Every once in awhile, I stumble upon something truly fascinating that I simply have to blog about. Last night, it was the theremin.
The theremin is an electric instrument that was invented by a Russian physicist named Lev Sergeivich Termen (known in the West as Léon Theremin) in October 1920. He demonstrated the instrument to Vladimir Lenin - the leader of the Bolsheviks - and he was so impressed with it that he ordered 600 to be made and distributed around the Soviet Union.
Strangely enough, the theremin is controlled without contact from the person playing it. Two metal antennas sense the position of the player's hands. The frequency of the sound is controlled with one hand; the volume with another. The result is an eerie sound that is projected through a loudspeaker.
It's difficult to clearly articulate exactly what this instrument is, so I have included a series of videos to better convey how fascinating the theremin is.
VIDEO ONE: The inventor provides a demonstration in 1920 (and yes, this video is actually from that long ago. How it appeared on YouTube, I have no idea).
VIDEO TWO: An individual uses the theremin to create his own unique rendition of Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy (a beautiful song).
VIDEO THREE: Theremin magic for trekkies everywhere!
Pretty crazy, right? I can't believe I've never heard of one before, but now that I have seen the theremin in action, I think I'll have to purchase one in the future.
*All videos taken from YouTube.
I wish there was a way you could have tagged me in this post :P
ReplyDeleteSometimes I've thought that the sad violin music in early film wasn't actually violin but a theremin. Probably crazy talk, but it's always been a thought. The theremin is a lost art (or sadly just evolved into noise making).
WOW! That was incredible. I'd never heard of this instrument. I just learned something new!
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy learning new things & the theremin is amazing. What an original and unique way of expressing sound. It also struck me that the video images are so fluid as compared to film shot in that era in the U.S. I'm definitely forwarding this on to my music loving friends.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gail for forwarding this on to me, one of your music loving friends! Thanks Amanda--seems like it would be really awesome to play with.
ReplyDeleteThis looks so weird! I really wanna learn to play this! :)
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