| Clavecin
Oculare The first
multimedia piece? "The Jesuit, Father Louis Bertrand Castel , built
an Ocular Harpsichord around 1730, which consisted of a 6-foot square
frame above a normal harpsichord;
the frame contained 60 small windows each with a different colored-glass
pane and
a small curtain attached by pullies to one specific key, so
that each time that key would be struck, that curtain would lift
briefly to show a
flash
of
corresponding
color. Enlightenment society was dazzled and fascinated by
this invention, and flocked to his Paris studio for demonstrations.
The German composer
Telemann
traveled to France to see it, composed some pieces to be played
on the Ocular Harpsichord, and wrote a German-language book about it.
Castel predicted that every household would have one of these,
and at least 800,000
units would be built. Unfortunately his invention did not outlive
himself. (Too clumsy)
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