Léon Theremin playing an early theremin

The theremin (originally pronounced [ˈteremin] but often anglicized as [ˈθɛɹəmɪn] ^[1]), or thereminvox, is one of the earliest fully electronic musical instruments. It was invented by Russian inventor Léon Theremin in 1919, and it is unique in that it was the first musical instrument designed to be played without being touched. The controlling section generally consists of two metal antennas to sense the relative position of the players hands. These sensors control audio oscillator(s) for frequency from one hand, and volume from the other. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker. This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... A young Léon Theremin playing a theremin Léon Theremin (born Lev Sergeyevich Termen, Лев Сергеевич Термен in Russian) (August 15, 1896–November 3, 1993) was a Russian inventor. ... Telharmonium, created by Thaddeus Cahill 1897 Luigi Russolo and his assistant Ugo Piatti with their Intonarumori, 1913 Léon Theremin and his Theremin, 1919 Trautonium, 1928 An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. ... A young Léon Theremin playing a theremin Léon Theremin (born Lev Sergeyevich Termen, Лев Сергеевич Термен in Russian) (August 15, 1896–November 3, 1993) was a Russian inventor. ... A Yagi-Uda beam antenna Short Wave Curtain Antenna (Moosbrunn, Austria) A building rooftop supporting numerous dish and sectored mobile telecommunications antennas (Doncaster, Victoria, Australia) An antenna is a transducer designed to transmit or receive radio waves which are a class of electromagnetic waves. ... Oscillation is the variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. ... In the fields of communications, signal processing, and in electrical engineering more generally, a signal is any time-varying quantity. ... For the British rock band of the same name, see Amplifier (band). ... For the Marty Friedman album, see Loudspeaker (album) An inexpensive low fidelity 3. ...

To play the theremin, the player moves his hands around the two metal antennas, which control the instrument's frequency (pitch) and amplitude (volume). The theremin is widely associated with "alien," surreal, and eerie-sounding portamento, glissando, tremolo, and vibrato sounds, due to its use in film soundtracks such as Spellbound, The Lost Weekend, Ed Wood, Mars Attacks! and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Theremins are also used in art music (especially avant-garde and 20th century "new music") and in popular music genres such as rock and pop. For other uses, see Frequency (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that pulse amplitude be merged into this article or section. ... The horizontal axis shows frequency in Hz Loudness is the quality of a sound that is the primary psychological correlate of physical intensity. ... Portamento is a musical term currently used to mean pitch bending or sliding, and in 16th century polyphonic writing refers to a type of musical ornamentation. ... Glissando (plural: glissandi) is a musical term that refers to either a continuous sliding from one pitch to another (a true glissando), or an incidental scale played while moving from one melodic note to another (an effective glissando). ... Tremolo is a musical term with two meanings: A rapid repetition of the same note, a rapid variation in the amplitude of a single note, or an alternation between two or more notes. ... Vibrato is a musical effect where the pitch or frequency of a note or sound is quickly and repeatedly raised and lowered over a small distance for the duration of that note or sound. ... Spellbound is a 1945 psychological thriller and mystery film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. ... For The Cosby Show episode, see The Lost Weekend (The Cosby Show). ... Ed Wood can refer to: The movie director Ed Wood, Jr. ... This article is about the film. ... The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 black-and-white science fiction film that tells the story of a humanoid alien who comes to Earth to warn its leaders not to take their conflicts into space, or they will face devastating consequences. ... For experimental rock music, see experimental rock. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Pop music (disambiguation). ...

Similar electronic instruments, such as the Ondes-Martenot also use the principle of two heterodyning oscillators, but the Ondes-Martenot is touched while it is played. Ondes Martenot demonstrated by inventor Maurice Martenot The ondes Martenot (Martenot waves; also known as the ondium Martenot, Martenot and ondes musicales. ... In telecommunications, to heterodyne is to generate new frequencies by mixing two or more signals in a nonlinear device such as a vacuum tube, transistor, or diode mixer. ...

History

See also: Léon Theremin

The theremin was originally the product of Russian government-sponsored research into proximity sensors. The instrument was invented by a young Russian physicist named Lev Sergeivich Termen (known in the West as Léon Theremin) in 1919, after the outbreak of the Russian civil war. After positive reviews at Moscow electronics conferences, Theremin demonstrated the device to Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin. Lenin was so impressed with the device that he began taking lessons in playing it^[2], commissioned six hundred of the instruments for distribution throughout the Soviet Union, and sent Theremin on a trip around the world to demonstrate the latest Soviet technology and the invention of electronic music. After a lengthy tour of Europe, during which time he demonstrated his invention to packed houses, Theremin found his way to America, where he patented his invention in 1928 (US1661058 ). Subsequently, Theremin granted commercial production rights to RCA. A young Léon Theremin playing a theremin Léon Theremin (born Lev Sergeyevich Termen, Лев Сергеевич Термен in Russian) (August 15, 1896–November 3, 1993) was a Russian inventor. ... A young Léon Theremin playing a theremin Léon Theremin (born Lev Sergeyevich Termen, Лев Сергеевич Термен in Russian) (August 15, 1896–November 3, 1993) was a Russian inventor. ... Combatants Local Soviet powers led by Russian SFSR and Red Army Chinese mercenaries White Movement Central Powers (1917-1918): Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire German Empire Allied Intervention: (1918-1922) Japan Czechoslovakia Greece  United States  Canada Serbia Romania UK  France Foreign volunteers: Polish Italian Local nationalist movements, national states, and decentralist... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... This article is about the engineering discipline. ... For other uses, see Bolshevik (disambiguation). ... Lenin redirects here. ... For other uses, see Electronic music (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... RCA, formerly an acronym for the Radio Corporation of America, is now a trademark owned by Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson. ...

