A trained lawyer, Chladni turned to musical performances and lectures in the science of sound as a profession, and succeeeded in establishing acoustics as a science. "He introduced the practice of clamping discs and squares of glass, metal or wood at the center, applying fine sand to the top surface and drawing a bow over the plate's edge. As the plate vibrated, the sand shifted into nodal lines. These later prompted Napoleon to remark that 'Chladni has made sound visible'" (Dibner).