Oskar Sala’s 112th birthday: On Monday (July 18, 2022), Google celebrated the birthday of German electronic music pioneer Oskar Sala with a special Doodle. Today would have been the 112th birthday of Oskar Sala, who was also a physicist. Born in Greiz, Germany in 1910, Sala was immersed in music from birth as his mother was a singer and his father was an ophthalmologist with musical talent. At 14 he began writing compositions and songs for instruments such as violin and piano.
Oskar Sala was recognized for producing sound effects on a musical instrument called the Mixture-Trautonium.
“When Sala first heard a device called the Trautonium, he was intrigued by the sonic possibilities and technology the instrument offered. His life’s work was to master and develop the trautonium, which inspired his studies in physics and composition at school,” Google said.
Make a beat to celebrate the 112th birthday of German electronic composer Oskar Sala. He developed & played the Mixture-Trautonium, which brought a unique sound to TV, radio & film.
Find out more about his legacy and instrument in today’s issue #GoogleDoodle → https://t.co/YC1kOPZFxe pic.twitter.com/r1wXsrDoLW— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) July 17, 2022
He then developed his own instrument called Mixture-Trautonium and created electronic music that sets his style apart from others.
Known as a “one-man orchestra”, Sala also built the quartet trautonium, the concert trautonium and the folk trautonium, opening up the field of subharmonics.
Oskar Sala composed pieces of music for many television, radio and film productions
Oskar Sala composed music and sound effects for many television, radio and film productions, including Rosemary (1959) and The Birds (1962). The instrument produced sounds such as birdsong, hammering, and slamming doors and windows.
In 1995 he donated his original mixed trautonium to the German Museum for Contemporary Technology.
