The French electrical engineer René Bertrand, who had been experimenting with electronic instruments as early as 1914, was a long time friend and collaborator with Edgard Varèse and with Varèses support Bertrand developed the "Dynaphone" (not to be confused with Cahill's
"Dynamophone" or "Telharmonium"). The Dynaphone was a portable, monophonic non-keyboard, dial operated vacuum tube oscillator instrument. The instrument was semi-circular in shape with a diameter 0f 30 cm played on top of a table. The Dynaphone belonged to a family of dial-operated non keyboard electronic instruments developed around the 1930's such as Mager's '
Spharaphon'.
The right hand controlled the pitch using a circular dial on a calibrated disc (cardboard cut-out templates of music could be inserted). The total rotation of the dial was equal to seven octaves but only the five highest or lowest could be selected at any one time by the means of a switch, giving an overlap of three octaves common to both ranges. Vibrato effects could be added by moving the right hand to and fro slightly and the machine also included a push button for articulating the sound. The left hand controlled the volume and timbre - described as similar to a cello, low flute, saxophone or french horn.
A later development of the Dynaphone (known as the " Radio-electric-organ" used a five octave keyboard on which the note played could be doubled at the fifth and octave.
The first public demonstration of the instrument in 1928 was a performance of Ernest Fromaigeat's 'Variations Caractéristiques' for six Dynophones and later in 'Roses de Metal' a ballet by the swiss composer Arthur Honegger
In 1932 Varèse applied to the Guggenheim memorial fund for a grant towards continuing the development of the Dynaphone:
".....The Dynaphone (invented 1927-28) is a musical instrument of electrical oscillations similar to the Theremin, Givelet and Martenot electrical instruments. But its principal and operation are entirely different, the resemblance being only superficial. The technical results i look for are as follows:
- To obtain pure fundamentals
- By means of loading the fundamentals with certain series of harmonics to obtain timbres which will produce new sounds.
- To speculate on the new sounds that the combination of two or more interfering Dynaphones would create if combined as one instrument.
- To increase the range of the instrument to reach the highest frequencies which no other instrument can give, together with adequate intensity.
The practical result of our work will be a new instrument which will be adequate to the creative needs of musician and musicologist....."
Despite Varèse's assertions, the Dynaphone was not distinctly different from its close competitors and the Guggenheim Foundation did not sponsor Bertrands work despite several further attempts by Varèse.
