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On this day, July 8, 1900, George Antheil was born.
George Antheil
Detail from a portrait of Antheil, by American
photographer Berenice Abbott, c. 1927
Born: July 8, 1900; Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Died: February 12, 1959 (aged 58); New York, New York, U.S.
Occupations: Composer, pianist, author, inventor
George Johann Carl Antheil (/ˈæntaɪl/; July 8, 1900 – February 12, 1959) was an American avant-garde composer, pianist, author, and inventor whose modernist musical compositions explored the sounds – musical, industrial, and mechanical – of the early 20th century. Spending much of the 1920s in Europe, Antheil returned to the United States in the 1930s, and thereafter composed music for films, and eventually, television. As a result of this work, his style became more tonal. A man of diverse interests and talents, Antheil was constantly reinventing himself. He wrote magazine articles, an autobiography, a mystery novel, and newspaper and music columns.
In 1941, Antheil and the actress Hedy Lamarr developed a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes that used a code (stored on a punched paper tape) to synchronize frequency changes, referred to as frequency hopping, between the transmitter and receiver. It is one of the spread spectrum techniques that became widely used in modern telecommunications. This work led to their induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.
{snip}
Ballet Mécanique and later work in Europe
Antheil's best-known composition is Ballet Mécanique. The "ballet" was originally conceived to be accompanied by the film of the same name by experimental filmmakers Fernand Léger and Dudley Murphy (with cinematography by Man Ray), although the nature of the collaboration is mysterious. The first productions of Antheil's work in 1925 and 1926 did not include the film, which turned out to last around 19 minutes, only half as long as Antheil's score.
{snip}
Detail from a portrait of Antheil, by American
photographer Berenice Abbott, c. 1927
Born: July 8, 1900; Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Died: February 12, 1959 (aged 58); New York, New York, U.S.
Occupations: Composer, pianist, author, inventor
George Johann Carl Antheil (/ˈæntaɪl/; July 8, 1900 – February 12, 1959) was an American avant-garde composer, pianist, author, and inventor whose modernist musical compositions explored the sounds – musical, industrial, and mechanical – of the early 20th century. Spending much of the 1920s in Europe, Antheil returned to the United States in the 1930s, and thereafter composed music for films, and eventually, television. As a result of this work, his style became more tonal. A man of diverse interests and talents, Antheil was constantly reinventing himself. He wrote magazine articles, an autobiography, a mystery novel, and newspaper and music columns.
In 1941, Antheil and the actress Hedy Lamarr developed a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes that used a code (stored on a punched paper tape) to synchronize frequency changes, referred to as frequency hopping, between the transmitter and receiver. It is one of the spread spectrum techniques that became widely used in modern telecommunications. This work led to their induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.
{snip}
Ballet Mécanique and later work in Europe
Antheil's best-known composition is Ballet Mécanique. The "ballet" was originally conceived to be accompanied by the film of the same name by experimental filmmakers Fernand Léger and Dudley Murphy (with cinematography by Man Ray), although the nature of the collaboration is mysterious. The first productions of Antheil's work in 1925 and 1926 did not include the film, which turned out to last around 19 minutes, only half as long as Antheil's score.
{snip}
Ballet Mécanique (1924, 2K Digitally Restored, With Score by George Antheil)
Journey To The Center Of The Cinema
7.64K subscribers
48,664 views May 14, 2022
"Charlot présente le Ballet Mécanique"
Ballet Mécanique is a 1924 avant-garde silent film by French artist Fernand Léger in collaboration with American filmaker Dudley Murphy. Starring Kiki de Montparnasse.
This is one of the earliest and best example of experimental cinema.
Claimed by the Dadaist and Cubist movements, this mad mad film is a
cornucopia of fibrillating images, geometric figures, kaleidoscopic objects and so forth. All glued together with a cacophonous and bizarre music score by George Antheil.
The film was originally premiered on 24 September 1924 at the Internationale Ausstellung neuer Theatertechnik in Vienna without music accompaniment due to disagreement between the director and the composer.
Journey To The Center Of The Cinema
7.64K subscribers
48,664 views May 14, 2022
"Charlot présente le Ballet Mécanique"
Ballet Mécanique is a 1924 avant-garde silent film by French artist Fernand Léger in collaboration with American filmaker Dudley Murphy. Starring Kiki de Montparnasse.
This is one of the earliest and best example of experimental cinema.
Claimed by the Dadaist and Cubist movements, this mad mad film is a
cornucopia of fibrillating images, geometric figures, kaleidoscopic objects and so forth. All glued together with a cacophonous and bizarre music score by George Antheil.
The film was originally premiered on 24 September 1924 at the Internationale Ausstellung neuer Theatertechnik in Vienna without music accompaniment due to disagreement between the director and the composer.
I saw this performed:
Ballet Mecanique by George Antheil, at the National Gallery of Art
Paul Lehrman
308 subscribers
23,675 views Aug 14, 2012
The Ballet Mecanique Robotic Orchestra performs George Antheil's 1924 "Ballet Mecanique" at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, March 2006. This is the complete video! Music programming and editing by Paul D. Lehrman. Robotics by the League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots (LEMUR), Eric Singer, director. For more information about the Ballet Mecanique visit www.antheil.org. For more about LEMUR, visit www.lemurbots.org.
Paul Lehrman
308 subscribers
23,675 views Aug 14, 2012
The Ballet Mecanique Robotic Orchestra performs George Antheil's 1924 "Ballet Mecanique" at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, March 2006. This is the complete video! Music programming and editing by Paul D. Lehrman. Robotics by the League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots (LEMUR), Eric Singer, director. For more information about the Ballet Mecanique visit www.antheil.org. For more about LEMUR, visit www.lemurbots.org.
From a kennedy:
Wed May 29, 2024: Wow, I never knew this about this beautiful and smart woman.....👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻
Fri Aug 11, 2023: On this day, August 11, 1942, actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil received a patent.
From Dennis Donovan:
Sun Aug 11, 2019: 77 Years Ago Today; Hedy Lamarr & George Antheil receive patent for Frequency-hopping spread spectru
From appalachiablue:
Sun Jun 10, 2018: PBS: 'The Brilliant Mind of Hollywood Legend Hedy Lamarr' Actress, Inventor
From Tuesday Afternoon:
Sat Nov 9, 2013: Happy Birthday, Hedy Lamarr!! Please Read ...