Arthur Joachim von Oettingen ( – 5 September 1920) was a
Baltic German physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
and
music theorist
Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the " rudiments", that ...
. He was the brother of
theologian
Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...
Alexander von Oettingen (1827–1905) and
ophthalmologist
Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders.
An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...
Georg von Oettingen (1824–1916).
Biography
He studied
astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
and
physics
Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
at the
University of Dorpat, and furthered his education of physics in Paris in the laboratories of
Antoine César Becquerel (1788–1878) and
Henri Victor Régnault (1810–1878), and afterwards at Berlin in the laboratories of
Heinrich Gustav Magnus (1802–1870),
Johann Christian Poggendorff
Johann Christian Poggendorff (29 December 1796 – 24 January 1877) was a German physicist born in Hamburg. By far the greater and more important part of his work related to electricity and magnetism. Poggendorff is known for his electrostatic mo ...
(1796–1877) and
Heinrich Wilhelm Dove
Heinrich Wilhelm Dove (6 October 1803 – 4 April 1879) was a Prussian physicist and meteorologist.
Early years
Dove was born in Liegnitz in the Kingdom of Prussia. Dove studied history, philosophy, and the natural sciences at the University o ...
(1803–1879).
In 1868 he became a professor at
Dorpat
Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...
, where he founded a
meteorological
Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agriculture ...
observatory. In 1893 he moved to the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...
, where he remained until 1919 as a teacher and honorary professor. In 1898 and 1904 he published the third and fourth volumes of Poggendorff's ''Biographisch-Literarisches Handwörterbuch der exakten Naturwissenschaften''.
Oettingen was a primary advocate of a theory of
acoustical relationships known as "
harmonic dualism". This concept was later expanded and elaborated on by
musicologist
Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...
Hugo Riemann (1849–1919). Oettingen is also credited for introducing a measurement of musical
interval known as the
millioctave. He later created a
musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...
, the
Orthotonophonium - a
pump organ
The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...
using 72 notes per
octave
In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...
, to further advocate harmonic dualism.
Selected works
* ''Harmoniesystem in dualer Entwicklung'', Dorpat 1866.
* ''Meteorologische Beobachtungen angestellt in Dorpat im Jahre ...'', Dorpat 1868–1877.
* ''Über den mathematischen Unterricht in der Schule'', Dorpat 1873.
* ''Elemente des geometrisch-perspektivischen Zeichnens'', Leipzig 1901.
Prof. Dr. phys. habil. Arthur Joachim Oettingen
Professorenkatalog der Universität Leipzig
See also
* List of Baltic German scientists
References
*
External links
* Chemistry Tree
Arthur Joachim von Oettingen Details
Stamps, Tartu University Meteorology Observatory 150 / 614-02.12.15
On 2 December 1865 Arthur von Oettingen launched meteorological observations at the Tartu University Physics Cabinet.
02.12.2015 – Tartu University Meteorology Observatory 150
On 2 December 1865 Arthur von Oettingen launched meteorological observations at the Tartu University Physics Cabinet.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oettingen, Arthur Von
1836 births
1919 deaths
People from Jõgeva Parish
People from Kreis Dorpat
Arthur
Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur.
A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...
Baltic-German people from the Russian Empire
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the German Empire
19th-century German physicists
19th-century physicists from the Russian Empire
German music theorists
University of Tartu alumni
Academic staff of the University of Tartu
Academic staff of Leipzig University
Estonian meteorologists