ABSTRACT
A groundbreaking German researcher in acoustics, physics, optics, and the physiological effects of sound, Helmholtz was born in Potsdam and initially studied medicine and natural science. From 1849 until 1871 he was professor of physiology at the universities of Königsberg, Bonn, and Heidelberg, and from 1871 until his death he was professor of physics at the University of Berlin. Helmholtz was one of the great scientists of the 19th century, and his contributions to the science of sound were only part of his accomplishments. His analysis of musical signals resulted in the discovery that the tonal quality of a musical sound is created by the overtones or harmonics. In 1862, he published The Sensations of Tone, which formed the scientific basis for the study of acoustics.
