Thomas Wilfred

Thomas Wilfred (1889 - 1968)

was a musician and inventor. He is best known for his visual music he named Lumia and his designs for color organs called Clavilux. Wilfred was not fond of the term "Color Organ", and coined the word "Clavilux" from Latin meaning "Light played by Key".

Wilfred's mechanisms were often complex designs that have been described as from the "Rube Goldberg" school. He was a trained Artist, but had little mechanical schooling, thus he was an "Outsider Engineer." That said, his devices were very sturdy, and many still function with most of the original parts.
In 1919, Wilfred constructed the Clavilux Model A in his Long Island Studio (located on the Brice Estate). The first public recital came in 1922 and featured performances on the Clavilux Model B for audiences at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. The press was highly receptive. In the audience that first night was Leopold Stokowski.
The Clavilux was a complex instrument which allowed a person to create and perform Lumia compositions. Later models B-H were touring and lecture models, the last one being built prior to WWII.