demonstrate the instrument abroad, and he gave many successful concerts in the big concert halls of the world, such as the Paris Opera and Metropolitan in New York. His instrument was so attractive that in 1929, RCA bought the rights to manufacture it. Among Termen's listeners and admirers were Arturo Toscanini, Sergei Rakhmaninov, Albert Einstein, and Leopold Stokovsky. Other musical inventions during his American period of life were a 4-octave monophonic keyboard instrument (1928), an electronic cello (1930), and an electronic drum machine based on an optic-mechanical principle (1931). He also experimented with microtonal scales, with a musical instrument controlled by the movement of dancers (Terpsitone), and even with a design of the theremin controlled by eye movement alone. Abducted in 1938 by Soviet agents, he was returned to Moscow and then to Siberia. He escaped the common death in prison only to the price of agreeing to conduct research for KGB. In this position he worked out special listening devices, and was even awarded the Stalin Prize after the war. In 1968 he became Professor of Acoustics at the Moscow State University. Rather old, but still active, he reported to the All- Union Acoustical Conference in 1981 about the multi-voiced model of the theremin. He managed to visit USA in the end of the '80ties due to the support by Dr. John Chowning at Stanford University and an enthusiastic initiative taken by the American STL-QPSR 2-311 994 filmmaker Steven M. Martin, who made a documentary "Electronic Odyssey of Leon Theremin". N. Garbusov is well known in Russian acoustics for his research on musical hearing, and his textbook "Musical Acoustics" has been used by many generations of students at the conservatories, up to the present days. His conception of "zonal hearing" was popular among Russian acousticians and psychologists for many years. A. Rimski-Korsakov (relative to the famous composer) was a highly productive researcher in stringed instruments both before and after the war, with his candidate and doctoral dissertations devoted to musical acoustics. He compiled the results of his acoustical measurements on pianos and violins in a book "Musical Instruments" (1952) which has become a classic, also covering the general concepts of the instruments, wood properties, design, sound and quality aspects. This book has been the main source of information about the acoustics of stringed instruments for all Russian engineers in the field for the last forty years. Rimski-Korsakov later left musical acoustics for other branches of acoustics in which he made many important I contributions. Since 1972, this versatile and talented person has been associated with the editorial staff of the pan-European acoustical journal "Acustica". A. Rivin began with piano acoustics in the early fifties and was the first who developed and calculated a model of the piano hammer with nonlinear compliance of the hammer head. His approach to this problem is commonly recognised today, being rediscovered in Japan and the US during the '80ties. Rivin worked close to the real piano. He made his theoretical and practical research at the piano factory, and he gave really useful practical recommendations for piano hammer technology. The practical difficulties he had to overcome were numerous; for example, even the trigger circuits for the oscillograph had to be designed and made by himself. After receiving his candidate degree, Rivin left musical acoustics and followed the example of Rimsky-Korsakov and joined the Acoustical Institute of the Academy of Science in Moscow as a researcher. This institute was so closed because of dealing with classified materials that musical acoustics was not allowed inside its doors. The author remembers that when he as a student asked Prof. A. Rimsky-Korsakov about consultation in musical acoustics, it was kindly given at the gate to the institute. Applied acoustical research on pianos in Russia were continued at the acoustical laboratory of the Red October piano factory in Leningrad. This work was later summarised in a book by the present author, intended for practicing piano engineers ("Piano tone quality", Moscow 1987). A. Volodin had talents in both research and music and showed a high level of scientific intuition in musical perception. He was highly enthusiastic over the development of electronic musical instruments and developed the first Russian models. After having gained a profound experience in musical synthesis, he investigated the perception of musical sounds. His candidate dissertation on this topic was so impressive that he was awarded a doctoral degree instead! He made some hypothesis in this work which has been verified today, including the functional role of the "pitchiness" property of the musical timbre. His technical skill resulted in a large amount of original ideas and patents in electronic musical instruments (which are not included in the following bibliography to STL-QPSR 2-31 1994 make it reasonably short). As an example, his idea of a touch-sensitive keyboard was patented as early as 1946. V. Morozov began research in the singing voice in 1954 at Leningrad University and Leningrad Conservatory, at which he later initiated the Laboratory of Singing Voice Research in 1960.