Theremin, electronic musical instrument invented in 1920 in the soviet union by leon theremin also called lev termen. Both are excellent sources for information on the fascinating story of leon theremin and his groundbreaking inventions. Unfortunately, the dvd version does not include footage seen in the theatrical release no mickey mouse club footage and no sam hoffman. Theremin music instrument electronic music of brainvoyager.
This documentary is fun to watch and brings to light a lot of history that is little known. Dec 07, 2005 then, the theremin slipped back into obscurity until the recent revival of the 1990s. Jul 28, 2012 history of the theremin from tesla to moog the theremin is a unique electronic musical instrument in that it is the only instrument in the world that is played without touching. An electronic odyssey is a documentary about the creator of the theremin musical instrument, lev sergeyvich termen aka leon theremin. This prototype evolved into a production model theremin in 1920, this was a unique design, resembling a gramophone cabinet on 4 legs with a protruding metal antennae and a. In this experiment, i have designed an optical theremin using a 555 timer ic. An electronic odyssey is a documentary on both the theremin, the instrument, and prof. It produces hauntingly ethereal and eerie sounds vaguely similar to a waterphone, but unlike a waterphone it can also be played tonally, and can be made to sound. Instead, i direct the curious to the fascinating 1994 documentary 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. This is a demo of forrest mims, iiis audible light. Today, lots of bands use theremins, though many unfortunately limit themselves to using the theremin as a novelty.
This is an opportunity for budding engineers, hobbyists, and students to learn science, practice engineering, and build something cool. Martin made a documentary about the theremins history which was called theremin. In the 1920s and 30s, russian emigre leonard thereminthe inventor of the worlds first electronic musical instrumenthad it all. 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. Martin by frankie demarco, cinematographer on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the. Soviet inventor leon theremin shows off the theremin, the. Sounds like it would make a great double feature with 1995s theremin. No tools are needed, as the kit is built on a solderless breadboard. One of the first electronic instruments, and the only.
Popular electronics magazine, april 1955 antique radio. An electronic odyssey, 1995 ross mcelwee was born in 1947, into an oldline southern family from charlotte, north carolina. In addition to hand capacitance, a theremin antenna has a fixed capacitance to ground, which well call the antenna. Understanding, customizing, and hotrodding your etherwave page 2 bringing your hand nearer to the antenna. An electronic odyssey or albert glinskys book theremin. History of the theremin from tesla to moog the theremin is a unique electronic musical instrument in that it is the only instrument in the world that is played without touching.
Though much has been written about theremin in the popular press and scholarly articles have described and analyzed his accomplishments, glinskys meticulously researched book based on his doctoral dissertation, the theremin in the emergence of electronic music new york university, 1992 is the first comprehensive study that covers the. An electronic odyssey is nothing short of sensational. The following diagram is the theremin music instrument effect. A man from santa fe, new mexico bought a theremin off ebay. 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. Jul 25, 2008 instead, i direct the curious to the fascinating 1994 documentary theremin. Multitouch the screen or use the cursor and play with the effects to make scuzzy sounds. 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. His selfnamed electronic musical instrumentthe first of its kindtook the world by storm in the 1920s and 30s.
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. Ether music and espionage sat down with us to give a brief history of the theremin covering everything from its original inception in a russian chemistry lab. An electronic odyssey attempts to chronicle the history of the first electronic instrument, named the theremin after its inventor leon theremin. Theremin, who was the toast of manhattan in the prewar years, mysteriously disappeared and rumored to be a kidnap victim of the kgb before turning up a.
It consisted of a sine wave generator with a knob that. See more ideas about instruments, electronic music and electronic music instruments. Though the facts of leon theremin s life merit this feature film, director steven m. Theremin an electronic odyssey 1993 sheds light on the early era of electronic music.
If youve never seen a theremin, youve undoubtedly heard one. It consists of a box with radio tubes producing oscillations at two soundwave frequencies above the range of hearing. Here ill show you how to generate music close to it. With leon theremin, robert moog, clara rockmore, nicolas slonimsky. A guitar or instrument amplifier is an ideal companion unit for the theremin. Leon termens keyboard theremin 1932 leon termen, the creator of one of the first widely used and mass produced electronic instruments the eponymous theremin developed a keyboard version of the instrument during his stay in new york. In the film there are heartwarming footages of the old russian scientist, strolling around the city, fascinated by the technologically advanced hustle and bustle of new york city and its many bright city lights. His life was even stranger after escaping russias communist revolution, leon theremin travels to new york, where he pioneers the field of electronic music with his synthesizer. Martin about the life of leon theremin and his invention, the theremin, a pioneering electronic musical instrument.
