{"id":127,"date":"2017-09-19T02:13:21","date_gmt":"2017-09-19T02:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/?p=127"},"modified":"2017-09-19T02:13:21","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T02:13:21","slug":"theremin-the-worlds-spookiest-instrument","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/assignments\/everyday-technologies\/theremin-the-worlds-spookiest-instrument\/","title":{"rendered":"Theremin: The World\u2019s Spookiest Instrument"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is astonishing to think how interesting and perplexingly cool the theremin is and how very few people in the world know about its existence even when they have probably heard it somewhere. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In my experience, there are two kinds of people: those who are beguiled by the theremin and those who just haven\u2019t heard of it yet. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2009\/jul\/17\/john-otway-theremin\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because of the way it\u2019s played<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2013 gestures, space \u2013 it fascinates instantly\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/2015\/aug\/22\/invisible-instrument-theremin\">\u00a0https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/2015\/aug\/22\/invisible-instrument-theremin.\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To be honest, I didn\u2019t know about it until a few years ago, when I stumbled upon this video of Clara Rockmore playing Saint-Sa\u00ebns\u2019s \u201cThe Swan\u201d which literally looked like she was playing an invisible violin. The string-like sound is there, but it looks like she isn\u2019t playing a particular instrument or even touching anything to that matter; she is playing air.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Theremin - Clara Rockmore play &quot;The Swan&quot; (Saint-Sa\u00ebns)\" width=\"525\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pSzTPGlNa5U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Leon Theremin (yes, that\u2019s why the Theremin is called that) was a young Russian scientist who was working on a gas meter to measure densities. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2018Leon Theremin was an[n] . . . inventor of what is probably the most unusual musical instrument ever invented. You&#8217;re actually moving your two hands through two electromagnetic fields that are around two antennas. . . He was working in a laboratory in Russia as a young scientist, he was actually working on a gas meter to measure the density of gases,\u2019 Glinsky said. \u2018So as he brought his hand closer to the gas meter, he heard kind of a higher squeal. And as he brought his hand back to his body and away from the machine, it was a slower squeal\u2019\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/the-theremin-a-strange-instrument-with-a-strange-history\/\">https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/the-theremin-a-strange-instrument-with-a-strange-history\/\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then Leon started playing melodies on the device while his colleagues at the laboratory stared with amazement. This was the birth of one of the world\u2019s first electronic instruments. The first model of the theremin used a foot pedal to control the volume and a switch to modify pitch. Later, in 1920, it became the mind-boggling instrument which requires zero contact of the performer with the instrument.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Leon Theremin playing his own instrument\" width=\"525\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/w5qf9O6c20o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You are probably wondering how this thing even works, right? Basically, the first theremins were made up by circuits of vacuum tubes, coils, and wires which created electromagnetic fields around two antennae. By vibrating their fingers, players would raise or lower the pitch and volume. You can see why it is considered by many the world\u2019s most difficult instrument. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A real theremin master can make an instrument soar with the fortissimo of Pavarotti or fade to the most delicate of whispers\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/electronics.howstuffworks.com\/gadgets\/audio-music\/theremin3.htm\">http:\/\/electronics.howstuffworks.com\/gadgets\/audio-music\/theremin3.htm\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is really easy to merely produce gross squeaks and cries because only masters can produce the beautiful violin-like sound, like Clara Rockmore, who was actually one of Professor Theremin\u2019s original students. She was an accomplished violinist who was forced to stop playing violin because of injury and therefore picked up the theremin and went on to become the world\u2019s best thereminist. What a great example of how good things can come out of bad situations!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"An Untouched Instrument: The Theramin Explained\" width=\"525\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KDG15-iTJLw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 1920 theremin was shown at the Moscow Industrial Fair and picked up the interest from Vladimir Lenin, who actually took some lessons on it and commissioned 600 models to be toured around the Soviet Union. Later on, Leon Theremin left for the United States, where he performed at the Metropolitan Opera House as well as Carnegie Hall. He patented his invention in 1928 and its rights were quickly seized by RCA who distributed it during the 30\u2019s. