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A Brief History of Computer Music
The roots of computer music can be traced back to the origins of electronic music. In the late 19th century, the likes of Olivier Messaïen, a French composer, began to experiment with instruments that were not acoustic, but rather that contained electronic technology.
One such instrument that used early electronic technology was the Telharmonium made by a certain Thaddeus Cahill built in 1897 and was originally intended to be used with telephone receivers. The "electronic" sound was produced by a rotating wheel with bumps, and these bumps executed certain frequencies as it touched magnets and coils. These magnets and coils are now known amongst musicians that play any electric stringed instrument as pickups, though this technology has progressed immensely.
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The technology that the Telharmonium used was called additive synthesis, which enabled it to produce electrical signals. This was done by modifying a wave, which is any vibration in space, specifically the space from wherever the vibration originates to our ear. This wave was altered by playing with its frequencies and, thus, creating various timbres. A timbre is basically what allows a person to distinguish one musical note from the other but also has specific sound qualities that help us distinguish from where the sound originates; for example, if a person hears the sound of breaking glass, the timbre will indicate that it is glass breaking and not plastic.
You can hear this instrument in Ecuatorial for two theremins by Edgar Varèse.
One of the first electronic musical instruments was the theremin, built in 1919 by Leo Theremin, a Russian inventor. This musical instrument is not touched, but rather its frequencies and volume are altered by
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moving one's hands in front of the two metal antennas on either side.
Another example of an instrument that used electronic technology is known by the name of ondes Martenot (French, literally meaning "Martenot waves") and was built in 1928 by Maurice Martenot. This instrument sounds similar to a theremin, except that it has piano keys attached to it, and requires pressing the keys as opposed to waving one's hands in the air like with the theremin. The ondes Martenot gave the player more control and each piano key was assigned a certain note, basically.
The sounds of this instrument vibrate faster and, thus, is said to execute oscillating frequencies. This was done by amplifying the sound with thermionic valves.
The thermionic valve enabled the movement of electrons in low-pressure places that created electrical signals, and the result was beautifully amplified warm sounds. You can hear this instrument in Fête des belles eaux for six ondes by Messaïen.
We hope that this web-site will entice you into exploring more about computer music and its rich history, as the information provided here is just a small part of it and will focus on current electronic music technology.
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