We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
162
CLOSE UP
by the note. But, given pre-determined conditions, fundamental patterns could definitely be relied upon to appear.
Of course, the principle of this toy dates back to Chladni's Figures of 1785 : Chladni drew the bow of a violin across edges of plates covered with sand. Moreover, Professor Sedley Taylor, at some later date, made similar experiments with the crispations of a soap film set in vibration by vocal sounds. However, the popularity of the Eidophone depended on the fact that the fundamental forms produced could easilv be identified as ferns, trees, flowers, and such like.
The amazing relationship between sound and elementary forms in natural structure is suggestive of important and provocative ideas. For the purpose of this short article, it is possible to stress only one aspect — educational values of moving shapes, of the fundamental Eidophone-order, combined with music.
Obviously, the sound film is the medium for presenting shifting shapes synchronised with music. To begin with, children are excited by the mere thought of " film." Because films are not naturally linked with lessons, children are receptive to instruction on what may, in reality, be but a blackboard of moving lines.
Now, all music teachers know the extreme difficulty of making children comprehend the architecture of music. Phrasing with intelligence, time, accent — the pupil generally is but a protective mimic as far as these matters are concerned. The student repeats what the professor has shown him ; he does not consciously struggle to attain an appreciated pattern.
But, the abstract film (on the Eidophone lines) could demonstrate.
The child could be shown Eidophonic shapes with music. He would begin to understand music as shape, begin to think of music (as we have thought of film) a building made in time.
Animated cartoons could teach the young the power and vitalitv of rhythm. Superimposition could be skilfully employed to demonstrate conflict of theme with theme, the machinery of counterpoint. And so on.
Some will argue that this system would be too costly. Apart from the fact that the brave might recover production expenses from schools and musical academies, the regular cinema might add margin of profit. For public exhibition, it would not be necessary to label such pictures " education " but " orchestral interlude." Since the days of the talkies, the small halls have dismissed their orchestras ; audiences, in such theatres, might be content, for a few minutes, to concentrate eighty per cent, of their attention on good music.
As final thought, does not the working out of this sound with this image (this foot here, this sound here) suggest the next development of the talkie medium ?
OSWELL BLAKESTON.