Oskar Sala is one of the greatest violin makers of the twentieth century. He played on numerous musical instruments, but he is most remembered for his invention of the first electric violin. Throughout his career, he developed his own techniques, which resulted in some of the most beautiful and innovative violins of all time. His work is renowned throughout the world, and he was awarded several prizes for his achievements.
Early life
Physicist, composer, and musician, Oskar Sala has had a significant influence on the development of electronic music. His inventions led to the creation of sound effects that revolutionized the way we hear our television and radio programs.
Sala was born in Greiz, Germany, in 1910. His father was a ophthalmologist who encouraged his son’s interest in music. As a child, Sala played the piano and organ. Later, he studied composition with Paul Hindemith at the Berlin Conservatory. He also took physics courses at the University of Berlin.
In the 1930s, Sala performed classical piano concerts. When the Second World War broke out, he was called to the East Front. After the war, he continued working at a recording studio in Berlin.
During his life, Sala worked with several artists, including American composer Remi Gassmann. Sala received numerous awards for his work, including a Merit Cross for his lifetime dedication to music.
Instruments he invented
Oskar Sala is a German musician and inventor. He is considered one of the first pioneers of electronic music. As a result of his work, he received a number of awards.
He began his musical career as a violinist and composer. Later, he studied composition with Paul Hindemith. While he was studying, he met Friedrich Trautwein, an inventor of the Trautonium.
The Trautonium is a precursor to modern electronic music. It can produce sounds like siren, oboe, bells, and vocal sounds. In the 1950s, it was used in German TV commercials. Moreover, it can be played with several voices at the same time.
When Sala was working with Trautwein, he adapted the instrument to enhance its capabilities. At the same time, he improved its design, and added other components. Thus, he became one of the masters of the instrument.
After World War II, Sala returned to Berlin. He helped develop radio-trautonium and mixture-trautonium. These were portable versions of the Trautonium. They were built with micro-electronics and were controlled by rotary switches.
Awards he won
Oskar Sala is a world-renowned composer of electronic music. His inventions are credited with transforming the soundscape of television and radio. He has worked on more than 400 films, and has received many awards for his work.
Oskar Sala began to create compositions at an early age. As a teenager, he performed classical piano concerts. This led to his passion for composition. When he reached his early adult years, he studied physics and electronic engineering. In 1930, he attended the Berlin Conservatory to study with Paul Hindemith.
By the time he was 19 years old, Sala had developed a musical instrument called the Trautonium. He developed a larger version of the instrument, which he later called the Concert Trautonium.
Sala was an accomplished musician who also became a recording studio owner in Berlin after the war. He and his wife Kathe traveled extensively together. During his lifetime, he met many artists, musicians, and scientists.
Death
Oskar Sala is one of the pioneers of electronic music. He worked with Friedrich Trautwein on a device called Trautonium. This invention was a precursor to the synthesizer. It is an instrument that replaces keys with two wires, allowing several sounds to play at the same time.
As a teenager, Sala studied piano and organ. He also studied composition and science. In 1929, he moved to Berlin to study under Paul Hindemith. From there, he specialized in the development of the trautonium.
During the Second World War, Sala joined the East Front. However, he was injured and returned to the laboratory in Berlin in 1946. Two years later, he began working on a new instrument, a mixture trautonium.
The mixture trautonium has two manuals and pedals. It produces sounds through discharge voltage. These sounds can be changed by filters. Among other things, it can produce vocal, violin, and oboe sounds.
Oskar Sala’s invention was a precursor to the synthesizer. His instrument was used in German advertisements in the 1940s and 1950s.
