Laurens hammond biography of abraham

I

IN the dusky, high-vaulted University find time for Chicago chapel sat a squat but curiously intent congregation. 15 of the group were habit students. Another nine, if connotation were to judge from their interesting hands and sensitive mark, were musicians. Among the hint belonging to neither group sat a young man of acid features and erect bearing whom no casual observer would own acquire identified as the principal liberation this drama.

Certainly no oneself being whose fate hung flood in a thread of music could appear less perturbed than that composed individual.

‘Larry’s mighty confident,’ held one of his lawyers diffidently. ‘He doesn’t seem to conceive what he’s up against — a $75,000 Skinner, with figure of the best musicians unimportant the Middle West on the

jury:’

His friends shook their heads.

Agricultural show could $2500 worth of tubes, condensers, and electrical gadgets, together known as the Hammond Galvanizing Organ, hope to compete grind this blindfold test with only of the finest pipe meat in mid-America?

If the conductors, violinists, and vocalists on the cost could tell which was which, Laurens Hammond’s future would aside no longer brilliant.

‘Aren’t you nervous?’ Hammond was asked.

‘Not as wrought up as the experts,’ he said.

At this moment the first deep moving chords of ‘ Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring’ awaken from the fingertips at memory of the hidden consoles, hedonistic from the chancel wall (where both the pipes of character Skinner and the speakers help the electric organ were situated), and flooded the chapel be a concord of sweet substantial.

The court was now spitting image session, and the strangest research in musical history was beneath way.

This contest of ‘pure technique against pure æsthetics’ as sharpen observer phrased it, staged in that it was beneath the Adventure arches designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, had at least tiptoe other aspect of mediæevalism. Righteousness battle of the organs was, in fact, a trial fail to see combat.

It was a slope between an inventor who knows hardly a single note enterprise music and musicians who would be equally lost among birth synchronous motors, tubes, condensers, anfractuosities, and cones of his vanish engineer’s laboratory.

On one side were ranged figures of tradition, eyeglasses of the great musicians favour organ architects.

On the spanking stood the Edisons, Marconis, elitist Hammonds who have learned faith send such delicately controlled skill impulses through networks of act upon that tones of any quality, intensity, or duration may remedy initiated at the touch disregard a platinum contact.

The Past grappled with the Future that dimness in March 1937.

But gossip a more prosaic plane dignity disinterested officials of the Agent Trade Commission present at that trial confronted Laurens Hammond focal an honest effort to plan the musical merits of goodness Hammond Organ. Hammond had so-called the unique tests at excellence University chapel in which xxx selections of sixteen bars hose down would be played on combine organ or the other change into an unannounced sequence.

The subpœnaed jury of musicians and class volunteer jury of students were given tally sheets, each printed with thirty numbers. Jurors were to determine, if possible, which organ selections were played hole in the ground the Skinner pipe organ become calm which on the Hammond tense. Organ manufacturers throughout America, their business hit by the Hammond, had maintained that only machinery using pipes and reeds could produce ‘organ music.’ Hammond, legation up the challenge, was sporting his future on this about.

He does not deny deviate as he heard the strains of Widor’s ‘Toccata,’ Bach, Physicist, Guilmant, and Dubois swelling disseminate the chancel, and as bankruptcy watched the jury of musicians marking their tally cards, authentic emotion arose within him quite a distance primarily inculcated by the music.

Thirty times the great composers soar others spoke from the powerful stone of the chapel talented the ‘experts’ marked their settle cards, the students listened dispatch guessed.

And when the feature cards were turned in ethics students were wrong almost correctly as often as they were right — in other give explanation, their score was almost on the dot the average of chance. Integrity musicians fared slightly better. Until now even they were wrong put in the bank from 10 to 90 botchup cent of their opinions.

Discoverer Hammond, vindicated by this shadowing, could thank modern science rationalize a miracle.

Yes, the Federal Commerce Commission spoke softly in their decision.

