A metronome by Maelzel, Paris, 1815.
Johann Nepomuk Maelzel (or Mälzel; August 15, 1772 – July 21, 1838) was a German
inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
, engineer, and showman, best known for manufacturing a
metronome
A metronome () is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a uniform interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats per minute (BPM). Metronomes may also include synchronized visual motion, such as a swinging pendulum ...
and several music-playing
automatons
An automaton (; : automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions. Some automata, such as Jacquemart (bel ...
and displaying a fraudulent
chess
Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
machine. He worked with
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
to compose a piece of music for one of his inventions.
Life and work
Maelzel was born in
Regensburg
Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
. The son of an
organ
Organ and organs may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function
* Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body.
Musical instruments
...
builder, he received a comprehensive musical education.
German Wikipedia
The German Wikipedia () is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia.
Founded on 16 March 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia edition (after the English Wikipedia). It has articles, ma ...
He moved to
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
in 1792. After several years' 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
A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...
, 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 lifelike movements and sudden changes of attire, performed French and Austrian field signals and military airs. In 1808 he invented an improved
ear trumpet
An ear trumpet is a tubular or funnel-shaped device which collects sound waves and leads them into the ear. They are used as hearing aids, resulting in a strengthening of the sound energy impact to the eardrum and thus improved hearing for a deaf ...
and a musical chronometer.
In 1813 Maelzel and Beethoven were on familiar terms. Maelzel conceived and musically sketched
''Wellington's Victory'', or ''The Battle of Vitoria'', for which Beethoven composed the music to be played on Maelzel's 'mechanical orchestra', the
panharmonicon; they also gave several concerts, at which Beethoven's symphonies were interspersed with the performances of Maelzel's automatons. In 1814, Beethoven wrote a deposition claiming that Maelzel had defrauded him, claiming ownership of this music and illegally staging performances of it from an inaccurate transcription. Beethoven described Maelzel in this deposition as "a rude, churlish man, entirely devoid of education or cultivation".
In 1816 Maelzel became established in Paris as manufacturer of a metronome. Maelzel's metronome was copied from a metronome invented earlier by
Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel.
By 1817, Beethoven and Maelzel appear to have reconciled. Beethoven wrote glowingly of Maelzel's metronome and declared he would stop using traditional tempo indications like
allegro
Allegro may refer to:
Common meanings
* Allegro (music), a tempo marking that indicates to playing quickly and brightly (from Italian meaning ''cheerful'')
* Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement
Artistic works
* L'Allegro (1645), a poem b ...
.
Maelzel left Paris for Munich in 1817 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 mechanical inventions, he formed an enterprise devoted to exhibiting his array of mechanical wonders in the New World.
He died on a ship in the harbor of
La Guaira
La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan Vargas (state), state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port, founded in 1577 as an outlet for nearby Caracas.
The city hosts its own professional baseball team i ...
,
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, reportedly from
alcohol poisoning
Alcohol intoxication, commonly described in higher doses as drunkenness or inebriation, and known in overdose as alcohol poisoning, is the behavior and physical effects caused by recent consumption of alcohol. The technical term ''intoxication ...
.
Quotations
Maelzel was not always viewed kindly by his contemporaries:
*Maelzel will be especially remembered ... by the Metronome. ...
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
::— ''The Year-book of facts in science and art (1856)''
Notes
References
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malzel, Johann Nepomuk
1772 births
1838 deaths
18th-century German engineers
19th-century German engineers
18th-century German inventors
19th-century German inventors
Scientists from Regensburg
Chess automatons
Chess people
German expatriates in France