Gustave Lyon
Gustave Lyon (19 November 1857 – 12 January 1936) was a French piano maker, acoustician and inventor. He was head of Pleyel et Cie from 1887.
Life
Lyon was born in Paris in 1857, son of Jacob Lyon, a singing teacher, and his wife Fanny née Coche. He was educated at the
Auguste Wolff, director of the piano maker Pleyel et Cie, offered him a place in the company. Lyon later married Wolff's daughter Marie, and he took over as head of the company on Wolff's death in 1887.[1][2]
He filed a number of inventions for new kinds of piano, such as a double pianos and a two-keyboard piano; and other instruments, such as a chromatic harp and chromatic timpani.[2]
In the First World War, although not obliged to take part, Lyon was commander of artillery on the east coast of the Cotentin Peninsula; later, as deputy to the director of land artillery, he organised the defence of Cherbourg against aircraft. During this time he invented instruments for locating aircraft, and studied ballistics.[2]
He was interested in
Lyon was made Commander of the Legion of Honour in 1928. He died in Paris in 1936.[2]
References
External links
- Free scores by Gustave Lyon at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- Media related to Gustave Lyon at Wikimedia Commons