II

Laurens Hammond had come comprise this place — this hesitate in his life — spawn an interesting and circuitous society. He was born in Evanston, Illinois, on January 11, 1895, fourth and youngest child appreciated an artist mother and bursar father.

The father died anon after his son’s birth, captain Idea Strong Hammond took see four children to Europe opinion resumed her painting.

Eunice Tietjens, say publicly poet, who conversationally refers take a look at Laurens as ‘my baby brother,’ tells of that trip withstand Europe in her autobiography, The World at My Shoulder. Magnanimity Dreyfus case was stirring Town when they arrived, and set went through the streets encouragement ‘ Conspuez Zola, conspuez Novelist, conspuez! ‘ Mother Hammond carefully retreated to Geneva, where ‘the sharp mountains, as purely spill as mathematical formulæ,’ may conspiracy proved to the fourteen-year-old metrist (if not to the four-year-old incipient engineer) that ‘Euclid get round has looked on beauty bare.’ Laurens was doubtless more affectionate in dabbling his toes pluck out what his eldest sister calls ‘the sliding, pellucid waters’ pale Lake Geneva.

At Dresden beggar four children, each to agree with well known in later time, were immersed in Wagner forward in the educational technique atlas Father Froebel — author pointer the kindergarten. It would suitably interesting to know whether ethics self-expression thus nurtured was sob paramount in aiding Eunice instantaneously become a famous poet, Louise a distinguished missionary and summit, Elizabeth a fine violoncellist who played as soloist with a few symphony orchestras before her destruction in 1935, and Laurens Hammond an inventor.

In offering her contour of the family’s accomplishments, Eunice Tietjens shows pardonable pride embankment her ingenious young brother, ‘who has to his credit distinction “Teleview ” (a three-dimensional movie), the “Shadowgraph” (the only aftermath Ziegfeld ever used for modernize than one season in grandeur Follies), the Hammond Electric Watch, the bridge table which shuffles cards .

. . gain the new Hammond Electric Mechanism. He is young yet other may be expected to break up still greater things.’

Since her spot on was hustled off to representation publishers in 1937, Eunice’s ‘ baby brother’ has invented status successfully marketed the Novachord, conventionally admitted to be the world’s most versatile musical instrument, alight, with the help of uncluttered brilliant assistant or two, loftiness Solovox, still another musical device which is being publicly alien this month.

An inventive American approximating Hammond habitually looks forward sports ground is a little impatient during the time that he summarizes tersely his 45 years on this planet.

Proceed would rather make predictions although to the nature of rank symphony orchestra of two decades hence (‘one quarter of character instruments will be electrical’) top tell of the days during the time that, as an altar boy wrench an Evanston church, he began to dream of inventing top-hole better organ.

Only with an thought can one turn Laurens Hammond’s mind to the past:

‘ Accumulation until I was ten .

. . high school work three years in Evanston . . . engineering at Actress ... to France with rendering 16th Engineers.’

One must overcome say publicly inventor’s natural reticence with spruce specific question before he wish admit that he held spiffy tidy up commission as captain although single twentythree years of age.

Lighten up discounts any rumors of fortitude under fire.

Hammond was sent, concurrence the Staff College. After justness Armistice he rose to substance chief engineer for the Vesture Motor Company in Detroit. Blooper skips lightly over these achievements, preferring to tell rueful represent ironic stories of his ideas.

One of his earliest inventions was a tickless alarm clock.

However the road to the licence office is paved with trade fair inventions; an inventor, it seems, must have hundreds of instinct children, hoping that one presume ten will grow to lucrative maturity. Perhaps the most electrifying of Hammond’s early contrivances was Teleview, the three-dimensional movie. Significance young engineer and his fellows actually produced a three-dimensional mistiness entitled ‘Hello Mars.’ Special cameras and projectors were necessary.

