Monday, April 26, 2010

RICHARD FREEMAN: Look what I found!

NAOMI DO NOT READ



Infernal sounds ... Illustration of a Katzenklavier from Gaspar Schott's Magia Naturalis (1657)

What is it? The Katzenklavier is, erm, a piano made out of cats. No, we're not making this up.

Who uses it? Despite the initial design having some vague specifications about ordering pitch, the Katzenklavier was never intended, really, for musical use. It was actually invented for psychiatrists. Wait, it gets weirder.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/apr/19/katzenklavier-music-piano-cats

3 comments:

  1. Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the book "101 uses for a dead cat", it gives me some slight pleasure to hear that there is at least one use for the living version of that most evil & lazy creature - THE CAT.
    I now want one of these instruments, in order to put the vast number of damned cats in my area to some use.

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  2. Although I have always been interested in Athanasius Kircher, who I believe invented this machine, I cannot condone it. However, thinking of school children I have taught, if they could replace the cats, it might be a different matter. Substitute Kinder for Katz.

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  3. And I thought that Monty Python's mouse organ was purely imaginary!

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