120 Years of Electronic Music
The Pianorad (1926), The Staccatone (1923)
The Pianorad
The Pianorad was a development of the Staccatone again designed
by Gernsback and built by Clyde Finch at the Radio News Laboratories
in New York. the Pianorad had 25 single LC oscillator for every
key for its two octave keyboard giving the instrument full polyphony,
the oscillatoes produced virtually pure sine tones:
The Pianorad, showing oscillators and speaker horn.
"The musical notes produced by the vacuum tubes in this manner
have practically no overtones. For this reason the music produced
on the Pianorad is of an exquisite pureness of tone not realised
in any other musical intrument. The quility is better than that
of a flute and much purer. the sound however does not resemble
that of any kown musical instrument. The notes are quite sharp
and distinct, and the Pianorad can be readily distinguished by
its music from any other musical instrument in existance."
Each one of the twenty five oscillators had its own independant
speaker, mounted in a large loudspeaker horn on top of the keyboard
and the whole ensemble was housed in a housing resembling a harmonium.
A larger 88 non keyboard version was planned but not put into
production. The Pianorad was first demonstrated on june 12, 1926
at the radio station WRNY in New York City performed by Ralph
Christman. The Pianorad continued to be used at the radio station
for some time, accompanying piano and violin concerts.
The Staccatone (1923)
The Staccatone was designed by the radio technology journalist
Hugo Gernsback and was his first attempt at building a polyphonic
electronic instrument. The Staccatone used a number of LC oscillators
to produce a note with a sharp attack and decay.
Sources:
Hugo Gernsback: "The 'Pianorad' a New Musical Instrument which
combines Piano and Radio Principles" Radio News viii (1926)
© 120 Years Of Electronic Music 2005