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Theremin became known in the USA as a home \u2018novelty instrument\u2019 and featured in many film soundtracks of the 1940-50\u2019s, it also appeared in several pop records of the 1960\u2019s but never overcame its novelty appeal; used for effect rather than as a \u2018serious instrument\u2019, most recordings employ the Theremin as a substitute string instrument rather than exploiting the microtonal and pitch characteristics of the instrument\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/120years.net\/the-thereminleon-termensoviet-union1922\/\">http:\/\/120years.net\/the-thereminleon-termensoviet-union1922\/\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some examples of media were it was used are: \u201cThe Green Hornet Radio Show\u201d (1936), \u201cThe Day the Earth Stood Still\u201d (1951), \u201cThe Flintstones,\u201d \u201cBatman,\u201d and 2004\u2019s \u201cHellboy.\u201d You can hear it from yourself in the next video clip. The theremin comes in at 1:14. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Marco Beltrami - Theme for B.P.R.D. (from the movie Hellboy)\" width=\"525\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x1cekAOKH5E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Leon Theremin went on creating and invented other instruments, such as the \u201cTerpsitone,\u201d the \u201cRhythmicon,\u201d and the \u201ckeyboard Theremin,\u201d and even the \u201cElectronic cello.\u201d He later ended up eventually \u201cdisappearing\u201d and returning to his home country. However, in 1954 in a basement in Queens, NY, a young Robert Moog was obsessed with theremins and began building them with his father. &#8220;<\/span>It\u2019s hard to imagine what the evolution of the synthesizer would have been without Leon Theremin. For one, it was Theremin\u2019s invention that first captivated Robert Moog. Theremin kits were Dr. Moog\u2019s first product and many would say, his first electronic instrumental love. That impact was significant, too, on a whole generation&#8221; (<a href=\"http:\/\/cdm.link\/2015\/09\/read-article-bob-moog-wrote-met-leon-theremin\/\">http:\/\/cdm.link\/2015\/09\/read-article-bob-moog-wrote-met-leon-theremin\/\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Moog\u2019s theremins went on to become the leading company for the instrument and they have sold more theremins than any other company in the last 57 years. What\u2019s marvelous about all this is that Bob Moog is the man behind the Moog synthesizers, and there is no denying that the theremin was a great influence for this development. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Electronic music pioneer Robert Moog built theremins long before he built synthesizers. In the 1960&#8217;s, he produced such models as the wedge-shaped Vanguard theremin and the shoebox shaped Moog Melodia theremin. Today, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moogmusic.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Moog Music Inc.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> produces the popular Etherwave and Etherwave Plus theremins and kits as well as the new <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thereminworld.com\/moog-music-theremini-theremin\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">MIDI-enabled Theremini theremin.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A Brief History of the Theremin | Albert Glinsky\" width=\"525\" height=\"295\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YNoR-SR5t1s?start=268&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now that we have travelled through a brief history of the Theremin, we can see that is it actually a brief history of the technological advancements in electronic music over the last century. The discovery of the theremin and its technological innovation ended up being an inspiration for the creation of synthesizers, which are nowadays are incredibly popular and key for music production. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"http:\/\/120years.net\/the-thereminleon-termensoviet-union1922\/\"><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is astonishing to think how interesting and perplexingly cool the theremin is and how very few people in the world know about its existence even when they have probably heard it somewhere. \u201cIn my experience, there are two kinds of people: those who are beguiled by the theremin and those who just haven\u2019t heard &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/assignments\/everyday-technologies\/theremin-the-worlds-spookiest-instrument\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Theremin: The World\u2019s Spookiest Instrument&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[28,30,6,26,29,27],"class_list":["post-127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everyday-technologies","category-assignments","tag-electronic-music","tag-instrument","tag-music","tag-music-history","tag-phyisics","tag-theremin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":130,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127\/revisions\/130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}