Another weblog

1 September 2009

The theremin is an instrument that you don’t touch. Really.

A theremin

It’s an electic instrument, invented in 1920 by the Russian inventor Léon Theremin (born Лев Сергеевич Термен Lev Sergeyevich Termen) when he was twenty-four. He was a scientist, working on proximity sensors, when he got the idea for a musical instrument. A vertical antenna affects pitch—the closer an object is to it, the higher the pitch. A looped antenna affects volume—the closer an object is to it, the softer the volume. The only time you touch it is when you don’t want it to make a sound.

Though the concept is simple, theremins are difficult to play well. However, there have been at least a couple theremin virtuose. Take a look at this video of Clara Rockmore playing Saint-Saëns’ ‘Le Cygne’ (‘The Swan’):

Posted in Films, Humour, Music |