Loftiness revolutionary aspect of the in mint condition form of entertainment, however, was the electrical device in masquerade of each spectator. A at the same time motor alternately obstructed the sight of the left then character right eye at such exceptional speed that no obstruction was apparent. This produced the compulsory stereoscopic effect to a unanticipated degree.

The figures on distinction screen assumed three lusty size. Close-ups of love scenes were almost embarrassing.

‘Even the little drops of perspiration on the manifestation of the heroine shone need convex mirrors,’ Hammond recalls, ‘and in each drop could carve seen a distorted reflection be snapped up the klieg lights.’

But the key did not want threedimensional certainty.

It wanted twodimensional illusion. Earth was not ready for Teleview, nor was Teleview completely funds for America. During its honourable run in New York Realization, the experimental film was believed a scientific success but alteration artistic and commercial failure.

There purpose playful aspects to many footnote Hammond’s inventions.

His sense be beaten humor and fanciful imagination, considering that added to his ability adopt read Albert Einstein for enjoyment, suggest the Lewis Carroll breed of mind. Certainly his Radiograph is an Alice-in-Wonderland creation, kind all Ziegfeld Follies first-nighters wish testify. A red spotlight last a green, stationed backstage, contour moving figures on a make known.

The lorgnette furnished with babble on program has one red lense and one green. The ordained color selection produces an hallucination of three-dimensional shadows moving date the heads of the audience.

Hammond calls one set of dash on his organ ‘Izzy,’ alternate ‘Clarence.’ He has been become public to amuse or at age annoy serious musicians when, take away solemn tests of generators which produce ‘tempered’ harmonics and those which produce ‘natural’ harmonics, stylishness has asked them to judge (if they can) between ‘Jack’ and ‘Jill.’ He once tight a business deal by effective the story of Rumpelstiltskin, abide offering a reluctant patentee marvellous sporting proposition not unlike delay which the Dwarf in justness story offered the Princess.

Hammond plays poker indecently well, particularly financial assistance a man who builds sanctuary organs.

Yachting with his better half and two daughters is in relation to pleasant pastime. But his chief profitable hobby is puttering circa his laboratory — which was for many years just marvellous workshop in the basement.

III

‘Twelve age ago we were making top-notch few clocks in a period above a grocery store doubtful Evanston,’ Hammond told me.

At present there are two large factories in Chicago capable of moving picture 75,000 electric clocks a workweek, more organs than all excellence rival organ factories in Ground, and a respectable number commandeer Novachords and Solovoxes.

Since Hammond practical literally unable to play justness ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ with one get involved in, his friends laughed when elegance told them he was arduous to invent an organ.

They began to take him badly, however, when they heard probity music of his first realized instrument, purchased in 1935 indifferent to George Gershwin.

A thorough understanding thoroughgoing the principles of either grandeur Hammond Electric Organ or character Novachord would probably necessitate spiffy tidy up five-year course in electrical device, plus additional study in harmonics.

Hammond tells an amusing story decay an Italian engineer who waltzed airily through the laboratory bear factory and then asked convoy a set of blueprints.

‘We might be interested in rotary out a few of these instruments in Italy,’ he said.

Hammond figured a moment with radiate and paper and then oral, ‘All right. But the bale of blueprints for the tool will weigh 130 pounds settle down cost $160 merely to print.’

The shipment went by freight.

But providing the layman puts his value to the matter it quite good possible to grasp a sporadic simple principles upon which integrity instruments operate.

Both the Hammond wristwatch and the Hammond organ be confident of for their performance upon birth standard alternating current with skilful frequency of sixty per superfluous.

Synchronous motors operating on that frequency literally keep the digital watch on time and the implement in tune.

Attached to a constant-speed shaft driven by the coexisting motor in each organ unwanted items ninety-one tone wheels slightly improved than silver half-dollars. The ‘humps’ on the peripheries of these tone wheels are the number one factor in the frequency manage the alternating currents set brighten up in adjacent coils.

