Magic Music From The Telharmonium Documentary

[douro20]

The world's first electronic organ. Too bad it didn't survive the invention of radio.

[musikopino]

Very Cool!!!

[9MinamiKe6]

I really wonder what the Telharmonium sounded like.

[accarvalho79]

Anniversary of 120 years of electronic music, where I think these songs to download? amazing, I love history review

[thePOLYGIRL]

wow, analog synths are much older then i ever have tought !

[dayveo]

Who's narrating this?

[Tanoos]

Música electrónica en linea desde 1890. Grandioso!

[SolomanVain]

like every music genre has his roots, this is the roots of dubstep

[dumbo800]

@SolomanVain That is like saying a church trombone choir in the 17th century is the root of a New Orleans brass bands. The instrument does not make the genre, but rather a larger subset of typical modes, rhythms, and feelings.

[admi908]

Synthpop not of 80's but 800's ahah ah

[qaliqo]

for the record, $100,000 then is over millions in today's dollars, and multicasting on a scale IPv4 can't handle? 110 years ago? genius!

[qaliqo]

for the record, $100,000 there, millions in today's dollars, and multicasting on a scale IPv4 can't handle. genius!

[23Henrich]

Awesome video. The history of electronic music goes back further in time than most people think and is much more interesting than many realize. Thanks!

[paulodebelem]

Eu gostaria que alguém fizesse um documentário sobre o Telarmonio em português

De preferência o português do Brasil

[MrFaceHead]

Very interesting but the soundtrack is horrific

[rici22]

So this is where it all began. The roots of electronic music. Awesome

[toborexperiment]

@rici22

well these were just tech novelties... like the theremin, the trautonium and so on...

the real roots of electronic music belong to german serialism and franch musique concrete..

[jonnda]

@toborexperiment It depends on what you call electronic music. The Tellharmonium, & later the theremin and such were the basis of music made with electricity- even though most of what people were playing would b considered 'classical' music. The roots of what people call electronic music r like that of a tree, w/ so many sources coming together to produce a tree with many branches. What I think of when I listen to electronic music is minimalism and efforts of ppl at BBC like Delia Derbyshire.

[toborexperiment]

@jonnda

it's not a question of what I call electronic music...

The development of technological means for music is a bit something else from the development of electronic music language and techniques.

The Thelarmonium was just an Hammond Organ ante litteram...

[ahmettc]

@toborexperiment both of you (toborexperiment and jonnda) are roughly saying the same thing, but labeling the notions differently

[KawhackitaRag]

The other problem I have with this documentary is the complete and utter lack of mention of the mere existence of automatic musical instruments of the time such as coin-operated pianos and orchestrions, which indeed were QUITE SUCCESSFULLY used in public places such as restaurants, hotel lobbies, etc. etc. to provide background music instead of live musicians. Instruments popular circa 1905 include the Wurlitzer Pianino, Harp, and PianOrchestra, and Welte Orchestrions.

[Envergure]

1) Where did you get all this information?

2) What are these sounds actually from? Just synthesizers?

[ajittffcure]

Incredible stuff. This was the point when electronic music and the live performance of electronic music truly started. It must have been an exciting period back then.

[CaptainSiberia]

Even if the music is only speculative, it's a fun listen. But I think we could figure out what it truly sounded like by, very simply, building a new one. Can't be that hard, can it?

[eggbertsmith]

This documentary feels as antiquated as the Telharmonium is.

[murmur54kbr]

such a funny presentation.

[Xerox6085I]

The Hammond Organ is about as close as one can get to the sound of the Telharmonium, same principle to produce the tones.

[virulentwestie]

Generally, Cahill's idea was the same as modern music radio.

[hanzotk]

the beginning of electronic music genre

The Telharmonium .

[albear972]

Very interesting!

[DomiBabi3]

underself is correct. There are no recordings of this amazing instrument... Cahill was waaaay ahead of his time. I own this movie on DVD! :)

[Ticonderogavids]

i like the devil's voices in the background

[Voltor07]

Ahhh...the first additive synthesizer utilizing electricity. Cool!

[underself]

No sound recordings of the telharmonium exist unfortunately says the book ' Electronic and experimental music' by Thom Holmes. who knows? maybe one day one will be unearthed?

[yermyahu]

Well, I can't be fooled...that's most likely a Yamaha FM instrument emulating all the Telharmonium sounds...too perfect and clean for a tonal device 100 years old. Still, a great bit of history! Thank you.

