John Osborne Varian (1863 – January 9, 1931) was an American poet and amateur musician who was one of the early members of the

Temple of the People A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

and a leader within the

theosophist Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...

utopian community of

Halcyon, California Halcyon is an unincorporated community of about 125 acres (50 ha) in San Luis Obispo County, California, just south of Arroyo Grande. It was founded in 1903 as a Theosophical intentional community and is the home and headquarters of a religi ...

. Two of his sons,

Russell and Sigurd Varian Russell Harrison Varian (April 24, 1898 – July 28, 1959) and Sigurd Fergus Varian (May 4, 1901 – October 18, 1961) were American brothers who founded one of the earliest high-tech companie ...

, became notable inventors and went on to found

Varian Associates Varian Associates was one of the first high-tech companies in Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1948 by Russell H. and Sigurd F. Varian, William Webster Hansen, and Edward Ginzton to sell the klystron, the first vacuum tube which could amplif ...

, one of the first companies in

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Coun ...

. Varian died on January 9, 1931 following pneumonia.

Career

Born in Ireland, John Varian and his wife, Agnes became members of the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...

in Dublin where the movement attracted literary figures such as

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

James Cousins James Henry Cousins (22 July 1873 – 20 February 1956) was an Anglo-Irish writer, playwright, actor, critic, editor, teacher and poet. He used several pseudonyms, including Mac Oisín and the Hindu name Jayaram. Life Cousins was born at 18, K ...

, and others. The Varians emigrated from Ireland to the United States in 1894,A. Hammond, p. 14 first settling in Syracuse, New York. There, the Varians became involved with a theosophical group headed by William Dower. When Dower moved to

, they joined him in 1914, shortly after its founding. Halcyon was a

utopian community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...

that included a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

for the treatment of liquor, morphine, and opium addiction. The community had elements of

socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...

and some communal property.Utopian Communities:Halcyon There, John Varian became a leader of the Temple of the People, simultaneously working with Dower as a chiropractor and masseur, while Agnes was the first Halcyon storekeeper and postmistress.

Family

John and Agnes had three sons, Russell, Sigurd and Eric, all of whom had a keen interest in electricity. Russell was named in honor of the poet "Æ", George Russell, whom John had befriended in Ireland. The family was noted for affection, laughter and a spirit of adventure. All three boys exhibited an early fascination with electricity, which included pranks such as attaching electrical current to bed springs and door knobs in order to give visitors minor electric shocks.Shumway Russell and Sigurd became the co-founders of

, an early

firm noted for production of the

klystron A klystron is a specialized linear-beam vacuum tube, invented in 1937 by American electrical engineers Russell and Sigurd Varian,Pond, Norman H. "The Tube Guys". Russ Cochran, 2008 p.31-40 which is used as an amplifier for high radio frequen ...

tube, while Eric remained in the Halcyon area and had a career in the central California coast as an electrical contractor, and assisted the work of his daughter, Sheila Varian, who became a noted

horse breeder Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in ...

Artistic pursuits and affiliations

Varian's strong interest in

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...

helped fuel the interest of the young composer Henry Cowell in Irish folk culture and mythology.Hicks (2002), p. 85. Cowell had previously befriended Varian's son Russell in 1911, when both boys were in their teens, and a

piano sonata A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement ( Scarlatti, Liszt, Scriabin, Medtner, Berg), others with ...

that Cowell composed for Russell brought Cowell to the attention of the elder Varian.A. Hammond, p. 15 In 1917, Cowell wrote the music for Varian's stage production of his Irish mythical poetry cycle, ''The Building of Banba.'' The prelude Cowell composed,

The Tides of Manaunaun ''The Tides of Manaunaun'' is a short piano piece in B minor by American composer Henry Cowell (1897–1965). It premiered publicly in 1917 in music, 1917, serving as a prelude to a theatrical production, ''The Building of Banba''. ''The Tides of ...

, would become Cowell's most famous and widely performed work. ''The Building of Banba'' has been described by some scholars as a "pageant" or "play," and by Cowell himself (more than fifty years later) as an "opera." The production was staged in the summer of 1917 at a convention of the theosophical community at Halcyon. Cowell in turn was a childhood music tutor of Ansel Adams, and the Varian family also became friends with Adams, who became particularly close to Russell and Sigurd through their mutual activity in the Sierra Club.A. Hammond, page 13 Adams knew the family for over 30 years, and upon John Varian's death wrote a poem, ''To John Varian,'' which was published in 1931. While that work was one of only a few poems published by Adams, he later used a line from one of Varian's poems, "...What Majestic Word," as the title of his 1963 ''Portfolio Four,'' which was dedicated to the memory of Russell Varian, who had died in 1959. Another close associate of Varian and his family was fellow Irish immigrant and theosophist

Ella Young Ella Young (26 December 1867 – 23 July 1956) was an Irish poet and Celtic mythologist active in the Gaelic and Celtic Revival literary movement of the late 19th and early 20th century. Born in Ireland, Young was an author of poetry and c ...

, who lived in Halcyon in a cabin behind the Varian's home in 1928 while she was finishing her book, '' The Tangle-Coated Horse and Other Tales'', and working on her poetry. Varian himself published poetry, including works in the poetry journal ''Troubador''' and a posthumous collection, ''Doorways Inward,'' published in 1934.Hammond, p. 150 (extensive footnote to statements on p. 15)

Selected works

*"Black Mountain" (1906) *"The Temple Convention" (1907) *"The Living Symbol" (1907) *"Body of God" (1929) *''Tirawa'' (1930) *"The Wave" (1934) *''Doorways inward and other poems'' (1934)

References

Sources

* * *Hicks, Michael (2002). Henry Cowell, Bohemian. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. * *