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Magic (illusion): the story on HearLore | HearLore
Magic (illusion)
The word magic derives from the Greek term mageia, which itself originated from the Persian word magosh, referring to priests who engaged in ritual acts that Greeks viewed as foreign and unorthodox. This linguistic shift transformed a specific religious practice into a blanket term for any illegitimate or supernatural-seeming ritual, setting the stage for centuries of confusion between entertainment and the occult. One of the earliest recorded books to explain these secrets, The Discoverie of Witchcraft, was published in 1584 by Reginald Scot, an Englishman who sought to stop people from being executed for witchcraft by proving that the tricks attributed to supernatural forces were actually just clever mechanical deceptions. Scot's work, which included detailed descriptions of sleight-of-hand manipulations with rope, paper, and coins, was so controversial that popular belief held all copies were burned upon the accession of King James I in 1603. Yet, the art form persisted, evolving from fairground spectacles to private performances for wealthy patrons, as seen in the 1720s when showman Isaac Fawkes advertised his acts to King George II, signaling a shift toward respectability for the profession.
The Golden Age Of Illusion
The transformation of magic from a fairground novelty to a respected theatrical art form began in the mid-19th century with Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, a clockmaker who opened a magic theatre in Paris in 1845. Robert-Houdin revolutionized the industry by constructing mechanical automata that appeared to move and act as if alive, creating a new standard for illusion that relied on engineering rather than superstition. His influence extended globally, as his assistant pirated many of his mechanisms to use in the performances of rivals like John Henry Anderson and Alexander Herrmann. Anderson, known as The Great Wizard of the North, pioneered a similar transition in London by opening the New Strand Theatre in 1840, where he captivated audiences with expert showmanship and advertising that made him one of the earliest magicians to attain world renown. By the end of the 19th century, large magic shows permanently staged at big theatre venues became the norm, exemplified by the British performer J N Maskelyne and his partner Cooke, who operated at the Egyptian Hall in London's Piccadilly for 31 years starting in 1873. Maskelyne and Cooke invented many illusions still performed today, including levitation, and established the model for the typical magician with wavy hair, a top hat, a goatee, and a tailcoat, a look popularized by the French magician Alexander Herrmann, known as Herrmann the Great.
The word magic derives from the Greek term mageia, which itself originated from the Persian word magosh, referring to priests who engaged in ritual acts that Greeks viewed as foreign and unorthodox.
When was the book The Discoverie of Witchcraft published?
One of the earliest recorded books to explain these secrets, The Discoverie of Witchcraft, was published in 1584 by Reginald Scot, an Englishman who sought to stop people from being executed for witchcraft by proving that the tricks attributed to supernatural forces were actually just clever mechanical deceptions.
Who opened a magic theatre in Paris in 1845?
The transformation of magic from a fairground novelty to a respected theatrical art form began in the mid-19th century with Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, a clockmaker who opened a magic theatre in Paris in 1845.
Where did J N Maskelyne and Cooke operate their magic show for 31 years starting in 1873?
By the end of the 19th century, large magic shows permanently staged at big theatre venues became the norm, exemplified by the British performer J N Maskelyne and his partner Cooke, who operated at the Egyptian Hall in London's Piccadilly for 31 years starting in 1873.
When did Harry Houdini pass away?
Harry Houdini, born in 1874 and passing in 1926, took his stage name from Robert-Houdin and developed a range of stage magic tricks, many of them based on what became known after his death as escapology.
When was a shell-game ring broken up in Los Angeles?
Another example is the shell game, in which a pea is hidden under one of three walnut shells, then shuffled around the table or sidewalk so slowly as to make the pea's position seemingly obvious, and although these are well known as frauds, people still lose money on them, as a shell-game ring was broken up in Los Angeles as recently as December 2009.
Harry Houdini, born in 1874 and passing in 1926, took his stage name from Robert-Houdin and developed a range of stage magic tricks, many of them based on what became known after his death as escapology. Houdini was genuinely skilled in techniques such as lockpicking and escaping straitjackets, but he also made full use of the range of conjuring techniques, including fake equipment and collusion with individuals in the audience. His show-business savvy was as great as his performance skill, and he left behind a legacy so significant that a Houdini Museum dedicated to him exists in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Beyond his own performances, Houdini devoted much of his time to exposing fraudulent mediums who used stage magic methods to perform illusions such as table-knocking, slate-writing, and telekinetic effects, which they attributed to the actions of ghosts or other spirits. This crusade against the supernatural continued into the 20th century with figures like James Randi, known as The Amazing Randi, who made it his goal to debunk such paranormal phenomena and illustrate that any such effects may be achieved by natural or human means. Randi was the foremost skeptic in this regard in the United States, and his work, along with that of the mentalist Derren Brown and the duo Penn & Teller, has been instrumental in investigating and debunking paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims.
