Reconstructing Harald Bode. A Visionary of Electronic Sound
Felix Mittelberger and Christoph Seibert (eds.)
Engineer, musician, and pioneer of electronic musical instruments: Harald Bode (1909–1987) and his numerous inventions have had a lasting impact on electronic music. From early German electronic music instrument design to the experimental sound modification and studio equipment in the United States, his work in more than six decades preceded many concepts we now take for granted. Harald Bode’s extensive archive, which includes notebooks, construction plans, circuit diagrams, and prototype documentation, is preserved at ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe. Reconstructing Harald Bode complements these sources with perspectives of contemporary artists, musicians, researchers, and engineers who approach Bode’s devices, ideas, and recordings not as historical relics but as living propositions. This richly illustrated compendium documents the remarkable variety of Bode’s work, the instruments and devices he invented, his writings and compositions, including audio samples. The book offers new insights into Bode’s contributions, situating them within their historical context while highlighting their relevance today. It mirrors Bode’s own way of working, which was characterized by a continuous interplay between theoretical reflection, technical development, and artistic practice.
With contributions by Alistair Hudson, Felix Mittelberger, Christoph Seibert, Gerhard Mayrhofer, Luís Antunes Pena, Juan Parra Cancino, Florian Zwißler, Seth Cluett, Senta Hirscheider, Jay Lee, Peer Bode, Andrew Deutsch, Harald Bode, Rebekkah Palov, Idis Hartmann, Oliver Wiener und Elena Ungeheuer.
This publication was produced following the event Reconstructing Harald Bode. A Synthie Lovers Festival, held on 25 and 26 April 2025 in cooperation with ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe and with the support of the Computer Music Center at Columbia University, New York.
Mittelberger, Felix and Christoph Seibert, ed. 2026. Reconstructing Harald Bode. A Visionary of Electronic Sound. Köln: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König.