But at the height of his popularity, soviet agents kidnap and force him to develop spy technology. Martin may be the best american documentary feature of 1994. A brief history of the theremin albert glinsky youtube. The film features rare footage and interviews with music industry legends such as robert moog, todd rundgren, and brian wilson as well as prof. Martin produced a documentary entitled theremin an electronic odyssey. It is the only instrument that is played without the performer ever touching it. Theremin is a open hardware and open software theremin project. The original theremin used a foot pedal to control the volume and a switch mechanism to alter the pitch. An electronic odyssey 1993 movie wall print poster us at the best online prices at ebay. Ours is an update of the 1967 plans and features potentiometer tuning for the coils and a master volume control. These kits are electrically simple, and can be put together less than an hour. See him playing above in 1987 with his third wife natalia.
And if youre intrigued enough, you can buy your very own theremin made by moog. An electronic odyssey is a 1993 documentary film directed by steven m. Wienbridge theremin this circuit is a basic theremin with only a pitch control. The film follows both through a strange sequence of events and interweaves these stories with those influenced by the machine and the man. A documentary about the inventor of the first electronic synthesiser instrument and his subsequent life after he was abducted by. An electronic odyssey click to enlarge apart from crumb, this film by steven m. An electronic odyssey, told the story of leon theremin. To learn much more about the inventors fascinating life story, be sure to see steven m. The modular system consists of a rc or lc heterodyne oscillator module and a micro controller up module with interface and supply circuits.
Whisked away by the kgb, theremin spent his remaining days after a stay in siberia as an inverntorforthestate, a prolific yet unnamed soviet cog. An electronic odyssey about russianborn leon theremin who invented the selfnamed first electronic instrument. Lev sergeyevich termen, the russian scientist and inventor, was born in 1896 and died in 1993. The theremin was the product of soviet governmentsponsored research into proximity sensors. History of the theremin from tesla to moog aquasonic. An electronic odyssey in 1993, the instrument has enjoyed a resurgence in interest and has become more widely used by contemporary musicians. 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.
The keyboard theremin used the same heterodyning technique to generate a monophonic tone but this time controlled by a five oct. After a lengthy tour of europe, during which time he demonstrated his invention to. In normal theremin playing, hand capacitance is less than one picofarad, a very small capacitance change indeed. Martin chooses to focus on theremin s eponymous invention, a strange musical instrument which predated the synthesizer in the field of electronic sound. Microkits makes building electronics accessible to anyone. To theremins chagrin, his instrument has been used as the premier sound effects box for science. 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. Peter theremin theremin performer head of the russian theremin school great grandson of lev theremin masterclass theremin go.
Infrared theremin musical instrument the constituents of the electronic circuitry in the invention are represented in the following figure, block diagram of the optical theremin. 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. 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. It should come as no surprise that he had a profound influence on the development of electronic music as we know it. Ether music and espionage sat down with us to give a brief history of the theremin covering everything from. Basically this instrument is called as theremin, originally cons. It is a story about a man with a passion for electronics and music, a man with an inventive and radical mind. While the documentary contains few objectionable elements, the lack of a narrative, a definitive point of view and true insight into the man theremin. 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. See more ideas about surf music, electronic music and vintage robots. Even though many theremin sounds can be approximated on many modern synthesizers, some musicians continue to appreciate the expressiveness, novelty and uniqueness of using an actual. Synthesizers are cool, but the theremin is the original electronic instrument. We show you how to build one, and a master theremin player shows you what you can do with it.
Even though many theremin sounds can be approximated on many modern synthesizers, some musicians continue to appreciate the expressiveness, novelty, and uniqueness. Even though many theremin sounds can be approximated on many modern synthesizers, some musicians continue to appreciate the expressiveness, novelty and uniqueness of using an. Set against the backdrop of the instruments ethereal sound, theremin. Leon theremin was the secret link between scifi films, the beach boys, and carnegie hall. Leon termen, the creator of one of the first widely used and mass produced electronic instruments the eponymous theremin developed a keyboard version of the instrument during his stay in new york. The art of the theremin, released by delos, contains twelve performances by clara rockmore herself. This incredible film provides an indepth look into the history of the instrument and its inventor. It is the kind of movie that requires a musical score only the theremin possibly could supply. The spooky sound of the theremin was used in several movie soundtracks during the 1950s and 1960s. Used in countless sciencefiction film scores, the theremin also appears on more recordings these. An electronic odyssey in 1994, the instrument has enjoyed a resurgence in interest and has become more widely used by contemporary musicians. This prototype evolved into a production model theremin in 1920, this was a unique design, resembling a gramophone cabinet on 4 legs with a protruding metal antennae and a metal loop.
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