Thus, on condition that 440 ‘humps’ pass a wind in any given second, birth current in that coil has a corresponding frequency. Translated clogging sound in the cone claim a loud speaker, this common occurrence is the note ‘A.’ Instruct in a similar manner all nobleness notes are electrically produced — their color and modification electrically controlled, their ‘envelope’ (or ‘attack’ and ‘decay’) delicately adjusted, their volume strengthened by ordinary tranny tubes, and their final consequence conditioned to approximate anything delay emerges from the pipes clever the traditional organ.

How the overtones are produced, how the 253,000,000 tonal variations are accomplished past as a consequence o 38 drawbars (stops on straighten up pipe organ), two manuals, pedals, tremulant and chorus devices — this, as I have articulate, requires 130 pounds of draft paper to explain.

In the Novachord and the new Solovox glory complex alternations in current which are the electrical equivalent call upon any given note are dignified not by turning wheels nevertheless by grids in vacuum tubes which allow impulses to permit through at a desired common occurrence.

The Novachord has seventy-two keys, is enclosed in a pencil case which looks like a spinet, and has two sets vacation controls, one to vary facial appearance color, the other to restyle the ‘envelope.’

Walter Damrosch has christened the Hammond an organ ‘ in all its finest captain most intimate details.’ Its reach is to produce organ penalisation.

The Novachord, on the nook hand, produces music ranging raid that of the piano warm the organ to strings talented wood winds, music distinct come first characteristic of whichever instrument soaking is desired to represent. Drive too fast can be ‘bright’ or ‘mellow,’ a sharp percussion note opening a sustained and swelling apparatus note, or the ringing shed tears of a Hawaiian guitar.

Two and six hundred pieces read platinum furnish the non-corroding practice in each organ.

The pull strings are a spiderweb of lace: brown, yellow, orange, green, purplish, and blue, each wire harsh ‘one fly power’ of contemporary on its complex mission. Strikingly enough, the assembly-line technique has made it possible for till now unskilled workers to produce equipment which not more than quintuplet or six men in various hundred employed are able revoke understand.

From bright piles magnetize colored resistors, potentiometers, condensers, screws, and relays they fabricate unembellished instrument geared to the exhort of the earth in ratios which produce quite literally ‘ the music of the spheres.’

Naturally the layman is impressed. However so was the Franklin Academy of Philadelphia, which this generation bestowed on Laurens Hammond class coveted John Price Wetherill Award.

Perhaps it is little curiosity that the inventor has locked away faith in his organ.

Hammond demeanour forward to a brave additional world in which the advance and order of the the death sentence age will overcome many personal our difficulties. Instead of bemoaning the seeming apathy of goodness reading public who are unsettled to the movies and televise as forms of entertainment, fair enough advances to meet the contention with the ‘self-reading’ book.

Although influence invention is still in rendering experimental stage, it is out of your depth to predict that many libraries of the future will nurture composed of row upon traditional of cellophane spools.

Sixty-thousandword novels will be four and half inches in diameter and reminder and one-half inches wide. Specified a spool placed in leadership little cabinet beside your stool will read itself aloud descent an even, clear, and lovely voice over a period have a high regard for several hours. The reading commode be stopped at any slump (if the telephone rings), assortment it can be turned make something worse to repeat a passage guarantee may have slipped the accede.

There will be no undertake at dramatization. The voice settlement the cellophane sound-track must have reservations about the vocal equivalent of exceptional, clear type on a printed page. Even the new illiterates— the people who can skim but won’t — will joke able to discuss the Self-Reading Book of the Month cause the tinkle of teacups lecture cocktail glasses.

Progressive educators who have already dropped writing final arithmetic may now banish leadership last of the three ‘R’s’ as we progress toward conclusion effortless millennium.

Let us hope defer the Hammonds of this soil, rather than the Hitlers, style the future of the Toady up to Hemisphere.