Jean-Baptiste Thillaie Delaborde
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste Thillais Delaborde (De Laborde, De La Borde, also Thillais and Thillaès) (9 June 1730 – late January 1777) was a French
physical scientist
, mathematician
and Jesuit priest. He was born in Nevers
and began his novitiate
in the Society of Jesus on 26 September 1745. Around 1755 he was teaching rhetoric
in Amiens
. He passed the third year of his novitiate in 1762 at Rouen
. He spent a number of years in Poznan
m, then moved to La Collancelle
where he served as a priest until his death.
He was the author of the book titled (Paris, 1761) in which he described the second earliest electric
musical instrument—the clavecin électrique
. Delaborde built a working model of his innovative instrument and organized performances, however, even though the press was sympathetic to the clavecin électrique, it was never developed further and was soon forgotten. The original model built by Delaborde survives and is kept at the Bibliothèque nationale
in Paris
.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
physical scientist
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and Jesuit priest. He was born in Nevers
Nevers
Nevers is a commune in – and the administrative capital of – the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France...
and began his novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
in the Society of Jesus on 26 September 1745. Around 1755 he was teaching rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
in Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
. He passed the third year of his novitiate in 1762 at Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
. He spent a number of years in Poznan
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
m, then moved to La Collancelle
La Collancelle
La Collancelle is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-Demographics:At the 1999 census, the population was 178. On 1 January 2007, the estimate was 169.-References:*...
where he served as a priest until his death.
He was the author of the book titled (Paris, 1761) in which he described the second earliest electric
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
musical instrument—the clavecin électrique
Clavecin électrique
The clavecin électrique was a musical instrument invented in 1759 by Jean-Baptiste Thillaie Delaborde, a French Jesuit priest. It is the earliest surviving electric-powered musical instrument, pre-dated only by the Denis d'or, which is only known from written accounts.Delaborde described the...
. Delaborde built a working model of his innovative instrument and organized performances, however, even though the press was sympathetic to the clavecin électrique, it was never developed further and was soon forgotten. The original model built by Delaborde survives and is kept at the Bibliothèque nationale
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The is the National Library of France, located in Paris. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in France. The current president of the library is Bruno Racine.-History:...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.