Although the RCA Thereminvox, released immediately following the Stock Market Crash of 1929, was not a commercial success, it fascinated audiences in America and abroad. Clara Rockmore, a well-known thereminist, toured to wide acclaim, performing a classical repertoire in concert halls around the United States, often sharing the bill with Paul Robeson. In 1938, Theremin left the United States, though the circumstances related to his departure are in dispute. Many accounts claim he was taken from his New York City apartment by Soviet agents, returned to the USSR and made to work in a sharashka. However, Albert Glinsky's 2000 biography Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage suggests he fled to escape crushing personal debts, and was subsequently caught up in Stalin's political purges. In any case, Theremin did not return to the United States until 1991. ^[3] Crowd gathering on Wall Street. ... Clara Rockmore (born Clara Reisenberg, Vilnius, Lithuania, March 9, 1911; d. ... Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson (April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was a multi-lingual American actor, athlete, bass-baritone concert singer, writer, civil rights activist, fellow traveler, Spingarn Medal winner, and Stalin Peace Prize laureate. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Sharashka (sometimes Sharaga or Sharazhka, Russian: ) was an informal name for secret research and development laboratories in the Soviet Gulag labor camp system. ...

A modern Moog theremin

After a flurry of interest in America following the end of the Second World War, the theremin soon fell into disuse with serious musicians, mainly because newer electronic instruments were introduced that were easier to play. However, a niche interest in the theremin persisted, mostly among electronics enthusiasts and kit-building hobbyists. One of these electronics enthusiasts, Robert Moog, began building theremins in the 1950s, while he was a high-school student. Moog subsequently published a number of articles about building theremins, and sold theremin kits which were intended to be assembled by the customer. Moog credited what he learned from the experience as leading directly to his groundbreaking synthesizer, the Minimoog. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... The Moog Music logo Moog Music Inc. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Dr. Robert Arthur Moog (pronounced // to rhyme with vogue, not //) (May 23, 1934 – August 21, 2005) was a pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer. ... For other uses, see Synthesizer (disambiguation). ... The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by David van Koevering and Robert Moog. ...

Since the release of the film Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey in 1994 (one year after the death of Léon Theremin), the instrument has enjoyed a resurgence in interest and has become more widely used by contemporary musicians. 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 theremin. The film itself has garnered excellent reviews. [1]

Today Moog Music, Wavefront Technologies and Kees Enkelaar^[4] manufacture performance-quality theremins. Theremin kit building remains popular with electronics buffs; kits are available from Moog Music, Theremaniacs, Harrison Instruments, and PAiA Electronics. On the other end of the scale, many low-end Theremins, some of which have only pitch control, are offered online and offline, sometimes advertised as toys. The Moog Music logo Moog Music Inc. ... PAiA Electronics, Inc. ...

Operating principles

A theremin is unique among musical instruments in that it is performed without being touched by the operator. The musician stands in front of the instrument and moves their hands in the proximity of two metal antennas. The distance from one antenna determines frequency (pitch), and the distance from the other controls amplitude (volume). Most frequently, the right hand controls the pitch and the left controls the volume, although some performers reverse this arrangement. Additionally, some theremins use a volume dial and have only one antenna. A Yagi-Uda beam antenna Short Wave Curtain Antenna (Moosbrunn, Austria) A building rooftop supporting numerous dish and sectored mobile telecommunications antennas (Doncaster, Victoria, Australia) An antenna is a transducer designed to transmit or receive radio waves which are a class of electromagnetic waves. ... For other uses, see Frequency (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that pulse amplitude be merged into this article or section. ... The horizontal axis shows frequency in Hz Loudness is the quality of a sound that is the primary psychological correlate of physical intensity. ...

A theremin uses the heterodyne principle to generate an audio signal. The instrument's circuitry includes two radio frequency oscillators. One oscillator operates at a fixed frequency. The other is a variable frequency oscillator, the frequency of which is controlled by the performer's distance from the frequency control antenna. The performer's hand acts as the grounded plate (the performer's body being the connection to ground) of a variable capacitor in an L-C (inductance-capacitance) circuit. The difference between the frequencies of the two oscillators at each moment generates a beat frequency in the audio frequency range, resulting in audio signals that are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker. In telecommunications, to heterodyne is to generate new frequencies by mixing two or more signals in a nonlinear device such as a vacuum tube, transistor, or diode mixer. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Radio waves. ... Oscillation is the variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. ... It has been suggested that Ground conductor be merged into this article or section. ... A variable capacitor is a capacitor whose capacitance may be intentionally and repeatedly changed mechanically or electronically. ... Interference of two circular waves - Wavelength (decreasing bottom to top) and Wave centers distance (increasing to the right). ... An audio frequency (abbreviation: AF) is any frequency from about 20 hertz to about 20 kilohertz, which is the approximate range of sound frequencies that is audible to humans. ... In the fields of communications, signal processing, and in electrical engineering more generally, a signal is any time-varying quantity. ... For the British rock band of the same name, see Amplifier (band). ... For the Marty Friedman album, see Loudspeaker (album) An inexpensive low fidelity 3. ...

