One of the very first electronic instrument, invented by the russian physicist and cellist leon theremin in 1919. Read more delptronics theremorph synthesizer now available september, 2019 september, 2019 leave a comment. The theremini is a reimagination of one of the oldest electronic musical instruments, and bob moogs first love the theremin. Dec 07, 2005 then, the theremin slipped back into obscurity until the recent revival of the 1990s. A profile of russian leon theremin, inventor of the worlds first electronic musical instrument. Theremin play your own musical synth with delay, feedback. Fans of the first star trek series will recognize its sounds, but it was used in orchestral compositions and movies quite extensively for many decades, and even played a role in the brian wilsons. Youre driving me crazy was recorded around 1930 with an electronic victor theremin being played by. Then, the theremin slipped back into obscurity until the recent revival of the 1990s. An electronic odyssey is a documentary about the creator of the theremin musical instrument, lev sergeyvich termen aka leon theremin. This documentary is fun to watch and brings to light a lot of history that is little known. Today, lots of bands use theremins, though many unfortunately limit themselves to using the theremin as a novelty. Wienbridge theremin this circuit is a basic theremin with only a pitch control.
The aetherwellengeige was one of many instruments inspired by leon termens theremin using the same heterodyning principle and body capacitance to generate a variable tone from two thryatron vacuum tubes other instruments were the sonar 1933, neo violena 1927, electronde 1927, emicon 1932 and croix. The film follows both through a strange sequence of events and interweaves these stories with those influenced by the machine and the man. Victor theremin or rca theremin 1920s song leon theremin. A documentary about the inventor of the first electronic synthesiser instrument and his subsequent life after he was abducted by the kgb as well as a history of his instrument. There are few decent docs about electronic music and, unbelievably, none. Theremin by oivind lange, oslo 1930s, telefunken volkstrautonium ela. Ravalico, which was quoted by lucie bigelow rosen in the concert program entitled the theremin. An electronic odyssey 1995 this documentary explores the life of leon theremin, the inventor of an electronic synthesizer called the theremin, which uses motion to produce a sliding. His selfnamed electronic musical instrumentthe first of its kind. Multitouch the screen or use the cursor and play with the effects to make scuzzy sounds. An electronic odyssey is a 1993 documentary film directed by steven m. Jul 25, 2008 instead, i direct the curious to the fascinating 1994 documentary theremin. Theremins article about theremins by the free dictionary.
Throughout his life, theremin developed many other electronic wonders. Ether music and espionage music in american life albert glinsky. He attended brown university in rhode island, where he was exposed to the socially conscious films of frederick wiseman. The electrotheremin is an electronic musical instrument developed by trombonist paul tanner and amateur inventor bob whitsell in the late 1950s to produce a sound to mimic that of the theremin. It consists of a box with radio tubes producing oscillations at two soundwave frequencies above the range of hearing. If youve never seen a theremin, youve undoubtedly heard one. Janet maslin of the new york times called the film a fascinating, offbeat documentary that stands as a fine job of detective work.
Everybody knows this instrument that you can play without physical contact. The electro theremin is an electronic musical instrument developed by trombonist paul tanner and amateur inventor bob whitsell in the late 1950s to produce a sound to mimic that of the theremin. An incredible score with heavy theremin use accompanies this 1951 film about an alien and his robot who come to warn the people of earth to change their ways, or else. Martin may be the best american documentary feature of 1994. With femur designs online theremin, users interactions with the screen are translated into sound thanks to that magic of javascript using the web audio api with html5. Instead, i direct the curious to the fascinating 1994 documentary theremin.
As in the 144, and its forerunner, the southwest technical products model 142, the 145 theremin retains a heterodyne topology similar to that used by mr. An electronic odyssey 1995 stream and watch online. The theremin produces a tone that changes in pitch and dynamic level when the player moves his hands near its antenna and loop. Unfollow theremin moog to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. A traditional theremin uses two antennas, one for frequency and one for amplitude, to allow players to craft music using the position of their hands between the two. An electronic odyssey is a documentary on both the theremin, the instrument, and prof. Martin about the life of leon theremin and his invention, the theremin, a pioneering electronic musical instrument. The device that bears his name produced a strange, undulating, alternately threatening and soothing sound that didnt exist in nature, noted a new york times writer, and when it was first used in classical music compositions during the. The original italian text from the 1935 book prodigi e misteri delle radioonde prodigies and mysteries of the radiowaves, by d. Its design fuses the experience of playing an instrument you dont actually touch, with a powerful sound engine derived from moogs award winning synthesizer, animoog. Hier kaufen oder eine gratis kindle leseapp herunterladen.
