The Art of the Sound Physiker | A Conversation about Harald Bode

The Art of... | Talk


[13.07.2021]


A conversation about the German-American engineer and pioneer of
electronic musical instruments. Peer Bode, Rebekkah Palov and Tom
Rhea talk about synthesizers, frequency shifters and sound
modulators – about a life for (electronic) sound. Harald Bode
(1909–1987) was a pioneer of electronic musical instruments. Over
a period of about half a century, he invented more than fifteen
instruments. With his early inventions of the »Warbo Format
Organ« (1937) and his »Melochord« (1947), he is considered one of
the fathers of modern synthesizers and was also a crucial part in
the development of the famous »Moog Synthesizer«. The modulation
and alteration of music, speech and sound determined his
scientific and technical research for the rest of his life. The
estate of Harald Bode contains about eleven meters of documents,
including sketches, circuit diagrams, photographs, manuscripts
and typescripts as well as correspondence concerning his
scientific, technical and artistic activities. Also part of
Harald Bode's personal estate are his notebooks or diaries from
1930 to 1983. The holdings provide a detailed insight into his
personal life experiences, inventions, plans and thought
processes. The conversation together with Peer Bode, Rebekka
Palov and Tom Rhea tries to capture and trace this extraordinary
personality and the pioneer of electronic arts in his work and
his thinking.