Books › Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937 › scan 304
Scan 304
Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937
19 lines. Read by computer on 27 September 2026. Printed page 278. See the scan on archive.org.
1IV. G. Makers of Miscellaneous Instruments and Accessories—Period 1885-1930
3Addresses from Boston Business Directories
5Names of Firms and Information About the Firms
71908—[address hidden]
81910—[address hidden]
91916—[address hidden], office
11THE CHORALCELO CO.
12Boston 1908-1916. In 1916 it was listed as the Choralcelo Co. of Mass. Then the office was moved out of town. From 1919—March 1929 it was called the Choralcelo Co. of America, [address hidden] May St., Chicago, Ill., with a studio at [address hidden] (The instrument was called "Choir Celestial.") In July 1929 The Aromora Corporation, [address hidden], Chicago, Ill., were national distributors of the Aromora Choralcelo. Later the agent, W. L. Flint, moved to Hollywood, Cal.
14The Choralcelo is an instrument producing a sustained tone with the same general characteristics as that of the tuning fork. The vibrations are produced by electromagnets, whose pulsations are of the same periods as those of the bodies to be set in motion. The sources of sound may be piano strings or ribbons of steel drawn over a soundboard, bars of wood, aluminum or steel, somewhat like a xylophone, used in connection with resonators, or specially constructed diaphragms fastened to the ends of resonant tubes. In the first case each string is set in vibration by the direct action of the magnet behind it giving continuous impulses as long as the note is held. In the other cases soft iron armatures attached to the bars and diaphragms are set in vibration by the magnets, thus moving the air in the resonators. The overtones are provided by sound corresponding generators. Sometimes an instrument with strings is connected by a wire to one of the bars as an echo. The tones produced are clear, vibrant, beautiful and of great carrying quality. "The combinations of such sounds produce unique tonal effects of remarkable musical quality and the possibilities of synthetic tone development are great."51
16A Choralcelo was installed in the restaurant of Edward A. Filene's store when it was opened and has been in use until the summer of 1935, when it was dropped for lack of new parts and a repairer to put it in good condition.
18As yet this instrument has not fulfilled expectations and predictions of its possibilities, perhaps because it is not heard to advantage in such large quarters or possibly because of a constant up and down surge of the tone, and the great cost. Its design was inept. For instance, the "balanced Swell Pedal" worked just the opposite to that common in organs.52
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