Opening of Alexander Graham Bell’s

School of Vocal Physiology

Brochure October 4 1872

            This document advertises the unveiling of 25-year old, Alexander G. Bell’s first private business, an institution which sought to teach pupils the mechanics of vocal expression by using the system of “Visible Speech.” The methodology was invented by Bell’s father, Alexander Melville Bell, whose professional study of elocution helped him conceive the means of communication for those enduring deafness, by learning and practicing phonetic vocalizations. Clearly, his father’s study had enormous influence on Alexander Graham Bell’s interest in audio science; not only in reference to the Boston School of Vocal Physiology’s practice of Melville’s curriculum, but also in regards to Bell’s subsequent career in phonic-based research which culminated with his invention of the telephone in 1876.

            For all of us who like our music played loud—our woofers “cranked up” to ensure the body can bounce—we have Alexander Graham Bell to thank. In inventing the telephone he created the speaker, a device that delivers to the appeal of our ears; but his creation also included the microphone, which receives rather, the sensation of our voice. With a single contraption (the telephone) Bell captured the duality of existence and communication alike; signifying the importance of both reception and transmission.

            It seems the best things come in pairs. It took almost an entire century after Bell for the music industry to realize this. Upon receiving the package that contained a second speaker, Beatle’s producer George Martin dismissed the delivery boys, telling them to leave the monitor outside while he continued working in the traditional custom with a single speaker. Shortly after, the necessity of the second speaker (aka ‘stereo’ set up) became realized—by the Beatles and the world alike; and since then, the delivery of sound has transformed astonishingly.

           The speaker is now a canon. When placed on the stage it can tear down the barriers separating people. For a moment, in its service, it can abolish the sorrows which daunt our species.

And I can make that cannon mine. With the amp as my authority and the guitar my scepter, I am empowered to lay down the tremors for a new age—to spread into this generation the seismic sounds of spiritual upheaval. I will simply turn my dial up and the Earth will absorb the ripples I deliver.