Robert Holford Macdowall Bosanquet facts for kids

Robert Holford Macdowall Bosanquet FRS FRAS (born July 31, 1841 – died August 7, 1912) was a smart English scientist and music expert. He was known for his work in understanding how music sounds and how instruments are tuned. He also studied things like light and space. Robert was the brother of a famous admiral and a well-known philosopher.

Robert Bosanquet's Early Life and Education

Robert Bosanquet was born in Alnwick, Northumberland, England. His father was Rev. R. W. Bosanquet. Robert went to Eton College, a famous school. Later, he studied at Balliol College, Oxford. He earned top grades in science and math. After that, he became a fellow at St. John's College.

His Career as a Scientist and Teacher

Bosanquet studied law in London but mostly taught at Oxford. He taught science, especially. Later, he became a professor at the Royal College of Music. There, he taught about acoustics, which is the science of sound. He was also a musician and knew a lot about building organs. He wrote many papers about sound, electromagnetism (how electricity and magnets work), and astronomy (the study of space). He became a member of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1871. In 1890, he also became a member of the Royal Society, a very important science group.

How Bosanquet Changed Music Theory

Bosanquet created new ways to understand musical tunings. He made a special chart for musical notes. He called it a generalized keyboard. This was different from other keyboards at the time.

The Generalized Keyboard

Bosanquet's generalized keyboard, showing many more keys than a standard piano.

In 1876, Bosanquet showed off his keyboard idea. He loaned two instruments to the South Kensington Museum. One was a harmonium with 84 keys for each octave. It was tuned in a special way called 53 equal temperament. The other was an organ with 48 notes per octave. This organ could be tuned in different ways. It could use a tuning called schismatic temperament or quarter-comma meantone. These tunings made music sound different.

Exploring New Tunings

In 1877, Bosanquet thought about Indian music. He changed his keyboard idea to fit 22 equal temperament. This allowed for even more musical sounds. He also invented a special tool called a polariscope. This tool helped him study light in a new way.

Understanding Musical Temperaments

For a long time, people misunderstood how some old music was played. They thought famous composers like J. S. Bach used "equal temperament." This is a way of tuning instruments where all the notes are spaced exactly the same.

Bosanquet's Important Discovery

Robert Bosanquet was one of the first to challenge this idea. In 1876, he wrote a book about musical intervals and tuning. He explained that there was a difference between "well temperament" and "equal temperament." "Well temperament" allows for slight differences in tuning. This makes different musical keys sound unique. His idea was not widely known at first. However, later, other music experts rediscovered his work. Now, most music historians agree with Bosanquet. They understand that "well temperament" was often used in older music.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1890, Robert Bosanquet moved to Tenerife, an island in Spain. He would spend his summers back in England. He passed away at his home in Tenerife in 1912. His home was called "El Castillo," which means "The Castle." Bosanquet left behind important ideas in science and music.