TheSphärophon or aSpherophone is anelectrical musical instrument that was first made as the "Electrophon" around 1921 byJörg Mager, later modified, renamed and exhibited in 1926.[1]
Mager invented two different variants of the Sphärophon. The first version was similar to aTheremin, but Mager's design had the capability to change thetimbre of the sound that was produced as well as utilize discretepitches.[2] His second prototype waskeyboard-based but used aradio frequencyoscillator as well. This instrument was capable of producingquarter tones of anoctave. In many of his instruments, including the Sphärophon, Mager experimented with thedrivers in theloudspeakers to achieve different sounds as well.[3]
Mager premiered his special new instrument at theDonaueschingen Festival,Germany in 1926. The festival had been started in 1921 to promote new types of music and still continues to this day in the town ofDonaueschingen in southwestGermany, just north ofZurich,Switzerland,[4]
All that is known about the Sphärophon is from pictures, witnesses’ accounts, and written records. There are no Sphärophons in existence today because they were all destroyed along with all of Mager’s instruments such as the Partiturophon and the Kaleidophon duringWorld War II.[5]