Thaddeus Cahill
Encyclopedia
Thaddeus Cahill was a prominent inventor of the early 20th century. He is widely credited with the invention of the first electromechanical musical instrument, which he dubbed the telharmonium
.
He studied the physics of music while growing up in Ohio. After working as a clerk for Congress in Washington D.C. to pay for his college studies, he graduated from the Columbian (now George Washington University
) Law School in 1889. He became convinced that music could be made with electricity (and also worked on an electric typewriter). He showed his first telharmonium to Lord Kelvin in 1902. That year he established a laboratory at Holyoke
, where he was joined by his brother, Arthur T. Cahill.
Cahill had tremendous ambitions for his invention; he wanted telharmonium
music to be broadcast into hotels, restaurants, theaters, and even houses via the telephone
line. At a starting weight of 7 tons (and up to 200 tons) and a price tag of $200,000, only three telharmoniums were ever built, and Cahill's great vision was never fully implemented. His idea proved to be fruitful, nearly a century later, with the advent of Streaming media
.
Telharmonium
The Telharmonium was an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill in 1897. The electrical signal from the Telharmonium was transmitted over wires; it was heard on the receiving end by means of 'horn' speakers.Like the later Hammond organ, the Telharmonium used tonewheels to...
.
He studied the physics of music while growing up in Ohio. After working as a clerk for Congress in Washington D.C. to pay for his college studies, he graduated from the Columbian (now George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
) Law School in 1889. He became convinced that music could be made with electricity (and also worked on an electric typewriter). He showed his first telharmonium to Lord Kelvin in 1902. That year he established a laboratory at Holyoke
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
, where he was joined by his brother, Arthur T. Cahill.
Cahill had tremendous ambitions for his invention; he wanted telharmonium
Telharmonium
The Telharmonium was an early electronic musical instrument, developed by Thaddeus Cahill in 1897. The electrical signal from the Telharmonium was transmitted over wires; it was heard on the receiving end by means of 'horn' speakers.Like the later Hammond organ, the Telharmonium used tonewheels to...
music to be broadcast into hotels, restaurants, theaters, and even houses via the telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
line. At a starting weight of 7 tons (and up to 200 tons) and a price tag of $200,000, only three telharmoniums were ever built, and Cahill's great vision was never fully implemented. His idea proved to be fruitful, nearly a century later, with the advent of Streaming media
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
.