Altered Sensations: Rudolph Koenig’s Acoustical Workshop in Nineteenth-century Paris (Archimedes)

Rudolph Koenig was one of the more prolific and colourful instrument makers in the renowned nineteenth-century precision instrument trade of Paris. Beginning his career as a violin maker, in 1858 the young Prussian immigrant shifted his talents towards the growing field of acoustics. Altered Sensations is a portrait of his vibrant atelier, a place of construction, commerce and experiment. For over forty years it was also a popular meeting place for scientists, artisans, musicians and teachers. Using archival and collection research from across North American and Europe, David Pantalony has traced the material and social influences of this space on the development of modern acoustics. In particular, he has detailed the manner in which Koenig modified, extended, spread and challenged Hermann von Helmholtz’s Sensations of Tone. A large part of the research on Koenig comes from the actual products of his workshop which survive in museums and collections around the world. The second section of Altered Sensations provides a Catalogue Raisonn of Koenig’s entire line of instruments, including their history, details from specific examples, locations, and references in the literature. This catalogue will serve as a practical guide for curators and researchers as well as a comprehensive overview of nineteenth-century acoustical practice. Introduction Workshops in the history of science Showroom: The business of instrument making Laboratory: Instrument making and experimentation Life as an instrument maker Sound in history Chapter 1 – Training Journey to Paris Vuillaume’s violin workshop – 1851-1858 From violins to tuning forks The scientific instrument trade in Paris Chapter 2 – Hermann von Helmholtz and the Sensations of Tone Hermann von Helmholtz Physical acoustics – theory and instruments (tuning forks, tonometer, double siren) Instruments as agents of change Experimental results Physiological acoustics – the piano as a model for the inner ear Psychological acoustics – resonators as aids for hearing simple tones The first sound synthesizer A theory of harmony and music Chapter 3 – Transformations in the workshop Inside Parisian workshops The phonautograph and the origins of graphical acoustics Precision and graphical acoustics The “Plaque tournante”at Rue Hautefeuille: Transforming Helmholtz’s acoustics Demonstrating Helmholtz: Adam Politzer and Koenig at the Acadmie des Sciences Manometric flame capsule and optical acoustics Chapter 4 – The market and its influences The first year of business – from the workshop to the classroom 1862 London Exhibition Selling Helmholtz’s instruments Function replaces beauty: 1867 Exposition in Paris. Americans at the Fair. William B. Rogers, Alexander Graham Bell and MIT The Parisian science monopoly and a Portuguese customer Chapter 5 – Constructing a reputation, 1866-1879 Measuring the velocity of sound in the sewers of Paris Creating vowel sounds out of wood, brass and steel Seeing a voice: manometric vowel studies Extending the tonometer one file mark at a time Choosing the right steel Bringing the workshop into combination-tone studies Precision and livelihood under attack: the Koenig clock fork Chapter 6 – Expanding the North American Market, 1871-1882. Recovery from the turmoil of 1870-71 Third catalogue, 1873 Joseph Henry and the Smithsonian Institution Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, 1876 James Loudon and the University of Toronto “Cette ville de malheur” Public lectures at Toronto Chapter 7 – The Faraday of sound Life at Quai d’Anjou: 1882-1901 The combination-tone controversy in England Workshop as theatre Heidelberg 1889: the German response The dispute over timbre Wave sirens Back to vibrations Ultrasonics and le domaine de la fantaisie Conclusion – Beyond Sensations Appendix 1. Key dates in Rudolph Koenig’s life. Catalogue Raisonn I. The principal means for producing sound II. Cause and nature of sound III. Pitch of sounds IV. Timbre of sound V. Propagation of sound VI. Simple vibrations of the different bodies VII. Communications of vibrations – Vibrations of simple bodies – Compound vibrations in simple bodies VIII. Phenomena due to the coexistance of two or more sounds in air IX. Methods for studying sonorous vibrations without assistance of the ear X. Apparatus for the mechanical representation of vibrations and wave movements XI. Acoustic apparatus for practical use Notes References