Instruments to Perform Color-Music: Two Centuries of Technological Experimentation

In our multi-media age, low-cost technology has facilitated the creation of convincing artistic works that combine music and colored light. The most elusive aspect of this art, historically termed ‘color-music’, has been the light-projection instrument. Attempts to develop such a device date from the eighteenth century and, since that time, many machines have been proposed. The author discusses the most significant of these instruments which, in many cases, were developed by experimenters working in isolation.