Russian scientist leon theremin 18961993 was the onceforgotten inventor who created the worlds first electronic musical instrument. Searching for a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the steven martindirected movie via subscription can be a huge pain, so we here at moviefone. The moog etherwave theremin is essentially identical to this design, although some later versions have minor changes. Whisked away by the kgb, theremin spent his remaining days after a stay in siberia as an inverntorforthestate, a prolific yet unnamed soviet cog. A documentary about theremin, the man who pioneered the field of electronic. Mar 03, 2018 rca theremin machine produces a unique sound. Accordingly, the theremin is most often a novelty a prop for led zeppelins jimmy page, a gag for the big bang theorys sheldon cooper, a flyingsaucer soundeffect in countless bmovie. Theremin pizzicato this method intones the notes at 100% and automatically uses only the notes selected by the range and the currently selected chord. An electronic odyssey attempts to chronicle the history of the first electronic instrument, named the theremin after its inventor leon theremin. The spooky sound of the theremin was used in several movie soundtracks during the. Very few people would recognize the name of leon theremin 18961993 if it werent for the electronic musical instrument he invented around 1918. A documentary about the inventor of the first electronic synthesiser instrument and his.
An electronic odyssey stars clara rockmore, robert moog, nicolas slonimsky, paul shure the pg movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 23 min, and received a score. The scientist, whose name was leon theremin, was not mad. An electronic odyssey, 1995 ross mcelwee was born in 1947, into an oldline southern family from charlotte, north carolina. Even though many theremin sounds can be approximated on many modern synthesizers, some musicians continue to appreciate the expressiveness, novelty, and uniqueness. Youre driving me crazy was recorded around 1930 with an electronic victor theremin being played by theremin soloist lennington h. Theremin simulator lets you play the unique electronic. An electronic odyssey or albert glinskys book theremin. One of the best examples of theremin music in the scifi genre, and a great story to boot.
Theremin, electronic musical instrument invented in 1920 in the soviet union by leon theremin also called lev termen. The theremin holds a place in history as the first manufactured electronic musical instrument, and is credited with laying the foundation for all electronic music to come. With leon theremin, robert moog, clara rockmore, nicolas slonimsky. It is a story about a man with a passion for electronics and music, a man with an inventive and radical mind. Leon theremin was the secret link between scifi films, the beach boys, and carnegie hall. The spooky sound of the theremin was used in several movie soundtracks during the 1950s and 1960s. A man from santa fe, new mexico bought a theremin off ebay. This is a copy of the complete article by bob moog in electronic musician magazine, feb 1996. An electronic odyssey click to enlarge apart from crumb, this film by steven m. The theremorph is an allinone synthesizer, with thereminlike control, designed by delptronics in conjunction with electrofaustus.
A documentary about the inventor of the first electronic synthesizer. The theremin became known in the usa as a home instrument and featured in many film soundtracks of the 194050s, it also appeared in several pop records of the 1960s but never overcame its novelty appeal and was used for effect rather than a serious instrument, most recordings employ the theremin as a substitute string instrument. His selfnamed electronic musical instrumentthe first of its kindtook the world by storm in the 1920s and 30s. Oct 30, 2017 the 25 greatest rock music documentaries of all time. To obtain the highest realism, we recommend to load the strings preset.
Martin by frankie demarco, cinematographer on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the. An electronic odyssey in 1993, the instrument has enjoyed a resurgence in interest and has become more widely used by contemporary musicians. An electronic odyssey is more than just the story of a novel noise making gadget. The ether wave violin or aetherwellengeige shown here in a 1952 film. Theremin classic, similar to the original theremin instrument, but more flexible, thanks to the digital technology. It is the only instrument that is played without the performer ever touching it. The 25 greatest rock music documentaries of all time. Used in countless sciencefiction film scores, the theremin also appears on more recordings these. Theremin douglas anderson electronic music i and ii.
One of the first electronic instruments, and the only. It is the kind of movie that requires a musical score only the theremin possibly could supply. You begin with interest, and then you pass through the stages of curiosity, fascination and disbelief, until in the last 20 minutes, you arrive at a state of dumbfounded wonder. Used in countless sciencefiction film scores, the theremin also appears on. A professor, he immigrated to america, where by the late 1920s, he had. An electronic odyssey dec 31, 2012 a very very cool documentary on the inventor of one of the most imaginative musical instruments ever constructed the theremin. Theremin an electronic odyssey 1993 sheds light on the early era of electronic music. It follows his life, including being imprisoned in a soviet gulag, and the influence of his instrument, which came to define the sound of eerie in 20thcentury movies, and influenced popular music as.
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