Harald Bode The Electronic Instrument Inventor

Harald Bode was a well-known inventor, known for inventing many different Electronic music instruments throughout his lifetime.  Bodes first invention of an Electronic instrument was the Warbo Fomant Organ in 1937.  The Organ was one of a kind and capable of creating all the tones of a 44-key keyboard.  Bode continued inventing and refining Electronic instruments for most of his life.  In 1947, Bode created the first Electronic instrument in Europe to come after the war, the Melochord.  The instrument became very popular and was among the first to be featured in a German recording studio.  The Melochord was a keyboard with foot pedals and many different features including white noise generators and ring modulators.  Bode continued to make his mark on Electronic music when he presented his newest invention the Audio System Synthesizer at the 1960 Audio Engineering Society convention.  With the Audio System Synthesizer Bode had created a completely new instrument and a completely new way of creating Electronic music.   The most notable characteristic of Bodes Audio System Synthesizer was that artists no longer had to use a keyboard.  The Audio System Synthesizer allowed the input to come from other sources.  In 1972, Bode and fellow inventor Bob Moog created the High Accuracy Frequency Shifter marking the start of Bodes development of Frequency Shifters that lasted through 1980.  In 1972, Bode also started his own company Bode Sound Company; this allowed him to begin developing many different products at once.  In 1977, Bode released the Bode (Moog) Vocoder a vocal encoder that was a hit with artists.  The Vocoder was used on the hit song “Funkytown” and even later used on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.  Harald Bode and his many inventions made a continued impact on Electronic music and music in general throughout his life.  In Bodes later years he continued to work with music creating compositions and even creating some computer programming.  Harald Bode died of cancer in 1987.

As a listener, I am now curious to go back and listen to the different instruments Bode invented throughout his life and how they developed over the years.  I am also curious to seek out and listen to some of the music that incorporated Bodes instruments and how they were used.  As a professional, I am blown away that one man was able to create so much in his lifetime.  It’s inspiring to know that he was older than I am right now today when he created some of his greatest inventions.  Before learning about Harald Bode, I would have never thought that one man could have impacted Electronic music so many times and in so many ways.  I am truly inspired by his tireless work ethic and constant need to create and improve musical instruments.