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! ! ! THE ERA OF MEGAPHONICS: ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF LOUD SOUND, 1880-1930 by T

! ! ! THE ERA OF MEGAPHONICS: ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF LOUD SOUND, 1880-1930 by Timothy Hecker Art History and Communication Studies, McGill University, Montreal A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Timothy Hecker 2 ABSTRACT This thesis examines a cultural interest in loud sound as a productive force between 1880 and 1930. Recent historical scholarship on sound at the turn of the 20th century has given substantial attention to noise abatement movements and their efforts to control public space. In shifting the focus towards a significant collection of people interested in the generative aspects of sonic power and its ability to paralyze the body, empty the mind and even threaten life is to suggest ways in which idealist or utopian hopes were interlaced with an idea of sonic agency. This thesis looks at three aspects of the megaphonic: firstly, the push to build the world's loudest instrument, a pipe organ; secondly, the proliferation of powerful fog-signalling along North American coastlines; and lastly, the development of shock-wave science and the increasing understanding of sound as a physical and mortal force. Cette thèse examine un intérêt culturel pour le son fort comme force productive entre 1880 et 1930. De récentes recherches historiques sur le son au début du 20e siècle ont accordé une attention considérable aux mouvements d'atténuation du bruit et à leurs efforts pour contrôler l'espace public. En déplaçant l'accent vers un important groupe de personnes intéressés par les aspects générateurs de puissance du son et leur capacité à paralyser le corps, vider l'esprit et même menacer la vie suggère des façons dont certaines aspirations idéalistes ou utopiques ont eu une dimension sonore. Cette thèse porte sur trois aspects du mégaphone: d'une part, la pression de construire l'instrument au son le plus puissant du monde, un orgue à tuyaux, d'autre part, la prolifération de puissants signaux de brume le long des côtes nord-américaines et, enfin, le développement de la science de l'onde de choc et la compréhension croissante du son comme une force physique et mortelle. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................................... 6 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 8 THE MEGAPHONIC ..................................................................................................................................... 13 WHY STUDY THE MEGAPHONIC? ............................................................................................................ 19 NOISE HISTORIES ARE NOT LOUDNESS HISTORIES ............................................................................ 22 SOME INTERPRETATIONS AGAINST MEANING .................................................................................... 27 FRAMING THE PERIOD .............................................................................................................................. 29 LOUDNESS AND THE SUBLIME ................................................................................................................. 34 SECULAR TRANSCENDENTAL EXPERIENCES AND THE DISSOLUTION OF SELF ............................ 37 OUTLINE OF CHAPTERS ............................................................................................................................. 42 CHAPTER 1: THE MEGAPHONICS OF MUSIC: SECULAR TRANSCENDENTALISM AND THE MODERN PIPE ORGAN .................................................................................. 45 A DEEP HISTORY OF THE ORGAN AS AN INSTRUMENT OF SONIC IMMENSITY ............................. 49 AN EMBLEM OF A CULTURE OF MUSICAL IMMENSITY: ROBERT HOPE-JONES .............................. 56 WORCESTER CATHEDRAL, DIAPHONICS, WIND PRESSURE, OFF TO AMERICA .............................. 63 AN ERA OF HIGH WIND PRESSURE: OCEAN GROVE .......................................................................... 73 THE ORGAN: VESSEL OF THE DIVINE TO MEDIUM OF SECULAR TRANSCENDENTALISM .......... 80 ARCHITECTURE AS INFERNAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: ATLANTIC CITY ........................................ 89 CHAPTER 2: DIAPHONICS OF THE VOID .................................................................... 103 BASIC NAUTICAL NAVIGATIONAL CONCERNS: A NECESSARY FAITH IN THE EAR .................... 112 THE FOIL OF AURAL IMMENSITY: ZONES OF SILENCE AND RAYLEIGH’S WORK ....................... 131 ASCENT OF DIAPHONES IN NAUTICAL COMMUNICATION .............................................................. 135 MUSICALITY IN FOG SIGNALING ........................................................................................................... 140 THE MADNESS OF THE FOG SIGNAL .................................................................................................... 144 “NECESSARY NOISE” AND THE CHICAGO HARBOR SIGNAL ........................................................... 147 FADE OUT, OR, THE MADNESS OF THE LIGHTKEEPER .................................................................... 150 CHAPTER 3: SONIC SHOCKS AND MEGAPHONIC MATERIALITIES ...................... 