Kastner's Pyrophone, 1873-1876

Made:: 1873-1876 in Europe and France

maker:: Frédéric Kastner

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© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Pyrophone, wood, metal, glass, Frédéric Kastner, France, 1873.

Patented by the Strasbourg-born musician and scientist Frédéric Kastner in 1873, the pyrophone was a musical instrument in which flames encased in pipes similar to those of a traditional organ were used to produce musical notes. Kastner took advantage of Dr B Higgins’ 1777 discovery that a hydrogen flame positioned at the lower end of glass tube could produce a note. This, combined with his musical knowledge (his father was the composer Jean-Georges Kastner), allowed him to create a “Fire Organ”, as the instrument was also known.

French musician, Theodore Lack, wrote pieces specially composed for the pyrophone between 1876 – 1881.

Details

Category:: Acoustics

Object Number:: 1876-590

Materials:: glass, metal (unknown), wood (unidentified), ivory, oak (wood), brass (copper, zinc alloy), beech (wood), steel (metal), lacquer, paint, ceramic (unspecified), ebony, felt and cardboard

Measurements:: overall with glass tubes: Height = 1540 mm x Width = 690 mm x Depth = 630 mm, Weight = 50 kg
base: 1160 mm (Max height without glass tubes)

type:: pyrophone

credit:: Dunant, Henry

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Parts

Pyrophone, patented and made by Frédéric Kastner, France, 1873

Kastner's Pyrophone, 1873-1876

Pyrophone, wood, metal, glass, Frédéric Kastner, France, 1873.

Measurements:: overall with glass tubes: Height = 1540 mm x Width = 690 mm x Depth = 630 mm, Weight = 50 kg

Materials:: glass , metal (unknown) , wood (unidentified) , ivory , oak (wood) , brass (copper, zinc alloy) , beech (wood) , steel (metal) , lacquer , paint , ceramic (unspecified) , felt and cardboard

Object Number:: 1876-590/1

type:: pyrophone

Image ©: The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Sheet Music for Pyrophone by Theodore Lack

Set of sheet music for the Pyrophone, French. Mainly for pyrophone and piano duets, copies of ‘God Save the Queen’, ‘Ave Maria’, ‘Méditation’. All written by Theodore Lack.

Materials:: paper (fibre product)

Object Number:: 1876-590/2

type:: sheet music

Rubber Tubing for Kastner's Pyrophone, 1873-1876

Length of rubber tubing for Pyrophone, patented and made by Frédéric Kastner, France, 1873. This is unlikely to be original, and more likely a modern (twentieth century) replica.