THE CORRESPONDENCES BETWEENSOUND AND LIGHT AND COLOUR-MUSIC:SKB "PROMETEI"

Paulo QuadrosUniversity of Glasgow1984

With appreciation for Winnie Marshall’s support

PREFACE

The study of the relationships between colour and sound has generated more or less inconsistent results right from its beginnings. This has been due to a number of reasons.With very few exceptions there has been a remarkable lack of direction, anabundance of cross-purposes within the various discussions of the subject and aresultant lack of clear conclusions which has held back any possible developments inthis field.The aim of this dissertation is to put into perspective the main findings and the maincurrents of thought regarding the correlations between sound and colour, its meaningand applications with emphasis on the work done by the Russian group SKB"Prometei".The dissertation presupposes an acquaintance with A.B. Klein

’

"Colour Music, the Art of Light"

.This book comprises an unbiased and exhaustive survey of most, if not all, thedevelopments in the field of study of music in relation to light, up to the date of itspublication. Klein gives a complete description of the most important theories in thefield, covers proposals from Aristotle up to 1926, including ideas by musicians,scientists, painters and psychologists.He analyses the theories based on the physics of the sound and light and tacklesphilosophic and aesthetical problems imposed by an art involving light and sound; healso analyses the problems and practicability of colour-music as an independent artform, discusses the art of stage lighting with its theories and technical practices asrelated to the art of light including apparatus such as cloud machines and specialeffects. In his survey the author mentions all the colour-music instruments ever builtand some of their diagrams and descriptions.The book ends with a vast bibliography covering publications from Aristotle's

"DeSensu"

(332 BC) in chronological order up to 1925.Some familiarity with Lawrence Mark's

"The Unity of Senses - Interrelationamong modalities”

is also quite useful although the dissertation will briefly cover some of the points put forward by this author.

Crosby Lockwood & Son, 1926; London (held at the Westminster Public Library)

Academic Press; 1978; London