The clavier à lumières ("keyboard with lights"), or tastiera per luce, as it appears in the score, was 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 ...

invented by Alexander Scriabin for use in his work '' Prometheus: Poem of Fire''. Only one version of this instrument was constructed, for the performance of ''Prometheus: Poem of Fire'' in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1915. Plummer describes in detail the design and technology used to produce the instrument for the colour effect prescribed by Scriabin. The instrument was supposed to be a keyboard, with notes corresponding to colors as given by Scriabin's synesthetic system, specified in the score.Cummings, Robert. "Symphony No. 5 in F sharp major for piano, organ, chorus & orchestra ("Prometheus, Poem of Fire"), Op. 60" "in the score he specifies that certain colors should flood the concert hall during performance". However, numerous synesthesia researchers have cast doubt on the claim that Scriabin was a synesthete. "In fact, there is considerable doubt about the legitimacy of Scriabin's claim, or rather the claims made on his behalf, as we shall discuss in Chapter 5." (p.31-2) "The authors conclude that the nature of Scriabin’s 'color-tonal' analogies was associative, i.e. psychological; accordingly, the existing belief that Scriabin was a distinctive, unique 'synesthete' who really saw the sounds of music—that is, literally had an ability for 'co-sensations'— is placed in doubt." The "Luce" part is notated on a treble staff with two parts, one proceeding on the

circle of fifths In music theory, the circle of fifths (sometimes also cycle of fifths) is a way of organizing pitches as a sequence of perfect fifths. Starting on a C, and using the standard system of tuning for Western music (12-tone equal temperament), the se ...

during the piece, the other following the tonal centre of the music.

Overview

Scriabin assigned the following colors to the following key areas: When the notes are ordered by the

, the colours are in order of a

spectrum A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...

, which leads numerous synesthesia researchers to argue that he did not experience the physiological condition of

synesthesia Synesthesia (American English) or synaesthesia (British English) is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People with sy ...

. Additionally, it has been argued that Scriabin's color associations were influenced by his theosophic readings and based on Sir

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton () was an English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment that followed ...

's ''Optics'' quoted by

Louis Bertrand Castel Louis Bertrand Castel (5 November 1688 – 11 January 1757) was a French mathematician born in Montpellier, who entered the order of the Jesuits in 1703. Having studied literature, he afterwards devoted himself entirely to mathematics and natura ...

: "In Europe Skriabin met the painter Jean Delville, who suggested him to study the writings of Castel." Scriabin was a friend of

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. At the time, his name was spelled , which he romanized as Nicolas Rimsky-Korsakow; the BGN/PCGN transliteration of Russian is used for his name here; ALA-LC system: , ISO 9 system: .. (18 March 1844 – 2 ...

, who was a synesthete. Scriabin's assignments of colours to keys was not the same as Rimsky-Korsakov's perceptions, which is not an indication that Scriabin was not a synesthete as all synesthetes perceive different associations. Scriabin was also heavily influenced by

Theosophy Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neop ...

, which had its own different system of associating colors and pitches (in essence going up the visible spectrum from C to B chromatically, rather than by fifths).

References

External links

RhythmicLight.com

A history of Color Organs, various mappings of tones to colors (including Scriabin's), and other representations of music in art. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clavier A Lumieres Keyboard instruments Visual music Alexander Scriabin

Overview

See also

References

Further reading

External links