155 THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS: MACH, FECHNER AND THE SEEDS OF PSYCHOPHYSICS ........... 158 SHOCK WAVES, MACH AND THE SPEED OF SOUND .......................................................................... 162 BULLETS, ARTILLERY FIRE & ORDINANCE FEVER ............................................................................ 169 THE METRICS OF MEGAPHONICS .......................................................................................................... 188 SHOCKS AND THE SHAKING OF THE BODY: TREMORS, HYSTERIA AND FEAR ............................ 195 SHOCKS ON THE BODY II: THE END OF LIFE BY SOUND ................................................................ 204 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 210 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 216 ! ! ! 4 ! TABLE OF FIGURES Figure!1.!A!Crowd!Almost!Dwarfed!by!Performers,!National!Peace!Jubilee,!Boston,! June!1869!.........................................................................................................................................!10! Figure!2.!Promises!for!the!1872!Jubilee!(Jubilee!Days)! .........................................................!11! Figure!3.!Acoustic!Network!Signaling!in!Kircher's!Phonurgia!Nova!(1673!Facsimile) !..............................................................................................................................................................!13! Figure!4.!Illustration!of!a!War!Organ! .............................................................................................!50! Figure!5.!A!Church!Congregation!Adrift!in!Organ!Sound,!ca.!1872!..................................!55! Figure!6.!Robert!HopeVJones!.............................................................................................................!57! Figure!7.!Depiction!of!Organ!Blower!and!Promotional!Material! .......................................!68! Figure!8.!Ocean!Grove,!NJ,!ca.!1907!................................................................................................!73! Figure!9.!Depiction!of!Ocean!Grove!Auditorium,!1908! ..........................................................!76! Figure!10.!Civic!Auditorium!Organ!Concert.!San!Francisco,!April!1917!........................!87! Figure!11.!Cover!of!American!Organist,!February!1932!.......................................................!90! Figure!12.!Atlantic!City!Convention!Hall,!Atlantic!City!NJ,!ca.!1929V32!..........................!91! Figure!13.!Two!of!Atlantic!City's!Electrical!Wind!Blowers!..................................................!96! Figure!14.!Building!the!32Vfoot!Diaphone,!Atlantic!City!.......................................................!96! Figure!15.!Relative!Scale!of!the!32Vfoot!Diapason!...................................................................!98! Figure!16.!Helicopter!Sound!Both!Literal!and!Metaphorical,!Atlantic!City!Convention! Hall!ca.!1970!.................................................................................................................................! 100! Figure!17.!Georges!Seurat,!Au!Divian!Japonais!(1887V1888)!...........................................! 105! Figure!18.!From!In!The!Fog!ca!.1901!...........................................................................................! 107! Figure!19.!The!Sea's!Lonely!Roar,!New!England!Magazine!(1897)!................................! 110! Figure!20.!Example!of!Daboll!Trumpet!Experiments,!ca.!1890! ........................................! 118! Figure!21.!1888!Map!of!Expanding!West!Coast!Foghorn!Network!................................! 120! Figure!22.!Depiction!of!Tyndall's!Acoustic!Fog!Signal!Experiments! ..............................! 129! 5 Figure!23,!Depiction!of!Zone!of!Silence!(1888)! .......................................................................! 131! Figure!24.!HopeVJones'!1896!Diaphone!Patent!for!both!Music!and!Signaling!...........! 139! Figure!25.!The!Fog!Signal!at!Twilight!..........................................................................................! 151! Figure!26.!Mach's!1887!HighVSpeed!Photograph!of!a!Bullet!.............................................! 164! Figure!27.!Spectators!Watching!the!Hell!Gate!Explosion!(1885)!....................................! 176! Figure!28.!Graphic!Representation!of!LongVDistance!Audibility,!Whipple!(1935)!.! 181! Figure!29.!Diffraction!of!Sound!Waves!into!the!Ground!Through!Interference,!Shaw! (1937)! ..............................................................................................................................................! 183! Figure!30.!ShockVwave!Barometer!Reading!as!Explosion!Cartography!of!London,! Whipple,!(1917)! ..........................................................................................................................! 184! Figure!31.!Zones!of!Audibility!Near!The!Juterbog!Explosions!of!1923!&!1926.! Whipple,!Shaw,!1945!................................................................................................................! 186! Figure!32.!Tuning!Ford!Catelepsy!from!Regnard's!Les!Maladies!(1887)!....................! 199! Figure!33.!GongVderived!Caelepsy!(1887)!................................................................................! 