total running time: 36:48

German Oskar Sala is one of those people who already many years before Robert Moogs invention of voltage control were involved in the development of electronic musical instruments. As a pupil of Hindemith and an assistant of Trautwein Sala already in 1930 came to know the Trautonium, an instrument which he himself later should develop into the Mixturtrautonium. Sala became a virtuoso on this instrument and performed live in many European countries. Until now he has produced more than 300 filmscores. Today - despite beeing already 89 years old - Sala still each day is working on sounds and compositions in his Berlin studio. In 1992 I had the chance to talk to him there and ask him about the history of his instrument, the Mixturtrautonium.

Mr.Sala - of the electronic instruments in use today the MIXTURTRAUTONIUM seems to be the one with the longest history.

Yes, it definetly is. It all started with Friedrich Trautweins invention in 1930 which was so new and important that he to my mind should have gotten a worldwide patent for it. But also without this patent it is clear to see that we were the first to show the phoneticians how vowels really functioned. The many different soundcolours of the Trautonium put it miles ahead of all the other electronic instruments of those days.

How did your collaboration with Trautwein came into being?

Well I studied in Berlin at Hindemith then who at once noticed my interest in the Trautonium. So he introduced me to Trautwein whom I then assisted in building the three instruments needed for Hindemith's TRIOSTöCKE FöR DREI TRAUTONIEN. Those instruments were still very simple ones - no mixtures and just one manual which was not even pressure-sensitive. The VOLKSTRAUTONIUM which I helped to construct later was already a bit more interesting with its keys and two formants. Of this instrument only about 80 to 100 were built during 1933 and 1934. Then the production was stopped because Telefunken had to build things like radar and the like. They just gave everything back to Trautwein.

Was there any pressure put on you at that time?

Not really. Well Hindemith had to leave but the others were not forced in any way. Trautwein finally even managed to get an audition in front of Goebbels, who then was pretty impressed by the instrument. So we were allowed to carry on and even got the order to build a RUNDFUNK-(Broadcast-)TRAUTONIUM without any budget limitations.

And who did build the instrument? Trautwein?

No. I built it myself because Trautwein first was not too keen to do it and second would not have had the time anyway because of his obligations at university.

And you had to do everything by yourself?

Sure, I soldered a lot. It took me one year to get all the stuff together, make the layouts and build the box. But it was no nuisance at all. Instead I enjoyed it because for the first time in my life I was able to see all my ideas become reality without having to worry about the costs. I developed the Trautonium into a concert instrument on which you even could play pieces by Paganini.

How was the sound of the instrument transduced?

I HAD built a speaker cabinet for it. The sound first went through an amplifier and a speaker before it finally was picked up by a microphone. DI-Boxes as we know them today weren't available then. Also there were no recording facilities so everything had to be played live in front of the microphone. I bet you can imagine how many hours of practice it took me to be able to play Paganini. And then.., yes then I finally got drafted and only with a lot of luck made my way back from the war.

What did you do after World War II?

First I went back to the broadcasting station. Meanwhile the Russians were there and for them I built a QUARTETT-TRAUTONIUM for 4 musicians. But unfortunately this instrument as the RUNDFUNK-TRAUTONIUM got lost in the tides of the times.

You then got more and more involved into film scoring, didn't you?

Yes. I started at MARS film were I learned all about cutting and synchronizing. In 1958 I realized the score for "Aluminium, Portrait eines Metalls" (Aluminium, portrait of a metal) by Willi Zielke and shortly afterwards the score for a documentary called "Stahl, Thema mit Variationen" (steel, theme with variations) which won the Grand Prix in Rouen in 1960. These films were very different from all the other films made at that time. Then came the industry festivals and with them lots of commissions and finally in 1962 Mr. Hitchcock...

How did you get into contact with him?

By chance actually. There was a guy called Remi Gassmann - an american who had studied at Hindemith's class with me, later emigrated to America and then returned to Berlin after the war. Together with him in the late fifties I wrote the music for the ballet PAEAN choreographed by Tatjana Gsovsky and performed for the first time in Berlin on 5-29-1960. Gassman then went back to America to work with the choreographer Balanchine who introduced him to the people around Hitchcock. As he came to know that they still did not have any sounds for THE BIRDS he recommended me and that's how things started. First I got just one roll of film to synchronize in my Berlin studio but then they were so pleased of my work that they also let me do all of the rest.

So you made the sounds of the film?

Yes, and I already perfectly synchronized them to the pictures so all they had to do in America was to add the voices and the atmospheres.

Did they do any corrections of your work?

No. Not at all. Big Alfred came over to Berlin listened to my work and was satisfied. And if he had sad yes once then there was not anyone else in the whole world to say no.

I suppose that this commission of Hitchcock started a lot of other things?

Yes - after that there were even more people than before who wanted me to produce soundtracks for them. I got some british films and things like that.

But you did not only work in your studio but also did travel with your instrument?

Of course. Already at the end of the thirties I had played Genzmer's KONZERT FöR TRAUTONIUM UND ORCHESTER more than 20 times in Berlin, Danzig, Straûburg, Hilversum and Budapest. After the war I played the "Parzival bells" in Berlin and Bayreuth and even travelled to Rome with Honegger's opera JEANNE D'ARC AU BUCHER. But travelling with such a delicate instrument takes a lot of time and is very exerting so that in 1962 I played the JEANNE D`ARC for the last time. It's a pity that Honnegger never heard my version of it - he certainly would have liked it.

So today you don't play any more concerts?

No - it has become to much of an effort for me now. If you are 82 you do not have the power anymore you had when you were a young man.

But you are still working in your studio every day.

Yes. I start early in the morning and sometimes I'm still sitting there composing when it gets dark. There is still a lot of work to do for my next recording.

When will this be released?

I don't know yet. It will be released when I think it to be finished. I even do not know were it will be released - there are several companies interested in it.

So you you are not exclusively tied to the ERDENKLANG label?

No. I never was signed exclusively by anyone. I was always keen to keep my freedom. I always have been independant and always had my own studio.

Despite the enormous sonic resources of the MIXTURTRAUTONIUM the only two functioning instruments left worldwide are the two standing here in your studio. Besides you are the only one who is able to play them with virtuosity. Is there any successor who could care for your musical legacy?

No - though there are young people visiting me who are interested in the instrument. Among them also many famous musicians like those guys from TANGERINE DREAM or KRAFTWERK. But the problem is that indeed there are no other instruments available than those standing here in my studio and I am too old to build one more. Of course they could build one themselves but they did not do this so far. Maybe because the instrument is rather complicated to build especially the manuals. Well - my instruments won't be destroyed when I'm gone - the will go to a museum and maybe someday there will be someone to play on them again. But where shall this person come from? Even if I would give my whole studio to the museum there would be no one to be able to get it working properly without any kind of advice from me. And besides anyone who wanted to play the MIXTURTRAUTONIUM had to be very talented and had to devote himself totally to the instrument. I simply cannot give any tuition any more. I am too old already and I need all the time that's left to me for composing and playing. For everything else it's too late now. It's really strange that after 60 years I'm still sitting here alone with just one instrument. Really strange...

© m.becker 1992