Talk:Katzenklavier
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[edit] Joke?
(Checks calendar, sees it's not April 1.) Is this real? I find it hard to believe, and I don't have access to any of the references at the moment. —Keenan Pepper 02:57, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
- Googling for "Cat Piano" suggests its either real or a wannabe meme. Also, Athanasius_Kircher, a featured articel, mentions it. I think it may be real! 68.39.174.238 18:17, 27 August 2006 (UTC)
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- Athanasius Kircher, a scientist, described (not invented) a Katzenklavier in his book Musurgia Universalis (1650). Did he tell jokes? - no. Different sources tell totally different models of them. Some instruments use the voice of cats and some the reaction of cats while being tortured (which leads to a tone on a piano). It's probably not a hoax, see or http://www.mannheim.de/io2/browse/Webseiten/Bildung/Bildung%C2%B2.Online/Magazin/Wundersame%20Instrumenten-Welt/2005_01_36_Serie_Musikschule_de.xdoc www.mannheim.de Scriberius 21:43, 27 August 2006 (UTC)
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- It seems to be for real. This [1] appears to credit the invention to Johann Christian Reil. Maybe Monty Python's 'Mouse Organ' wasn't an original after all?
