A way of describing the characteristic quality of a particular sound is by analogy with colour. Singers often think of producing a darker or lighter colour of sound, an effect which the lay listener can quite easily identify. But some composers and others have gone further in relating particular sounds - harmonies or note qualities- to the colours of the visual spectrum. In particular, Olivier Messiaen developed a palette of sound colours tied to harmonic structures, that he perceived to have a physical relationship to their visual counterparts. Visit the AcademyΓÇÖs VoxBox (through the Laboratory on the first floor) to explore this phenomenon.
