The Metronome & The Human Need To Measure Time

Description
Ever wondered where the Metronome came from? Take a minute to get the scoop!

Fun Fact
Mass manufacturing of clockwork metronomes made the devices increasingly cost effective and accessible, so that the periodical Music declared in 1897 that “A METRONOME SHOULD BE ON EVERY PIANO.” This push for the metronome stood in stark contrast to many composers’ attitude and aesthetic, with Brahms saying, “good friends have talked me into putting [metronome marks] there, for I myself have never believed that my blood and a mechanical instrument go well together.”
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About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
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Transcript

The human need to measure and subdivide time into meaningful intervals has used various visual representation devices, from sundials to water clocks. But in the context of music, research concluded that the early metronome linked musical time to physical events like walking or our heartbeat. 

The industrial revolution's demand for synchronised timetables for railroads led to the mechanical metronome's rise. 

Innovations in musical time measurement emerged in the 17th century, culminating in Etienne Loulié's Chronomètre, employing pendulum principles. 

The metronome evolved through the 18th century, with inventions by Anthony Eckhardt and William Pridgins. But the modern metronome, patented by Johann Nepomuk Maelzel in 1815, incorporated a weighted counter pendulum, though much of this design is credited back to Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel in Amsterdam. 

The late 19th century saw a shift in musical pedagogy, driven by the Victorian middle class's demand for predictable outcomes for their offspring and consequently also required more tempo instructions when learning a new piece of music.