But he found his apparatus emitted a strange warbling tone, which he could shape by moving his hands around the equipment. A trained cellist, Theremin recognised the potential of his discovery, and intended to create an entirely new instrument.
They were all built using elementary principles and were not physically well done. I was interested in making a different kind of instrument… Therefore I transformed electronic [equipment] into a musical instrument that would provide greater resources.
It was a magnet for composers and scientists alike; Einstein, a keen violinist, used a room at the house Theremin rented for exploring the connection between music and geometry.
I found him an assistant, one of my co-workers who was a painter, to help him draw these sketches, and he would come and do his work. Beyond scientific discoveries, the inventor was also planning how to get rich. Although his US concerts were a sensation, and he was offered vast sums for the rights to mass-produce his new instrument, his dream foundered on one simple fact — the theremin is actually very hard to play well.
No other instrument requires such control of the body by a performer. There is no keyboard or fret board for reference in playing notes. As well as fine spatial perception, a player needs a brilliant ear to hit specific notes. They need to combine relaxed body movements with intense mental focus. Rather than a traditional musician, theremin players draw on techniques of physical and emotional expression more like an actor taking to the stage to play a complex character.
This explains why there are so few theremin virtuosi in the world, as well as why each has their own style of engagement — just as there are many ways an actor can play Hamlet or Hedda Gabler. So there you have it! While we don't know the exact date, we can pin down the range to somewhere between early and the Fall of that year. The th anniversary of the theremin is less than 2 years away, and we've already heard about a number of concerts, music releases, and other events being planned to help celebrate.
To learn more about the history of the theremin and its inventor, we highly recommend Dr. Glinsky's book! Toggle navigation Theremin World. Learn What's a Theremin? When was the theremin invented? After a lengthy tour of Europe, during which time he demonstrated his invention to packed houses, Theremin found his way to the United States, where he patented his invention in US Subsequently, Theremin granted commercial production rights to RCA.
In April I was surprised to learn that Robert Moog, best known for his invention of the Moog Synthesizer , began his career in by building Theremins.
In April the Moog website stated:. For the uninitiated, the theremin is a single oscillator instrument that uses two metal rod antennas to control pitch and amplitude. The left antenna a horizontal hoop reduces the amplitude as the left hand is moved closer to it, while the right antenna a vertical pole increases the pitch as the right hand is moved towards it. For the last 57 years, the company Bob Moog founded has sold more theremins to more professionals than anyone in history.
0コメント