To control volume, the performer's hand acts as the grounded plate of another variable capacitor. In this case, the capacitor detunes another L-C circuit, which affects the amplifier circuit. The distance between the performer's hand and the volume control antenna determines the capacitor's value, which regulates the theremin's volume.

Performance technique

Easy to learn but notoriously difficult to master, theremin performance presents two challenges: reliable control of the instrument's pitch with no guidance (no keys, valves, frets, or finger-board positions), and minimizing undesired portamento that is inherent in the instrument's microtonal design. Portamento is a musical term currently used to mean pitch bending or sliding, and in 16th century polyphonic writing refers to a type of musical ornamentation. ... 19 scale piano Microtonal music is music using microtones — intervals of less than an equally spaced semitone, or as Charles Ives put it, the notes between the cracks of the piano. ...

Pitch control is challenging because, unlike most musical instruments, a theremin generates tones of any pitch throughout its entire range, including those that lie between the conventional notes. While some other instruments share this feature, particularly the stringed instruments, those instruments use several (typically four) separate strings to express the instrument's full range of pitches, and positions on the finger-board corresponding to specific notes become familiar to performers. In the case of the theremin, the entire range of pitches is controlled by the distance of the performer's hand to the pitch antenna in mid-air, and over relatively short range of distances. Very precise control of manual position coupled with an excellent sense of pitch is required, since the electromagnetic field around the antenna tends to change slowly over time, resulting in changing positions of individual pitches.

Also, the theremin's continuous range of pitches lends itself to glissando playing, which can be inappropriate to the piece being performed. Skilled performers, through rapid and exact hand movements, minimize undesired portamento and glissando to play individual notes and can even achieve staccato effects. Small and rapid movements of the hands can create tremolo or vibrato effects. Glissando (plural: glissandi) is a musical term that refers to either a continuous sliding from one pitch to another (a true glissando), or an incidental scale played while moving from one melodic note to another (an effective glissando). ... In musical notation, the Italian word staccato (literally detached, plural staccatos or staccati) indicates that notes are sounded in a detached and distinctly separate manner, with silence making up the latter part of the time allocated to each note. ... Tremolo is a musical term with two meanings: A rapid repetition of the same note, a rapid variation in the amplitude of a single note, or an alternation between two or more notes. ... Vibrato is a musical effect where the pitch or frequency of a note or sound is quickly and repeatedly raised and lowered over a small distance for the duration of that note or sound. ...

Although pitch is governed primarily by the distance of the performer's hand to the pitch antenna, most precision thereminists augment their playing techniques with a system called "aerial fingering", largely devised by Clara Rockmore and subsequently extended by Lydia Kavina. It employs specific hand and finger positions to alter slightly the amount of capacitance relative to the pitch antenna to produce small changes in tone quickly and in a manner that can be reliably reproduced. Clara Rockmore (born Clara Reisenberg, Vilnius, Lithuania, March 9, 1911; d. ... Kavina at age nine with Léon Theremin in the 1970s Lydia Kavina (born September 8, 1967) is a Russian virtuoso of the theremin. ...

An alternate and controversial "hands on" technique is called "angling" in which the pitch control hand is actually set on the top of the theremin which violates the "no touch" creed of traditionalists. It employs changing the angle of the hand and fingers to alter the pitch and repositioning the hand if the pitch interval is too large for "angling". By touching the instrument, the effect on pitch of extraneous movement is dampened. This permits the use of steady pitches without vibrato and without remaining perfectly still.

Equally important in theremin articulation is the use of the volume control antenna. Unlike touched instruments, where simply halting play or damping a resonator silences the instrument, the thereminist must "play the rests, as well as the notes", as Ms. Rockmore observes. [2] Although volume technique is less developed than pitch technique, some thereminists have worked to extend it, especially Pamelia Kurstin's "walking bass" technique. Pamelia Kurstin (born May 28, 1976 in Southern California) is a world-renowned thereminist who has played and recorded with such prestigious artists as David Byrne and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and has performed on the television show Saturday Night Live. ... In music a walking bass is a bass accompaniment generally consisting of unsyncopated notes of equal value, usually quarter notes (known in jazz as a four feel). Walking bass lines are used in rock, blues, rock-a-billy, ska, r&b, gospel, latin, country, and many other genres (Friedland 1995...

Skilled players who overcome these challenges by a precisely controlled combination of movements can achieve complex and expressive performances, and thus realize a theremin's potential.

