120 Years of Electronic Music

The Kraft durch Freude Grösstonorgel(1936)

The "Grösstonorgel" was a vacuum tube oscilator based organ, notable for having been witnessed by Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Olympic games. The "Grosstonorgel" was designed by Oskar Vierling, Winston.E.Kock and the staff of the Heinrich-Hertz-Institut in Berlin. Vierling was an important member of the institute which was responsible for most of the intensive activity in electronic music and musical instruments in Germany in the 1930's.

The Electronic Orchestra of the Heinrich Hertz Institut

he Electronic Orchestra of the Heinrich Hertz Institut at the Berlin Radio Show in 1932. Daily lectures were given by Prof. Dr. Gustav Leithauser and his assistant Wolja Saraga. Up to six performances took place per day during the 10-day show.

The instruments of the orchestra comprised:

• 2 Theremins (Leon Termen) played by Martin Taubmann and Tscharikoff
• 1 Trautonium (Dr F Trautwein) played by Oskar Sala
• 1 Hellertion (Helberger and Dr Lertes) played by Helberger
• 1 Neo-Bechstein Grand Piano (Prof Nernst and Bechstein/Siemens) played by Narath and Padua
• 1 Electric Grand Piano (Oskar Vierling) played by Frl Wolfsthal
• 1 Electric Violin (Oskar Vierling) played by Frau Sugowolski
• 1 Electric Cello (Oskar Vierling) played by Dr Reinhold

Vierling's previous work had been designing electro-acoustic instruments such as an electric Cello and Violin, the electro-acoustic Elektrochord and assisted in the development of the Neo-Bechstein-Flügel. The Neo-Bechstein-Flügel was essentially an electro-acoustic adaption of a Bechstein grand piano. The vibrations of the strings were amplified through magnetic pickups and coloured using a simple filter system. Oskar Vierling also assisted Jörg Mager in the construction of the Klaviatursphäraphon at Darmstadt.

Other designers who studied at the Heinrich-Hertz-Institut included Harald Bode, designer of the Warbo Formant Organ and the Melochord. The institutes director Karl W.Wagner was himself responsible for half of the electronic instruments built in Germany during the 1930's and developed a voice synthesiser that influenced the work in the USA on the Voder and Vocoders in the 1940's.

Sketch of the "Neo-Bechsteinflügel" by Jörg Mager

Sources:

"The radio piano of Bechstein Siemens Nernst" Fritz Wilh. Winckel

Elektro-mechanische muziekinstrumenten (Dutch)

© 120 Years Of Electronic Music 2005