Johann Nepomuk Mälzel
Encyclopedia
Johann Nepomuk Maelzel [or Mälzel] (August 15, 1772 – July 21, 1838) was an inventor, engineer, and showman, best known for manufacturing a metronome
and several music automatons, and displaying a fraudulent chess
machine.
, Germany
. The son of an organ
builder, he received a comprehensive musical education. He moved to Vienna
in 1792.
After several years of study and experiment, he produced an orchestrion
instrument, which was publicly exhibited, and afterward sold for 3,000 florins. In 1804, he invented the panharmonicon
, an automaton able to play the musical instruments of a military band
, powered by bellows and directed by revolving cylinders storing the notes. This attracted universal attention; the inventor became noted throughout Europe, was appointed imperial court-mechanician at Vienna, and drew the admiration of Ludwig van Beethoven
and other noted composers. This instrument was sold to a Parisian admirer for 120,000 francs.
In 1805 Maelzel purchased Wolfgang von Kempelen
's half-forgotten “automaton chess player,” The Turk
, took it to Paris
, and sold it to Eugene Beauharnais at a large profit. Returning to Vienna, he gave his attention to the construction of an “automaton trumpeter,” which, with life-like movements and sudden changes of attire, performed French
and Austria
n field signals and military airs. In 1808 he invented an improved ear trumpet
, and a musical chronometer.
In 1813 Maelzel and Beethoven were on familiar terms. Maelzel conceived and musically sketched “The Battle of Vitoria,” for which Beethoven composed the music; they also gave several concerts, at which Beethoven's symphonies were interspersed with the performances of Maelzel's automatons. In 1816 he became established in Paris
as manufacturer of his newly invented “metronome
.” Maelzel's metronome was a further development of a metronome invented earlier by Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel
.
In 1817 Maelzel left Paris for Munich
, and then again took up his abode in Vienna. At this time he found means to repurchase von Kempelen's chess player, and, after spending several preparatory years in constructing and improving a number of interesting and effective mechanical inventions, he formed an enterprise devoted to exhibiting his array of mechanical wonders in the New World.
He arrived in New York City
with his chess-player, trumpeter, panharmonicon, rope-dancers, miniature song-birds that sprang from the lids of snuff-boxes, speaking-dolls, and the “Conflagration of Moscow.” The moving panorama of Moscow was wonderfully realistic and effective, with its music and cannonry. The smaller objects were genuine automatons, and marvels of beauty and ingenuity. Imitations of the “Conflagration” in after-years became adjuncts to most of the museums and shows in the large cities of the United States.
Often, when Maelzel's exhibition opened with the performance of the chess-player, he would call upon the audience in vain for an opponent, so little was the game in practice at that time. For many years Maelzel journeyed throughout the United States, repeating his exhibitions with unvarying success, and he also twice visited the West Indies.
It is said he had the faculty of seizing on the crude inspirations of others and perfecting them to his own advantage. He died on a ship in the harbor of La Guaira
, Venezuela
, reportedly from an overdose of alcohol.
Metronome
A metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
and several music automatons, and displaying a fraudulent chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
machine.
Life and work
Maelzel was born in RegensburgRegensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The son of an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
builder, he received a comprehensive musical education. He moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1792.
After several years of study and experiment, he produced an orchestrion
Orchestrion
An orchestrion is a generic name for a machine that plays music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band. Orchestrions may be operated by means of a large pinned cylinder or by a music roll and less commonly book music. The sound is usually produced by pipes, though they will be voiced...
instrument, which was publicly exhibited, and afterward sold for 3,000 florins. In 1804, he invented the panharmonicon
Panharmonicon
The Panharmonicon was a musical instrument invented in 1805 by Johann Nepomuk Mälzel, a contemporary and friend of Beethoven. Beethoven apparently composed his piece "Wellington's Victory" to be played on this behemoth mechanical orchestral organ to commemorate Arthur Wellesley's victory over the...
, an automaton able to play the musical instruments of a military band
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
, powered by bellows and directed by revolving cylinders storing the notes. This attracted universal attention; the inventor became noted throughout Europe, was appointed imperial court-mechanician at Vienna, and drew the admiration of Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
and other noted composers. This instrument was sold to a Parisian admirer for 120,000 francs.
Wolfgang von Kempelen
Johann Wolfgang Ritter von Kempelen de Pázmánd was a Hungarian author and inventor with Irish ancestors.-Life:...
's half-forgotten “automaton chess player,” The Turk
The Turk
The Turk, also known as the Mechanical Turk or Automaton Chess Player , was a fake chess-playing machine constructed in the late 18th century. From 1770 until its destruction by fire in 1854, it was exhibited by various owners as an automaton, though it was exposed in the early 1820s as an...
, took it to 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...
, and sold it to Eugene Beauharnais at a large profit. Returning to Vienna, he gave his attention to the construction of an “automaton trumpeter,” which, with life-like movements and sudden changes of attire, performed French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n field signals and military airs. In 1808 he invented an improved ear trumpet
Ear trumpet
Ear trumpets are tubular or funnel-shaped devices which collect sound waves and lead them into the ear. This results in a strengthening of the sound energy impact to the eardrum and thus a better hearing for a reduced or decreased hearing individual....
, and a musical chronometer.
In 1813 Maelzel and Beethoven were on familiar terms. Maelzel conceived and musically sketched “The Battle of Vitoria,” for which Beethoven composed the music; they also gave several concerts, at which Beethoven's symphonies were interspersed with the performances of Maelzel's automatons. In 1816 he became established 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...
as manufacturer of his newly invented “metronome
Metronome
A metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
.” Maelzel's metronome was a further development of a metronome invented earlier by Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel
Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel
Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel was the inventor of the first successful metronome. He also invented the componium, an automatic instrument that could make endless variations on a musical theme....
.
In 1817 Maelzel left Paris for Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and then again took up his abode in Vienna. At this time he found means to repurchase von Kempelen's chess player, and, after spending several preparatory years in constructing and improving a number of interesting and effective mechanical inventions, he formed an enterprise devoted to exhibiting his array of mechanical wonders in the New World.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with his chess-player, trumpeter, panharmonicon, rope-dancers, miniature song-birds that sprang from the lids of snuff-boxes, speaking-dolls, and the “Conflagration of Moscow.” The moving panorama of Moscow was wonderfully realistic and effective, with its music and cannonry. The smaller objects were genuine automatons, and marvels of beauty and ingenuity. Imitations of the “Conflagration” in after-years became adjuncts to most of the museums and shows in the large cities of the United States.
Often, when Maelzel's exhibition opened with the performance of the chess-player, he would call upon the audience in vain for an opponent, so little was the game in practice at that time. For many years Maelzel journeyed throughout the United States, repeating his exhibitions with unvarying success, and he also twice visited the West Indies.
It is said he had the faculty of seizing on the crude inspirations of others and perfecting them to his own advantage. He died on a ship in the harbor of La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, reportedly from an overdose of alcohol.
Quotations
Views on Maelzel show that he was not always positively viewed by his contemporaries (e.g. regarding his relation to Art).- Maelzel will be especially remembered [...] by the MetronomeMetronomeA metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
. [...]
As a man, Maelzel seems to have been quarrelsome, extravagant, and unscrupulous. [...] Had he possessed a larger amount of culture and of conscience, he might have done service to high Art.
-
- — The Year-book of facts in science and art (1856)