Some thereminists in the avant-garde openly rebel against developing any formalized technique, viewing it as imposing traditional limitations on an instrument that is inherently free form. These players choose to develop their own highly personalized techniques. The question of the relative value of formal technique versus free form performances is hotly debated among thereminists. Theremin artist Anthony Ptak uses antenna interference in live performance. A work similar to Marcel Duchamps Fountain Avant garde (written avant-garde) is a French phrase, one of many French phrases used by English speakers. ... For other uses, see Interference (disambiguation). ...

A theremin in use

In artistic music

Carolina Eyck
Thereminist

Theremins are popular instruments among avant-garde and new music artists because of their perceived freedom from traditional compositional strictures. It is also performed as a classical instrument, and is occasionally used in jazz improvisation. Classical composers who have written for theremin include Bohuslav Martinů, Dmitri Shostakovich, Percy Grainger, Christian Wolff, Mortimer Browning, Anis Fuleihan, Joseph Schillinger, David Simons, Mark Steven Brooks, Olga Bochihina, Caspar Johannes Walter, Alan Hovaness, Edgar Varese, Nicolaus Richter de Vroe, Michael Hirsch, Juliane Klein, Vladimir Nikolaev, Moritz Eggert, Iraida Yusupova, Robert C. Ehle, John Haussermann, Friedrich Wilckens, Isidor Achron, Jorge Antunes, Vladimir Komarov, and Dalit Warshaw. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1024 pixel, file size: 109 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1024 pixel, file size: 109 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... A work similar to Marcel Duchamps Fountain Avant garde (written avant-garde) is a French phrase, one of many French phrases used by English speakers. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Portrait of Martinů Bohuslav Martinů ( ; December 8, 1890—August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer. ... Dmitri Shostakovich in 1942 Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich   (Russian: , Dmitrij Dmitrievič Å ostakovič) (September 25 [O.S. September 12] 1906 – August 9, 1975) was a Russian composer of the Soviet period. ... Percy Aldridge Grainger (8 July 1882 – 20 February 1961) was an Australian-born pianist, composer, and champion of the saxophone and the Concert band. ... Christian Wolff (born March 8, 1934) is an American composer of experimental classical music. ... Joseph Schillinger (1895-1943) was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine (at that time, part of Russia). ... Alan Hovhaness with an Indonesian rebab Alan Hovhaness (March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American composer of Armenian and Scottish descent. ... Edgar (or Edgard) Varèse (December 22, 1883 – November 6, 1965) was a French-born composer, who moved to the United States in 1915, and took American citizenship in 1926. ... Dalit Warshaw was born in New York on August 6, 1974. ...

A recent classical composition utilizing the Theremin is Lera Auerbach's ballet The Little Mermaid, a three hour production featuring the theremin as the mermaid's voice throughout. The Royal Danish Ballet commissioned Russian- North American composer Lera Auerbach to make a modern rendition of this fairy tale. It premiered on April fifteenth, 2005 with Lydia Kavina as the theremin soloist. Lydia Kavina also performed in Olga Neuwirth's opera Bählamms Fest (after Leonora Carrington's Baa-Lamb's Holiday), which premiered in 1999. Lera Auerbach (Russian: ; b. ... For the 1989 Disney animated film, see The Little Mermaid (1989 film). ... Kavina at age nine with Léon Theremin in the 1970s Lydia Kavina (born September 8, 1967) is a Russian virtuoso of the theremin. ... Olga Neuwirth is a contemporary avant-garde composer. ... Leonora Carrington (born April 6, 1917 in Clayton Green, Lancashire, England - ) is a British-born Mexican novelist and surrealist painter. ...

Dalit Warshaw, a student of Clara Rockmore, is a composer, pianist and thereminist who has performed on the instrument with such ensembles as the New York Philharmonic and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, among others. Works written for theremin by Dalit Warshaw have been performed at Lincoln Center, Steinway Hall and at the L.A. Philharmonic's Disney Hall. Dalit Warshaw was born in New York on August 6, 1974. ... Clara Rockmore (born Clara Reisenberg, Vilnius, Lithuania, March 9, 1911; d. ... The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842. ... The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (Swedish: Kungliga Filharmonikerna or Kungliga Filharmoniska Orkestern) was founded in 1902 as the Stockholm Concert Society (Konsertföreningens orkester). ... Dalit Warshaw was born in New York on August 6, 1974. ... The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. ... Steinway Hall 14th Str. ... Disney Hall in daytime Another view The Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. ...

Russian thereminist and composer Lydia Kavina is widely regarded as the greatest living theremin virtuoso. She is the niece of one of Léon Theremin's first-degree cousins. Kavina was Theremin's protégé. Her repertoire consists primarily of classical and neo-classical compositions, many of which were written for the instrument. Many thereminists have studied under Ms. Kavina, including German thereminists Barbara Buchholz and Carolina Eyck, English thereminists Bruce Woolley and Miss Hypnotique, and Japanese thereminist Masami Takeuchi. Kavina at age nine with Léon Theremin in the 1970s Lydia Kavina (born September 8, 1967) is a Russian virtuoso of the theremin. ... A virtuoso (from Italian virtuoso, late Latin virtuosus, Latin virtus meaning: skill, manliness, excellence) is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability at singing or playing a musical instrument. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Pamelia Kurstin is a thereminist whose eclectic styles and innovations continue to expand the instrument's range. She performs solo in the classical and jazz idioms, as well as in ethnic and avant-rock music with the band Barbez. Pamelia Kurstin (born May 28, 1976 in Southern California) is a world-renowned thereminist who has played and recorded with such prestigious artists as David Byrne and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and has performed on the television show Saturday Night Live. ...

