MUSICAL AND HARMONIC SOUNDS. 179 



LETTER VIII. 



Musical and harmonic sounds explained Power of break- 

 ing glasses with the voice Musical sounds from the 

 vibration of a column of air and of solid bodies 

 Kaleidophone Singular acoustic figures produced on 

 sand laid on vibrating plates of glass and on stretched 

 membranes Vibration of flat rulers and cylinders of 

 glass Production of silence from two sounds Produc- 

 tion of darkness from two lights Explanation of these 

 singular effects Acoustic automaton Droz's bleating 

 sheep Maillardet's singing-bird Vaucanson's flute- 

 player His pipe and tabor-player Baron Kempelen's 

 talking-engine Kratzenstein's speaking-machine Mr. 

 Willis's researches. 



AMONG the discoveries of modern science, there 

 are few more remarkable than those which relate 

 to the production of harmonic sounds. We are 

 all familiar with the effects of musical instru- 

 ments, from the deep-toned voice of the organ to 

 the wiry shrill of the Jew's harp. We sit 

 entranced under their magical influence, whether 

 the ear is charmed with the melody of their 

 sounds, or the heart agitated by the sympathies 

 which they rouse. But though we may admire 

 their external form, and the skill of the artist 

 who constructed them, we never think of inquir- 

 ing into the cause of such extraordinary combina- 

 tions. 



Sounds of all kinds are conveyed to the organ 

 of hearing through the air ; and if this element 

 were to be destroyed, all nature would be buried 

 in the deepest silence. Noises of every variety, 



