Harry Bertoia began his Sonambient experiments in early 1960, starting with copper and bronze and brass. He tried many different alloys and eventually settled on his favorites after much hands-on testing. He found beryllium copper to have the most robust and warm sounds, plus excellent color and durability. The nickel alloys, both monel and Inconel, have a lighter, tinnier sound and a more silver color. Harry enjoyed sprinkling a few nickel pieces in amongst the beryllium copper tonals for a contrasting tone. He did use brass for the rods from time to time, which performed similarly to bronze or copper, all of them having the same base metals.
The bases were often naval brass, for its durability and lovely color. He did use bronze and even steel on occasion. Steel had a tendency to warp in unkind conditions, so brass remained his ideal.
In the 1960s, Harry created many diagonal thin-wired small tonals, often using steel as the base wire but gilding it with 18 carat gold. The gold was mostly for the beautiful visual qualities as opposed to the sounds. These smaller tonals have a pleasing but soft sound.
There were a few stainless steel rod tonals, but the sound tends to be a bit flat, so after a few test pieces, he set aside the steel. A handful were even painted; one red, one green, and perhaps another one or two. The painted ones were very rare.
Harry did not recommend using wax as a preservative on rods, as it affects the sound, muting it slightly.
The gongs were generally made of bronze, either one single plate or two welded together at the edges. If a single plate was cut with an elegant slit, it created a different sound from an uncut plate. The double walled gongs carried the deepest loudest sound the furthest. Harry’s grave gong, a 10’ round gong behind the residence, can be hear at least 3.5 miles away, according to a live test in the 1970s with synchronized time pieces and a large mallet!
The singing bars, to my knowledge, are all beryllium copper rods varying from a fraction of an inch to over an inch thick. They produce a high pitched pinging sound.
The type of tops – cattails, cylinders, buds – also created variations of sounds. The cattails add depth and resonance. The cylinders create lots of dramatic sound with a compact size. The buds and rounded variations are softer than might be expected. The reed rods – no tops – are more soothing, meditative and healing. It would be fascinating to test the hertz, decibels, and healing properties of Sonambient.
Harry called his Sonambient barn his “laboratory.” He was constantly experimenting and trying new concepts. Unfortunately, the beryllium copper that he loved so much, became his demise with its toxic fumes. He refused to wear a mask and ultimately died of lung cancer from breathing in too many toxins. Had he lived longer, who knows what else he may have come up with!