Armen Ra specializes in performing Armenian music. Other performers of note include American jazz thereminist Eric Ross, Canadian Peter Pringle, and Eri Ii of Japan. U.K. based Beatrix Ward-Fernandez is a young improvisor. Armen Ra is an Armenian artist and performer born in Tehran, Iran. ... Eric Ross (born 1948 in Pennsylvania, USA) is an American composer and avant-garde musician residing in New York. ...

In popular music

Theremin sounds have been incorporated into many popular music songs from the 1960s through the present. For the music genre, see Pop music. ...

Theremins have also been used in live concerts and in the studio by artists such as Street Drum Corps, Olivia Tremor Control, Phish, Pixies, The Flaming Lips, Tripod, The Octopus Project, Chris Funk (The Decemberists), The Mars Volta, The Polyphonic Spree, Fishbone, Jean Michel Jarre, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Charlie Clouser (Nine Inch Nails), Natalie Naveira (Lendi Vexer), Bill Bailey, Nikki Sixx, Pere Ubu, Keller Williams, One Ring Zero, The Damned (by Dave Vanian), Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Russian duet Messer Chups, Patrick Wolf, DeVotchKa, Roy Harter, Pram, Soular, The Phenomenauts, Chris Kilmore (Incubus), Coheed and Cambria and Serj Tankian. Street Drum Corps was started in April 2004 by Bobby Alt (S.T.U.N., Faculty X), Adam Alt (Circus Minor), and Frank Zummo (theSTART). ... The Olivia Tremor Control was an Athens, Georgia indie rock band in the mid- to late 1990s and, along with The Apples in Stereo and Neutral Milk Hotel, was one of the three original Elephant Six projects. ... This article is about the band. ... The Pixies[1] are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1985. ... The Flaming Lips (formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983) are an American alternative rock band. ... TriPod is a rock trio that dispenses with guitars and keyboards. ... The Octopus Project is an American indietronica band based in Austin, Texas. ... Chris Funk is a member of the Portland, Oregon, indie rock band, The Decemberists. ... The Decemberists are a five-piece indie pop band from Portland, Oregon, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy . ... The Mars Volta is an American Rock group founded by Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Isaiah Ikey Owens and Jeremy Michael Ward in 2001. ... The Polyphonic Spree is a self-described choral symphonic rock group from the Dallas, Texas area. ... Fishbone is an alternative rock band that plays a fusion of funk, ska, punk rock, reggae, heavy metal and more. ... Jean-Michel André Jarre (born August 24, 1948 in Lyon, France) is a French composer, performer and music producer. ... The Blues Explosion. ... Charles Alexander Clouser (born June 28, 1963 in Hanover, New Hampshire) is a musician whose activities include playing keyboard and drums, music programming, engineering, and mixing. ... NIN redirects here. ... Natalie Naveira is Multi-instrumentalist and singer of Lendi Vexer (Downbeat/Trip Hop Group) She was born in the year 1976, in Buenos Aires-Argentina. ... The Trip Hop duo, Lendi Vexer // Lendi Vexer Trip Hop Band with Natalie Naveira in vocals Since the year 1995 both components of Lêndi Vexer, have navigate solitary in the cold waters of Downbeat trying to make the tide marry them so that they become one chemically compatible person. ... For other uses, see Bill Bailey (disambiguation). ... Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna, Jr. ... Pere Ubu are a rock music group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. ... Keller Williams (also known as K-Dub) (Born February 4, 1970) is a musician from Fredericksburg, Virginia who began performing in the early 1990’s. ... One Ring Zero is a modern music group that melds many genres and sounds to create a unique type of music and is based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. ... This article is about the music group. ... David Vanian is and has always been the core of the seminal alternative punk band; The Damned. ... Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams is a Sleepy Hollow, New York based band, which was founded there in 1998. ... Messer Chups is an experimental band from Petrograd, Russia. ... Patrick Wolf (born Patrick Apps on June 30, 1983 at St Thomas Hospital, London[1]) is an English singer-songwriter from South London. ... DeVotchKa is a four piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble that fuses Romani, Greek, Slavic, Bolero, and Mariachi music with American punk and folk roots. ... Roy Harter (born March 6, 1973) is an American composer, music producer, audio engineer, and musician most known for his work in television and film. ... Pram are an electronica band, formed in Birmingham, England in the 1990. ... Soular is an American rock and roll band. ... The Phenomenauts are a San Francisco Bay Area band that combine elements of rock and roll, pop, punk, New Wave, and rockabilly along with a futuristic science fiction theme, dubbing their style Rocket Roll. The Phenomenauts were formed in 2000 in Oakland, California (which the band refers to as Earth... Chris Kilmore (born 21 January 1973) is the turntablist of the rock band Incubus. ... Incubus is a five-piece American alternative rock band based out of Calabasas, California. ... Coheed and Cambria is a progressive rock[6][7] band from Nyack, New York and Kingston, New York. ... Serj Tankian (Armenian: ) (born August 21, 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon[1]) is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist. ...

