the ocular harpsichord of louis-bertrand castel - Gewina

Castel's ocular harpsichord 69
moreover, physically or psychologically "true" colour scale. On the other hand,
Castel seemed to believe that the existing colour arts, not only painting but also
dance and pantomime, were somehow parts of this as yet nonexistent colour
music, or somehow subordinate to its rules. The suggested comparison of music
with painting as these art forms existed in general was too vague, and already
too often voiced in the past, to be able to convince painters that there was
anything to be gained from studying it.
On the whole one has to admit that Castel himself took no part in the
adventures of his harpsichord. Both in his science and in his aesthetics Castel
was looking backward rather than forward, although many passages in his
writings seem to point to future developments. The groping way in which
Wilhelm Heinse towards the end of the century tried to frame his experiences of
the beauty of nature into the language of colour harmony are remarkably similar
to the way Castel spoke about his colour music on some occasions: "I saw a
garden dotted with flowers: a sweet zephyr blew, and singling out that moment, I
saw the harpsichord. I saw a meadow strewn with rose drops; the sun rose, I
moved my head a little, and my eye said to me: there is the harpsichord."'""
Epilogue
With E.TA. Hoffmann, in 1819, the debate on the ocular harpsichord and on
colour music in Germany finally died. The same year also saw its final flickering
in England. In 1814 David Brewster had invented the kaleidoscope, an instrument
of which in London and Paris together 200.000 copies were sold within
three months. In 1819 Brewster wrote A treatise on the kaleidoscope, explaining
its working, as so many bad ones were circulating. In his book he praised Castel
as "the first person who attempted to supply the organ of vision with the luxuries
of light and colour", criticizing him, however, for not having realized that colours
can not please for long if they arc not combined with beautiful forms. After sixty
years Brewster saw himself as having achieved what Castel had so vainly toiled
at:
Those who have been in the habit of using a correct Kaleidoscope, furnished with proper
objects, will have no hesitation in admitting, that this instrument realizes, in the fullest manner,
the formerly chimerical idea of an ocular harpsichord, llie combination of fine forms, and evervarying
tints, which it presents, in succession, to the eye, have already been found, by ex-
Memoires de Tre\oux, December 1735, p. 2699: "J'avois vii un Parterre jonche de fleurs:
un doux Zcphire avoit soufle, & saisissant cet instant, j'avois vii le Clavecin. J'avois vu une Prairie
semee de rosee; le Soleil s'etoit levc, j'avois fait un mouvement de tele. & mon oeil m'avoit dit,
voila le Clavecin."