Due to his studies in music and engineering, Oskar Sala could compose electronic music that was completely different from others. The German composer became a ‘one-man orchestra’, according to a special note by Google.
Sala began composing songs when he was 14. Image Courtesy: Google
German electronic music composer and physicist Oskar Sala was born today (18 July). To commemorate his 112th birth anniversary, Google has paid tribute to Sala with a special Doodle.
Sala is remembered for refining a musical instrument called the mixture-trautonium, a precursor to the modern synthesiser. By producing sound effects on this instrument, he electrified the world of television, film and radio.
The German composer was born into a family with musical talent. His mother was a singer, while his father was an ophthalmologist with an interest in music. So it was no surprise when Sala began composing songs when he was 14. In 1962, he gave his first concert in his hometown Greiz, Germany.
When the composer first heard of the trautonium, he was fascinated by the possibilities offered by the instrument. He made it his life’s mission to master the instrument and refining it further. His interest in the subject also fuelled his studies in composition and physics at school.
Sala later developed his own instrument- the mixture-trautonium, which could play several sounds or voices simultaneously. The instrument could also create noises like bird cries, door and window slams and hammering. The composer also built other versions of the instrument like the Concert Trautonium, Quartett-Trautonium and Volkstrautonium. His efforts in the field also evoked interest in the topic of subharmonics.
Due to his studies in music and engineering, Oskar Sala could compose electronic music that was completely different from others. The German composer became a “one-man orchestra”, according to a special note by Google. He created musical pieces and sound effects for several radio, television and movie productions, including Rosemary (1959) and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1962).
Sala received many honours for his work. He also served as the honorary senator of Berlin later. Oskar Sala donated his original mixture-trautonium in 1995 to the German Museum for Contemporary Technology. The composer breathed his last in 2002.
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