Louis Bertrand Castel
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Louis Bertrand Castel (15 November 1688 - 9 January 1757) was a French mathematician born in Montpellier, and entered the order of the Jesuits in 1703. Having studied literature, he afterwards devoted himself entirely to mathematics and natural philosophy. He wrote several scientific works, that which attracted most attention at the time being his Optique des couleurs (1740), or treatise on the melody of colors.
In 1725 Castel proposed the idea of Clavecin pour les yeux (Ocular Harpsichord). While the treatise and the illustration were apparently forgotten[citation needed], he continually developed the harpsichord. In the 1740s German composer Telemann went to France to see it, composed some pieces for it, and wrote a book about it. It had 60 small colored glass panes, each with a curtain that opened when a key was struck. A second, improved model of the harpsichord was demonstrated for a small audience in December of 1754. Pressing a key caused a small shaft to open, in turn allowing light to shine through a piece of stained glass. [1][2]
He also wrote Mathématique universelle (1728) and Traité de physique sur la pesanteur universelle des corps (1724). He also published a critical account of the system of Sir Isaac Newton in French in 1743.
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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