The Evolution Of Performance
As a form of entertainment, magic easily moved from theatrical venues to television specials, which opened up new opportunities for deceptions and brought stage magic to huge audiences. Famous magicians of the 20th century included Okito, David Devant, Harry Blackstone Sr., Harry Blackstone Jr., Howard Thurston, Theodore Annemann, Cardini, Joseph Dunninger, Dai Vernon, Fred Culpitt, Tommy Wonder, Siegfried & Roy, and Doug Henning. The art form continued to adapt to new mediums, with David Copperfield using a Commodore 64 computer in 1984 to create a magic show for his audience, and more recently, virtual performers experimenting with captivating digital animations that blur the lines between magic tricks and reality. The 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns ushered onto the world stage a surge of online magic shows performed via video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, while German magician Wittus Witt performed interactive magic tricks live on TV from 1993 to 1997, allowing viewers to call him live in the studio to perform a trick directly. In total, Witt performed this special magic 87 times, every other week, demonstrating the potential for technology to enhance the reach and nature of the art. Modern performers like David Blaine, Criss Angel, Derren Brown, and Shin Lim have modernized the art form, using social media to reach a wider audience than ever before.
The Secret Society Of Magicians
The teaching of performance magic was once a secretive practice, with professional magicians unwilling to share knowledge with anyone outside the profession to prevent the laity from learning their secrets. This often made it difficult for an interested apprentice to learn anything but the basics of magic, and some had strict rules against members discussing magic secrets with anyone but established magicians. The world's largest magic organization is the International Brotherhood of Magicians, which publishes a monthly journal, The Linking Ring, while the oldest organization is the Society of American Magicians, which publishes the monthly magazine M-U-M and of which Houdini was a member and president for several years. In London, England, there is The Magic Circle, which houses the largest magic library in Europe, and PSYCRETS, The British Society of Mystery Entertainers, caters specifically to mentalists, bizarrists, storytellers, readers, spiritualist performers, and other mystery entertainers. Davenport's Magic in London's The Strand was the world's oldest family-run magic shop, though it is now closed, and the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, is home to the Academy of Magical Arts. Traditionally, magicians refuse to reveal the methods behind their tricks to the audience, and membership in professional magicians' organizations often requires a commitment never to reveal the secrets of magic to non-magicians, a rule that was publicly and privately criticized when Justin Flom began disclosing how tricks worked in Facebook videos in 2020.
The Science Of Deception
The methodology behind magic is often referred to as a science, often a branch of physics, while the performance aspect is more of an art form. Magicians use a variety of techniques, including sleight of hand, misdirection, optical and auditory illusions, hidden compartments, contortionism and specially constructed props, as well as verbal and nonverbal psychological techniques such as suggestion, hypnosis, and priming. Many magic routines use combinations of effects, such as in cups and balls, where a magician may use vanishes, productions, penetrations, teleportation and transformations as part of the one presentation. The principles of stage magic are old, with an expression, it's all done with smoke and mirrors, used to explain something baffling, but effects seldom use mirrors today, due to the amount of installation work and transport difficulties. For example, the famous Pepper's Ghost, a stage illusion first used in 19th-century London, required a specially built theatre, while modern performers have vanished objects as large as the Taj Mahal, the Statue of Liberty, and a space shuttle, using other kinds of optical deceptions. The art form encompasses subgenres such as close-up magic, parlor magic, and stage magic, among others, and magicians may pull a rabbit from an empty hat, make something seem to disappear, or transform a red silk handkerchief into a green silk handkerchief.
The Dark Side Of Magic
More than thirty years after the illusionist Uri Geller made his first appearances on television in the 1970s to exhibit his self-proclaimed psychic ability to bend spoons, his actions still provoke controversy among some magic performers, because he claimed what he did was not an illusion. In 2016, self-proclaimed psychic The Amazing Kreskin was barred from sending fraudulent letters to solicit money from the elderly, with Attorney General Tom Miller stating that the letters were shamelessly predatory and manipulative, variously promising riches, protection from ill-health, and even personal friendship to each recipient, all to get the victim to send money. Fraudulent mediums have long capitalized on the popular belief in paranormal phenomena to prey on the bereaved for financial gain, and con men and grifters too may use techniques of stage magic for fraudulent goals. Cheating at card games is an obvious example, and not a surprising one, as one of the most respected textbooks of card techniques for magicians, The Expert at the Card Table by Erdnase, was primarily written as an instruction manual for card sharps. The card trick known as Find the Lady or Three-card Monte is an old favourite of street hustlers, who lure the victim into betting on what seems like a simple proposition, to identify, after a seemingly easy-to-track mixing sequence, which one of three face-down cards is the Queen. Another example is the shell game, in which a pea is hidden under one of three walnut shells, then shuffled around the table or sidewalk so slowly as to make the pea's position seemingly obvious, and although these are well known as frauds, people still lose money on them, as a shell-game ring was broken up in Los Angeles as recently as December 2009.