201! Figure!34.!Depiction!of!Artillery!Acoustwics!(1918)! ............................................................! 205! Figure!35.!The!Sonic!Wall––LRAD!Device!Schematic!...........................................................! 213! Figure!36.!Grateful!Dead!Sound!System!(1973)!.....................................................................! 214! 6 ! ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Firstly, an unending stream of gratitude is reserved for my supervisor, Dr. Jonathan Sterne. I entered the McGill PhD program largely because I was so drawn to the depth and richness of his published work. Working with him over the past seven years has been more intellectually stimulating and challenging than I would have ever imagined. He is truly a generous supervisor, someone who takes the mentorship aspect of teaching above and beyond any norms. I am eternally grateful for his patience with my underdeveloped grasp of English grammar. His friendship and humor are things I will always cherish. Also, thanks in particular to Dr. Darin Barney and Dr. Cornelius Borck for their nourishing intellectual engagement. Their tasteful advice has led me down many avenues of thought. I’ve truly relished Dr. Barney’s after-seminar chats about Critical Theory and Dr. Borck’s mind-expanding Cybernetics Seminar. I would also like to thank Dr. Will Straw. His comments helped turn a rusty seminar paper into a published critique of Rem Koolhaas’ untethered forays into Lagos, Nigeria. My time at McGill has been truly special. Other thesis-specific thanks go to: Stephen Pinel, the OHS Archive at Rider College, Princeton, New Jersey; Gordon Turk, Ocean Grove, New Jersey; and Carl Loeser, Harry Bellangy and Charles Swisher of the, Atlantic City Convention Hall Organ Society, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Since the time I entered this Doctoral program, two beautiful children have joined our home. Beyond anything, I owe the most to Alina, who has been patient, loving and encouraging. The sacrifices of her time, and her energy have allowed this work of self- indulgent intellectual abstraction to come to a conclusion. Any hyperbole would not be enough to do justice to this fact. 7 8 INTRODUCTION Hark! A new birth-song is filling the sky ! — Loud as the storm-wind that tumbles the main Bid the full breath of the organ reply, — Let the loud tempest of voices reply, — Roll its long surge like the earth-shaking main! Swell the vast song till it mounts to the sky! — Angels of Bethlehem, echo the strain! –Oliver Wendell Holmes, “A Hymn of Peace” 1 In 1869, a very large musical celebration took place in Boston, Massachusetts. The National Peace Jubilee, as it was called, was a gathering of some 11,000 singers from some 100 choral groups with over a thousand-piece orchestra section. It was then proclaimed to be the “greatest musical enterprise of modern times.” If that wasn’t quite true, it was still one of the largest gatherings to showcase a distinct blend of celebratory patriotism and spiritual revelation. Spectacles such as the “anvil chorus,” which swung one hundred anvils in unison, reportedly “gave an impression of sublimity more than noise.”2 The massive, sprawling History of the National Peace Jubilee text referred to the crowd as solemn and oceanic. Fitted especially for the occasion, its custom-built pipe organ delivered music of “thunderous” quality. The music amidst the crowds was described as an overwhelming force of divine power, but also one that invoked storms and madness. Yet the experience was also perceived by some as a let-down. Despite cannons exploding on cue with the music, as well as thousands of voices singing to note and anvils clamoring in unison, to some visitors it was a disappointment of the promise of transcendental power that was not achieved. One reviewer in attendance remarked on this underwhelming power: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, History of the National Peace Jubilee and Great Musical Festival: Held in the City of Boston, June, 1869 (Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1871), 295. 2 Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, History of the National Peace Jubilee and Great Musical Festival: Held in the City of Boston, June, 1869, 563. 9 And now rises such a volume of sound as never before greeted human ears. It has a mystic puissance that cannot be analyzed. Its extended source destroys the sense of locality. It fills the air with its new vibrations that bring to us a novel emotion of universality. It mounts with a grandeur that gives us a new sensation. There are no favored registers heard, no individual voices; everything personal, trivial, local, is drowned out in the majestic flow of this grand chorus. Having felt the first effects of the combination, having remarked that they have touched the auditory with the new potency, as the ear becomes accustomed to the surging and swelling of the tide, we become, too, calm enough to perceive that it is not the bulk of the sound that is effective; indeed, a very general disappointment was felt that the united forces produced no louder music. People had expected a concussion of uploads/Geographie/ the-era-of-megaphonics-on-the-productivity-of-loud-sound-18801930-pdf.pdf