Contribution / Chapter
High Energy for a Great Modernity: Musical Instruments Made with Aluminum
Items
Violin with aluminum body (MIR2033) Artefacts
Académie des Sciences (Paris): Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l’Académie des Sciences. 41. 1855 Texts
Ueber eine neue Methode das Aluminium und einige andere einfache Körper darzustellen Texts
II. Ueber die physischen Eigenschaften des Aluminiums Texts
High Energy for a Great Modernity: Musical Instruments Made with Aluminum
This chapter focuses on one of the most abundant metals in the earth’s crust: aluminum—an extremely light and brightly shimmering material that has become iconic for the modern music industry. Besides its well-known use for compact discs, it has also been used in violin and keyboard making. Instrument makers in the United States and Germany, in particular, developed several methods to replace the wood traditionally used for these instruments with this light metal. Taking a closer look at the production of specific violins and keyboard instruments from American and German collections, this chapter highlights the immense energy consumption required to extract and process aluminum. How did this energy balance affect the aesthetics of aluminum instruments and their significance for music history?
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