Invented and built by Cris Forster,
the Chrysalis was his first concert-sized instrument. The instrument's
design was inspired by a huge, round, stone-hewn Aztec calendar.
Cris thought to himself, "What if there were a musical instrument
in the shape of a wheel? And what if this wheel had strings for
spokes, could spin, and when played, would sound like the wind?"
Thus, the basic idea of the Chrysalis was born.
Built in 1975-76,
the Chrysalis has two sides, or two circular soundboards, and 82
strings on each side. The wheel, which sits on the crest of a wave-like
stand, may be freely spun in either direction.
Listen to a sample of the Chrysalis
From 1991-2001, Cris wrote the 1300 page book Musical Mathematics:
A Practice in the Mathematics of Tuning Instruments and Analyzing
Scales.
It is both a masterful historic document and a sound
scientific document, from which generations of musicians and instrument
makers can continue to draw sustenance and gain deep insight. Above
all, it constitutes a bridge between the realms of Art and Science.
Oddmusic is proud to present a mini-gallery of instruments from
The Chrysalis Foundation in our Featured Sections area.
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