[TechnoTec7]

interesting and cool music^^

[adrifromhh]

This sounds so much like an organ, i think it must have sounded much simplyer

[KawhackitaRag]

@adrifromhh No, the accounts said it had a much more complicated sound and was able to emulate several sounds of the orchestra. Cahill's controller was not unlike a pipe organ console and had multiple keyboards and different switches for turning things on and off (not unlike the stop controls of a pipe organ).

[Eligroen]

hey thought there were no recordings of this instrument ?

'wikipidia: Although no recordings exist of the Telharmonium, observers reported that its sound was very clear and pure — probably referring to the sine tones it was capable of producing'

but cool documentary ofcourse :)

maybe edit the info or did cahill realy became over 160 years old ? :P

[wolzek]

Don't trust anything you read on Wikipedia.

[Eligroen]

gues you are right but hearing this sound again im am convinced it is an modern recording maybe an interpretation of how the maker thinks the machine sounded like..

[KawhackitaRag]

@Eligroen Yes it is.

I suppose if enough photos, schematics, etc. exist someone could build another one. It's really too bad that all three were apparently sold for scrap.

Being familiar with the music of orchestrions and fairground organs from the era, I'm pretty sure that the instrument must have sounded MUCH richer and fuller than the dinky track that was created for this documentary.

[KawhackitaRag]

Still, it's better to have this than have nothing, although I seriously doubt anything of Scott Joplin's would have been played (his music wasn't very popular at this time, and even "Maple Leaf Rag" was not as well-known as it would be somewhat later).

[nubient]

@KawhackitaRag Not well known?? It sold over 1,000,000 copies as sheet music

[s0m3w0n2]

it must be replications of it's sound, if for any other reason than the sound quality would have a lot more imperfections than this.

[joaorp]

from what i've seen...because the wheels had square thooth's the probably sound like a square waver form.. but early experiemnts might have used mechanical gear whaeels ( gears from machine industry) whish has a triangular a-llike thot's making triangular sound waves... all camtured from the "pickup coils of course

[joaorp]

later... the hammond organ usd a similar system.. but the hammod used varius tipes os tooth tipes one of them like a round wave a-like... making the sound sinewave.. mutch like a pipe organ... and thats what the hammond organ does perfectly.. and outher sound of course

[tetavo]

the bob moog of the 17th century :)

[Envergure]

Imagine where we'd be if nobody ever invented the transistor...

[DeRex9]

Amazing, incredible, yet another proof that electronic music will keep evolving.

[udy69]

orgasmic~

[UncleFeedle]

We need a VST version!

[audiolemon]

haha... we'd have to guess how it sounded first, then somehow make all it fit in Abletons window :)

[liedowninthelight]

hahaha YES

[9856359]

@UncleFeedle LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!

[translinguistic]

The foundations of analog synthesis.

[guimbadriver]

before of vacuum tube technology , all mechanical,,, man its  fantastic...

[ajittffcure]

This is a very in-depth documentary of arguably the first ever electrical/electronic synthesiser. Even by today's micro-chip standards, this giant is an incredibly mind-blowing piece of greatness. It's hard to even imagine!

[BonwoK]

Indeed it's amazing how the synthesizer, the loudspeaker, the theremin, iTunes, and the electric organ are all virtual successors to this piece of late 19th and early 20th century innovations in electronics.

[harryshand]

It's iTunes!

[dwemmy]

Great documentary. One thing that was left out that I read in Analogman's Guide to Vintage Effects that Cahill's intent was to broadcast his mega-contraption over telephone wires to paid subscribers. Unfortunately every subscriber would obviously hear the same piece of music. I also would have liked to know when and why it eventually failed. Not only is the Telharmonium considered the first electronic musical instrument, but it's also an instrument with effects, another first ahead of its time.

[paulbrockenhagen]

I'll take one! will u giftwrap??

[biggsebiggs]

Fantastic! No doubt the Telharmonium was the precursor to midi, mp3's, mpeg, 8-track, and all the other digital music media to follow! Groundbreaking technology. This should be on Discovery channel or History channel. Thanks for the video! 5 star for you my friend.

[eyepatchinc]

i was just reading about this on wikipedia. this thing could emulate woodwind and string instruments. its astounding that something like this existed over 100 years ago. no real recordings of it exist unfortunately :(

[TheFacelessWarrior]

This is such an incredible story. I actually had to do a quick check to make sure it was for real.

[Rhythmicons]

Great Video! One for the ol' Electronic Musician's Library next to the Moog Movie and Theremin An Electronic Odyssey. Ill be ordering one soon.

Eric

[Maigus]

That music is ten times better than rap.

[ignoxious]

What isn't?

[the1intellect]

wow. That's pretty awesome. I want to play one now... hehe