Brian Jones, founder of The Rolling Stones, used a theremin for the song "Please Go Home" off the 1967 album Between the Buttons. For other persons named Brian Jones, see Brian Jones (disambiguation). ... Rolling Stones redirects here. ... Please Go Home is a song by the British rock n roll band, The Rolling Stones. ... Between the Buttons is the fifth UK and seventh US studio album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 1967 as the follow-up to the ambitious Aftermath. ...

A theremin solo was featured in live versions of the song "Whole Lotta Love," by the band Led Zeppelin, the instrument being played by the band's guitarist, Jimmy Page. Alternate Cover Audio sample Info (help· info) Whole Lotta Love is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured as the opening track on their second album, Led Zeppelin II. It was their first hit single. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. ...

The Lothars are a Boston-area band whose CDs have featured as many as four theremins played at once.^[5]

Other bands and artists occasionally using a theremin are Alison Goldfrapp in the song "Train",^[6] Marilyn Manson in "Dope Hat", Les Claypool's Fancy Band in "Of Whales and Woe", Simon and Garfunkel on the album "Old Friends: Live on Stage" (played by keyboardist Rob Schwimmer), Supergrass in the song "Richard III", Tiamat on the album "A Deeper Kind of Slumber", Brazilian psychedelic band Os Mutantes, Project: Pimento, John Otway,^[7] and Timbaland on the album "Shock Value". Roger Ruskin Spear of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band uses a theremin "leg" in the song "Noises for the Leg" on their album "Keynsham", whereas Rapper Paul Wall features a looped (screwed and chopped) theremin on his single "I'm Throwed" (featuring Jermaine Dupri.) Goldfrapp is a British electronica group known for their visual theatrics and contribution to the popularization of electronic dance music. ... Marilyn Manson is a rock band based in Los Angeles, California. ... Les Claypools Fancy Band is the most current group of fiery individuals to go on tour with Les Claypool. ... The duo of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are American popular musicians known collectively as Simon and Garfunkel. ... REDIRECT Template:Infobox Musician For the witnesses who betray information about associated criminals, see Supergrass (informer). ... Richard III is a song by the band Supergrass. ... Tiamat is a band that formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1988. ... A Deeper Kind of Slumber is the 1997 Century Media Records release by Swedish band Tiamat. ... Os Mutantes (IPA pronunciation: , Portuguese for The Mutants) are an influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band that arose out of the Tropicalia movement of the late 1960s. ... Otway at Glastonbury Festival, 2002. ... Timothy Z. Mosley (born March 10, 1971), better known as Timbaland, is an American musical composer and R&B record producer and rapper whose style influenced both genres even helping to blur the distinction between the two, as well as Pop and Dance music. ... Roger Ruskin Spear, the son of Ruskin Spear, was a founder member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, staying with it until its end. ... The Bonzo Dog Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, The Bonzo Dog Dada Band and, colloquially, as The Bonzos) was a band created by a group of British art-school denizens of the 1960s. ... Keynsham (pronounced CANE-shm), is a town between Bristol and Bath in south west England. ... Paul William Slayton (born Paul Gideon Manry on March 11, 1980) better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is a rapper, DJ, promoter and jeweller. ... Screwed & Chopped is a term that refers to a certain technique of remixing hip-hop music by slowing the tempo and applying various DJ techniques such as skipping beats, record scratching, stop-time, and sending portions of the music through stand-alone effects to make a chopped-up version of... Im Throwed is the second single off Paul Walls album, Get Money, Stay True. ... Jermaine Dupri also known simply as JD (born Jermaine Dupri Mauldin on September 23, 1972) is an American record producer and rapper. ...

One of the most persistent theremin myths is that The Beach Boys used one in the 1966 recording of "Good Vibrations". Brian Wilson did request that a theremin be included in the studio orchestra for this recording, but neither the instrument nor a musician to play it were available at the time. Instead, Paul Tanner was brought in with his homemade device called an Electro-Theremin, which featured mechanical controls that could mimic the theremin sound. For concert appearances, a slide-controlled oscillator was designed and built for Wilson by Robert Moog. The Beach Boys are an American rock and roll band. ... Good Vibrations is a pop single produced by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. ... For other persons named Brian Wilson, see Brian Wilson (disambiguation). ... Paul Tanner (born October 15, 1917) is an American musician. ... The Electro-Theremin aka Tannerin is a unique electronic musical instrument developed by trombonist Paul Tanner and amateur inventor Bob Whitsell in the late 1950s. ... Dr. Robert Arthur Moog (pronounced // to rhyme with vogue, not //) (May 23, 1934 – August 21, 2005) was a pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer. ...

