Oskar Sala's Trautonium Created The Birds' Iconic Sound Effects
The 1963 film The Birds, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Special Effects, features a score devoid of traditional music, crafted by electronic composer Oskar Sala. Using the Mixtur-Trautonium, Sala generated bird calls and various sound effects. He first encountered the Trautonium, created by Dr. Friedrich Trautwein, at the Berlin Conservatory in 1929 and pursued physics studies at the University of Berlin during the mid-1930s. In 1948, he invented the Mixtur-Trautonium, which enabled the production of multiple voices. His collaboration on The Birds began when a former classmate alerted him to Hitchcock's search for synthetic sounds. Sala, alongside Remi Gassmann, produced the film's haunting sound effects, making this soundtrack his most recognized work.
Key facts
- Oskar Sala created the bird sound effects for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds using the Mixtur-Trautonium.
- The Birds was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Special Effects.
- The Mixtur-Trautonium was developed by Sala in 1948, based on the Trautonium invented by Dr. Friedrich Trautwein.
- Sala studied physics at the University of Berlin in the mid-1930s.
- Hitchcock flew to Sala's recording studio in Berlin to hear the Trautonium.
- Sala collaborated with Remi Gassmann on the soundtrack.
- The instrument was used in German television advertisements in the 1950s.
- The soundtrack includes bird calls, elements, and creaks of infrastructure.
Entities
Artists
- Oskar Sala
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Remi Gassmann
- Friedrich Trautwein
Institutions
- Universal Studios
- Berlin Conservatory
- University of Berlin
- Google Arts & Culture
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Hollywood