Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info

Spring Fundraising Drive In Progress. Please visit our home page to see this and other announcements: https://www.mmdigest.com     Thank you. --Jody

MMD > Archives > July 2005 > 2005.07.09 > 04Prev  Next


Cahill's Dynamophone Telharmonium of 1898
By Mark Kinsler

I don't know if this instrument has been discussed here previously,
but it sure seems to have enough mechanics in it to qualify for MMD.

 [ We discuss self-playing musical instruments played by a music
 [ roll or the like.  The Telharmonium qualifies for MMD since it's
 [ an ancestor of the Hammond model BA player organ.  ;-)  -- Robbie

The idea was similar to Muzak: subscription music for stores or perhaps
private homes.  But there wasn't a good way to amplify electrical
signals in 1910 or so.  Ergo, we build an organ with a substantial
variable-reluctance alternator for each note.  The combined signal was
to drive loudspeakers directly over telephone wires.

As I labor over the Sawtooth Steinway, the patent drawings are, well,
interesting:  http://www.synthmuseum.com/magazine/0102jw.html 

Mark Kinsler
Lancaster, Ohio, USA
http://www.mkinsler.com/

 [ "In the summer of 1906 the Telharmonium was dismantled and loaded
 [ onto thirty railroad cars ..." !!  -- Robbie


(Message sent Sat 9 Jul 2005, 23:54:17 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  1898, Cahill's, Dynamophone, Telharmonium

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page