Russolophon
The Russolophone was an electric musical instrument invented by the painter and composer Luigi Russolo in 1924. The development was related to musical futurism . It was shaped like a harmonium and had a keyboard with seven levers and two pedals. This enabled noise mixtures to be produced.
Russolo has been designing provocative noise instruments since 1913, which he called intonarumori , thus turning noise into a musical design element, independent of the drums . For this reason he is considered to be the forerunner of musique concrète . He himself called the Russolophon rumorarmonio (sound harmonium ). It caused a sensation in the Paris salons. The composer Arthur Honegger was able to warm to it, and Edgar Varèse advocated the introduction of the Russolophone into the orchestra.
In contrast to the Trautonium or the Ondes Martenot , which were constructed around the same time, the Russolophon could not establish itself in the long term, although it was often heard in futuristic concerts in the late 1920s. - It was also used to generate noise in silent films and came to an end around 1930 with the start of sound films .
literature
- Fred K. Prieberg : Musica ex machina. About the relationship between music and technology. Ullstein Berlin 1960.