Trautonium

The trautonium (Trautonium) is an electronic musical instrument created in 1924 by the German Friedrich Trautwein, from whom the name is derived.

The trautonium was presented on June 20, 1930 at the Berliner Musikhochschule Hall within the framework of the "Neue Musik Berlin, 1930", a festival presenting electric instruments and compositions created for them. In addition to introducing the instrument, Trautwein performed Trio pieces for three Trautoniums, composed specifically for the occasion by Paul Hindemith. After this first performance, a series of concerts presenting the instrument began throughout Germany.

The instrument generated sound from low-voltage neon lamps. The pitch of the notes was achieved by pressing a point along a cable that was mounted on a rail. Until 1930, electrophones did not allow subharmonics to be generated. With trautonium, this changed.

Trautonium is a direct antecedent of synthesizers, as it was based on the subtractive synthesis of sound. Which means that those harmonics that do not give rise to the intended sound are subtracted (through filters), hence its name.

The same year of its presentation, 1930, the trautonium made an appearance on the soundtrack of the film Tempest on Mont Blanc by Arnold Fanck, with music composed by Paul Dessau. Since then, the trautonium has been part of numerous soundtracks, among which the one composed and performed by Oskar Sala for the film The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock stands out.