BENADE, ARTHUR H. (2 Jan. 1925-4 Aug. 1987) physicist and recognized expert on the acoustics of musical instruments, was born in Chicago, the son of James Martin and Miriam McGaw Benade who shortly returned to India with their son to resume their careers as teaching missionaries. Arthur went to school in Lahore (now Pakistan) and after completing high school, he returned to the U.S. where he served in the Army Air Force (1943-45) and subsequently as an electronics specialist at Los Alamos (1945-1946). He resumed his education in physics receiving an AB degree in 1948 and a PhD. in 1952 from Washington University in St. Louis. He joined the faculty of Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland the same year where he combined work in low-energy atomic and nuclear physics with the study of musical instruments. In his pioneering research on brass and woodwind instruments Benade effectively combined theory and engineering practice in his study of their acoustics, tone production, and response, becoming an international authority in the field. He also was a skilled woodwind instrument maker, a practiced amateur performer on the flute and clarinet, enabling him to work closely with many professional musicians as a consultant. His two major works in the field were Horns, Strings, and Harmony (1960) and Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics (1976) which dealt with all aspects of musical acoustics, including the performing techniques, concert hall acoustics and listener responses.
Benade married Virginia Lee Wassall 9 June 1948, and they had two children, Judith and Martin. A resident of SHAKER HTS., he died in Cleveland and was cremated.