From wireless telegraphy to the stars: The construction of a sonic imaginary of space in the 1920s–1940s
Le Gars, Stéphane
From wireless telegraphy to the stars: The construction of a sonic imaginary of space in the 1920s–1940s - 2024.
65
Since antiquity, the idea that sounds and music reflect the organization of the cosmos has been a constant. In the twentieth century, this connection between sound and space was consolidated through the use of sound in science fiction films from the 1930s onward. The development of new electric and electronic musical instruments opened up a field of possibilities and participated in shaping a particular imaginary of space. This study focuses on the sound of the ondes Martenot, an electronic musical instrument that was patented in 1928. Constructed around the sonic possibilities of triode lamps used in wireless telegraphy (WT), this instrument allows us to examine the links between WT, music, science-fiction cinema, space, and the ether—the elusive and mysterious substance believed to transport electromagnetic waves and terrestrial messages to other worlds.
From wireless telegraphy to the stars: The construction of a sonic imaginary of space in the 1920s–1940s - 2024.
65
Since antiquity, the idea that sounds and music reflect the organization of the cosmos has been a constant. In the twentieth century, this connection between sound and space was consolidated through the use of sound in science fiction films from the 1930s onward. The development of new electric and electronic musical instruments opened up a field of possibilities and participated in shaping a particular imaginary of space. This study focuses on the sound of the ondes Martenot, an electronic musical instrument that was patented in 1928. Constructed around the sonic possibilities of triode lamps used in wireless telegraphy (WT), this instrument allows us to examine the links between WT, music, science-fiction cinema, space, and the ether—the elusive and mysterious substance believed to transport electromagnetic waves and terrestrial messages to other worlds.
Réseaux sociaux