DR. MELVILLE CLARK Jr.

CLARK, Dr. Melville, Jr. 90, of Wayland, Mass., passed away Nov. 23 in Boston. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, son of harpist and entrepreneur Melville Clark, Sr. and pianist Dorothy S. Clark, Dr. Clark dedicated his life to advancements in physics and the science of music. Dr. Clark graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1943 and was employed in MIT's radiation laboratory until deployed to the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico, to work on atomic and hydrogen bomb design. After World War II, he took graduate degrees in physics from Harvard with post-graduate work at Princeton. He then served as a nuclear physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and the University of California's radiation laboratory in Livermore, California. In 1955-62, Dr. Clark taught nuclear engineering at MIT, directing research in controlled fusion and plasma theory. During this period, Dr. Clark launched his own research into the physical properties of music. In the 1960s, he invented a synthesizer, the Expressor model A, with a glissando keyboard and excellent reproduction of the musical tones of orchestral instruments. Dr. Clark continued to refine the Expressor for the rest of his life, drawing on his deep understanding of musical tone and expression and his expertise in the physics of sound. His goal was to make an instrument with the full range of expression of orchestral instruments that could be played easily and well by students and masters at all levels. In recent years, he converted the analog machine to a digital-format model P. He holds more than 20 patents. After leaving MIT, Dr. Clark worked for NASA, Combustion Engineering, Raytheon, and others as a physicist and consulting engineer. He authored two books and dozens of technical articles and reports. In 1992, Dr. Clark established the non-profit Institute for Scientific Research in Music, which continues today under the direction of long time associate Dennis Coscia. Dr. Clark loved animals, especially dogs. He was loved by all who knew him for his gentle courtesy and lively humor. Dr. Clark is survived by his nephew, David Woodworth; niece, Lynn Baker and her husband, Dennis Baker, and great-niece Katy Baker. Dr. Clark will be buried privately in Syracuse. Remembrances to American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 800-628-0028 or at www.aspca.org