Why was Thaddeus Cahill's telharmonium important despite its failure?

Although Thaddeus Cahill’s telharmonium was a complex and impractical invention that eventually lapsed into obscurity, it remains historically significant as the earliest musical instrument to generate sound electrically.123

Its importance lies in its role as a pioneering precursor to later electronic music technology. Specifically, the telharmonium’s use of rotating electromagnetic tone-wheels to produce electric impulses directly anticipated the development of electronic organs, synthesizers, and background music distribution systems. It served as a direct technical predecessor to the Hammond organ, which also utilized motor-driven rotary generators to create sound. By demonstrating the potential for purely electric sound generation, the telharmonium laid the foundational concepts that would eventually evolve into modern electronic instrumentation.123