In movies and movie soundtracks

The Russian Dmitri Shostakovich was the first composer to include parts for the theremin in orchestral pieces, including a use in his score for the 1931 film Odna. While the theremin was not widely used in classical music performances, the instrument found great success as the 'eerie' background sound in countless motion pictures, notably, Spellbound, The Red House, The Lost Weekend, The Spiral Staircase, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing (From Another World), The Ten Commandments (the 1956 DeMille film). The theremin is used as a melodic solo instrument, rather than as a sound effect, in the soundtracks of Raw Deal, Bartleby, Monster House, Ed Wood, and The Machinist ^[8] (both featuring Lydia Kavina). The DVDs for Ed Wood and Bartleby both contain short features on the theremin. Robby Virus, the founder and theremin player of the band Project:Pimento, was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Hellboy (2004).^[9] Dmitri Shostakovich in 1942 Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich   (Russian: , Dmitrij Dmitrievič Å ostakovič) (September 25 [O.S. September 12] 1906 – August 9, 1975) was a Russian composer of the Soviet period. ... Yelena Kuzmina is both the star and the main character of the film. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ... Spellbound is a 1945 psychological thriller and mystery film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. ... Red House is a famous architectural landmark by William Morris and Philip Webb at Bexleyheath London. ... For The Cosby Show episode, see The Lost Weekend (The Cosby Show). ... Dorothy McGuire and Kent Smith in The Spiral Staircase The Spiral Staircase is a Hollywood thriller from 1946 directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Dorothy McGuire, Kent Smith, George Brent, Rhonda Fleming, Elsa Lanchester, and Ethel Barrymore. ... The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 black-and-white science fiction film that tells the story of a humanoid alien who comes to Earth to warn its leaders not to take their conflicts into space, or they will face devastating consequences. ... The Thing from Another World DVD cover The Thing from Another World is a 1951 science fiction film which tells the story of scientists at a remote Arctic outpost who fight an alien being. ... The Ten Commandments is a 1956 motion picture dramatizing the Biblical story of Moses, an Egyptian prince-turned deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. ... Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is a short story by Herman Melville. ... Ed Wood is a biopic directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp as the cross-dressing cult movie maker Edward D. Wood Jr. ... The Machinist (also known as El Maquinista) is an English-language Spanish psychological thriller film that was released in 2004. ... Kavina at age nine with Léon Theremin in the 1970s Lydia Kavina (born September 8, 1967) is a Russian virtuoso of the theremin. ... Hellboy (also known as Super Sapiens in Malaysia) is an American supernatural thriller, directed by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro. ...

Throughout the theremin's use in film music from the 1940s to the 1960s, its sound was equated with the bizarre and alien. Because of Clara Rockmore's professed distaste for such projects, the thereminist most commonly enlisted to perform anything from haunting melodies to eerie sound effects was Dr. Samuel Hoffmann, whose performances can be heard most prominently in the soundtracks for Spellbound (1945) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman (born July 23, 1903 in Manhattan; died December 6, 1967) was a notable thereminist who played with Les Baxter and played theremin on several film soundtracks. ... Spellbound is a 1945 psychological thriller and mystery film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. ... The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 black-and-white science fiction film that tells the story of a humanoid alien who comes to Earth to warn its leaders not to take their conflicts into space, or they will face devastating consequences. ...

Actor Jerry Lewis plays a theremin briefly in the 1957 Paramount film The Delicate Delinquent. The latter part of the scene actually uses thereminist Samuel Hoffman in the soundtrack, to which Jerry Lewis pantomimes the motions of playing the instrument. For other persons named Jerry Lewis, see Jerry Lewis (disambiguation). ... This is the first movie that Jerry Lewis starred in without his longtime partner Dean Martin. ...

It is often believed that the theremin was used for the soundtrack of Forbidden Planet.^{[citation needed]} In fact, Louis and Bebe Barron built oscillator circuits and a ring modulator to create the 'electronic tonalities' for the film. ^[10] This article is about the 1956 film. ... Louis (1920-1989) and Bebe Barron (b. ... Ring modulation is an audio effect performed by multiplying two audio signals, where one is typically a sine-wave or another simple waveform. ...

In television

• The British television series Midsomer Murders uses a theremin in its popular theme tune as well as in underscore. The theremin part is played by Celia Sheen.^[11]

• Bill Bailey, English comedian also uses a theremin in live performances on his stand up tours.
• In "The Ziff Who Came To Dinner" from The Simpsons, Homer becomes upset when he believes that someone is playing his theremin in the attic.
• In the fifteenth episode of Mahou Sentai Magiranger "The Bride's Elder Brother ~Giruma Magi Majuna~," the Magiranger use a device known as the "Tell Me Theremin" which has supposedly not been used in 250 years.^{[citation needed]}
• In May, 2007, the White Castle American hamburger restaurant chain introduced a television ad featuring a theremin performance by musician Jon Bernhardt of the band The Lothars.^[12]
• In the Comedy Central travel program Wanderlust, host Gerhard Reinke is a theremin enthusiast and plays the instrument alongside traditional Irish musicians in a pub.

