The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone[1]) was an early electrical organ, developed by Thaddeus Cahill c. 1896 and patented in 1897.[2][3][4] The electrical signal from the Telharmonium was transmitted over wires; it was heard on the receiving end by means of "horn" speakers.[5]
Like the later Hammond organ, the Telharmonium used tonewheels to generate musical sounds as electrical signals by additive synthesis.[5] It is considered to be the first electromechanical musical instrument.
- ^ "Chapter 6 – Digital Sound & Music". Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ US patent 580035, Thaddeus Cahill, "Art of and apparatus for generating and distributing music electrically", issued 1897-04-06, filed 1896-02-04.
- ^ Snyder, Jeff. "The Dynamophone (a.k.a. Telharmonium-The Great Grandpappy of the Modern Synthesizer) and Thaddeus Cahill". Lebanon Valley College. Archived from the original on 2009-03-02.
- ^
Williston, Jay (2000). "Thaddeus Cahill's Telharmonium". synthmuseum.com.
specification...dated April 6, 1897", "application filed February 4, 1896", "weighed about 7 tons in all", "By 1906 the new Telharmonium...weighed almost 200 tons
- ^ a b Weidenaar, Reynold (1995). Magic Music from the Telharmonium. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 436. ISBN 0-8108-2692-5. An authoritative history of the Telharmonium. Weidenaar produced a 29-minute documentary video, also called Magic Music from the Telharmonium. Magnetic Music Publishing Co. 1998. (See website for extensive additional documentation)