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Monster Studies is a suite of six short, etude-like movements. Each movement is inspired by a historical form of torture. The goal was to apply the method of torture, and the resultant damage, to the music itself. The title is taken from an ethically-questionable stuttering experiment performed on orphan children by Dr. Wendell Johnson at the University of Iowa in 1939. Five of the normal- speaking orphans in the study suffered negative psychological effects that caused permanent speech problems for the remainder of their lives. The findings of the study were never published for fear of backlash due to similar experiments done at the time by the Nazis. The orphan experiment was nicknamed “The Monster Study” by Johnson’s peers.
Scavenger’s Daughter. The device was invented during the reign of Henry VIII of England by Sir William Skeffington. Descriptions vary, but the main process is always the same: the victim was forced into a crouch with the device around his body like large, iron dentures. The hinge was gradually tightened, slowly crushing the victim to death.
The Wake of Juda’s Cradle. (AKA: Judas Cradle, The Wake). The origin is unknown. The device was a pyramid-shaped seat, and the victim was placed onto it and slowly impaled. If necessary, weights were tied to the victim’s ankles.
Heretic’s Fork. Invented during the Spanish Inquisition, this device consisted of two opposite-facing forks, one piercing the flesh near the victim’s breastbone, the other directly beneath the chin. It was held in place with a leather collar. Any motion of the head or mouth caused extreme pain, but not death. Its use was simply to inflict pain and sleep deprivation, bringing about any desired confessions. Many examples are engraved with the Latin word abiuro, meaning “I recant.”
Scold’s Bridle. (AKA: The Brank). The first recorded use was in Britain during the 16th Century, and it was in use as late as the 19th Century. The device was used primarily on women who were considered scolds: shrews, gossips, quarrelsome. It consisted of an iron cage-like frame that fit around the head. The bridle-bit was 2” long and pressed firmly on the tongue. Sometimes it was studded with spikes, which made speaking virtually impossible.
Breaking Wheel. (AKA: Catherine Wheel). The earliest recorded use was in Greece during the Middle Ages, and it was still in use during the 19th Century. The device was essentially a large wagon wheel. The victim’s bones would be broken, and his limbs laced between the spikes of the wheel. The wheel would then be placed at the top of a large pole. Shock, dehydration and carrion eaters would cause a slow, agonizing death. This punishment was reserved for the most foul of offenses.
The Virgin of Nuremberg. (AKA: The Iron Maiden). No account of this device exists before 1793, and many historians believe this first description was actually a hoax, with subsequent models being created from that description. The device was a 7’ tall, hinged iron sarcophagus with the face of a woman, assumed to represent The Virgin Mary. The doors were lined with spikes, and as it closed, the spikes would penetrate the victim, while the thick iron walls would muffle the screams. As there are no accounts of it being used, it is also assumed by some that they were created purely for commercial display. The earliest known model, dated from 1802, was on display in Nuremberg; it was destroyed by Allied bombing during WWII.
