The clavecin électrique (or clavessin électrique) was a

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

invented in 1759 by

Jean-Baptiste Thillaie Delaborde Jean-Baptiste Thillais Delaborde (''De Laborde'', ''De La Borde'', also ''Thillais'' and ''Thillaès'') (9 June 1730 – late January 1777) was a French physical scientist, mathematician and Jesuit priest. He was born in Nevers and began his novi ...

, a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest. It is the earliest surviving electric-powered musical instrument, antedated only by the Denis d'or, which is only known from written accounts. Delaborde described the instrument in his 1761 publication, ''Le clavessin électrique''. The mechanism was based on a contemporary warning-bell device, and the instrument was essentially an electric

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

. A number of bells, two for each pitch, hang from iron bars along with their clappers (one for each pair). A globe generator charged the prime

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

and the iron bars. The musician pressed a key and one of the bells of the corresponding pair was grounded, cut off from the charge source. The clapper then oscillated between the grounded and the charged bells, producing the desired tone. The somewhat inappropriate choice of the instrument's name was defended by Delaborde, who claimed that it was far superior to a carillon. He also mentioned that during a performance in a dark room, the listener's "eyes are agreeably surprised by the brilliant sparks" that were produced by the instrument. The press and the public admired the innovative machine, but it was not developed further. The model Delaborde himself built survives, and is kept at the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

in Paris.

References

* Schiffer, Michael; Hollenback, Kasy; and Bell, Carrie. 2003. ''Draw the Lightning Down: Benjamin Franklin and Electrical Technology In the Age of Enlightenment''. University of California Press.

External links

Audio demo and photographs of a contemporary reconstruction of the clavecin électrique

Clavecin électrique at '120 Years of Electronic Music'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clavecin electrique Electronic musical instruments Electrostatics French inventions