Midsomer Murders is a popular British television drama series about murders that take place in the fictional English county of Midsomer. ... For other uses, see Bill Bailey (disambiguation). ... The Ziff Who Came to Dinner is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Homer Simpson is also a character in the book and film The Day of the Locust. ... Mahou Sentai Magiranger (魔法戦隊マジレンジャー, meaning Magical Squadron Magic Ranger) was Toeis 2005-2006 production of the Super Sentai television series. ... A White Castle Cheeseburger box. ... Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel in the United States. ... Gerhard Reinkes Wanderlust was a show on Comedy Central that featured writer Josh Gardner as a German backpacker hosting a fictional television show in which he explored various cultural areas on a travelers budget. ... An amusingly named pub (the Old New Inn) at Bourton-on-the-Water, in the Cotswold Hills of South West England A pub in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, Scotland A public house, usually known as a pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada...

In books

• In the novel Hannibal, Hannibal Lecter buys and plays a theremin as well as other musical instruments.
• A theremin is played at a wedding ceremony in the Herman Wouk novel Marjorie Morningstar

Hannibal is a novel by Thomas Harris, a third part of a series involving his iconic psychopathic character Hannibal Lecter. ... Herman Wouk (May 27, 1915 —) is a bestselling American author with a number of notable novels to his credit, including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance. ... Marjorie Morningstar is a 1955 novel by Herman Wouk, about a woman who wants to become an actress. ...

Similar instruments

• The Ondes-Martenot also uses the principle of heterodyning oscillators, but has a keyboard as well as a slide controller and is touched while playing.
• The Electro-Theremin (or Tannerin) does not use heterodyning oscillators and has to be touched while playing, but it allows continuous variation of the frequency range and sounds similar to the theremin.
• The Persephone, an analogue fingerboard synthesizer with CV and MIDI, inspired from Les Ondes Martenots or the Trautonium. The Persephone allows continuous variation of the frequency range from 1 to 10 octaves. The ribbon is pressure and position sensitive.
• The Electronde, invented in 1929 by Martin Taubman, has an antenna for pitch control, a handheld switch for articulation and a foot pedal for volume control.^[13]
• The Syntheremin is an extension of the theremin.
• The Croix Sonore (Sonorous Cross), is based on the theremin. It was developed by Russian composer Nicolas Obouchov in France, after he saw Lev Theremin demonstrate the theremin in 1924.
• The terpsitone, also invented by Theremin, consisted of a platform fitted with space-controlling antennas, through and around which a dancer would control the musical performance. By most accounts, the instrument was nearly impossible to control. Of the three instruments built, only the last one, made in 1978 for Lydia Kavina, survives today.
• The Z.Vex Effects Fuzz Probe, Wah Probe and Tremolo Probe, using a theremin to control said effects. The Fuzz Probe can be used as a theremin, as it can through feedback oscillation create tones of any pitch.

Ondes Martenot demonstrated by inventor Maurice Martenot The ondes Martenot (Martenot waves; also known as the ondium Martenot, Martenot and ondes musicales. ... The Electro-Theremin aka Tannerin is a unique electronic musical instrument developed by trombonist Paul Tanner and amateur inventor Bob Whitsell in the late 1950s. ... The Persephone is an analogue fingerboard synthesizer in the tradition of the first ribbon controled instruments from the 1920s. ... Articulation may refer to several topics: In speech, linguistics, and communication: Topic-focus articulation Articulation score Place of articulation Manner of articulation In music: Musical articulations (staccato, legato, etc) In education: Articulation (education) In sociology: Articulation (sociology) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... Syntheremin is a combination term for “Synthesizer” and “Theremin”, and an original musical instrument that a Japanese composer AQi Fzono conceived and invented with the cooperation of a Japanese engineer Michio Kurahashi in 1995. ... The Croix Sonore is an early electronic musical instrument with continuous pitch, similar to the theremin. ... The terpsitone was an electronic musical instrument, invented by Léon Theremin, which consisted of a platform fitted with space-controlling antennae, through and around which a dancer would control the musical performance. ... The Z. Vex logo Z. Vex Effects is a boutique effects pedal company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ...

See also

• American Museum of Radio and Electricity, which features a theremin that visitors can play
• The Pacific Science Center also has a theremin on display that guests can try to play. It is located in the lobby of the Boeing IMAX Theater building.

The American Museum of Radio and Electricity in Bellingham, Washington was founded in 1985 by Jonathan Winter[1]. Originally inhabiting a small storefront (under the name Bellingham Antique Radio Museum), the museum now occupies a much larger space, which includes exhibits of antique radios, as well as demonstrations of electric... The IMAX dome dominates this view of the Pacific Science Center Arches and fountains The Pacific Science Center is a science museum in Seattle, Washington. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA, TYO: 7661) is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Edward Boeing. ... IMAX theatre at the Melbourne Museum complex, Australia BFI London IMAX by night IMAX dome in Guayaquil, Ecuador IMAX Theater in SM Mall of Asia, Philippines IMAX (short for Image Maximum) is a film format created by Canadas IMAX Corporation that has the capacity to display images of far...

References

The Mad, The Bad & The Dangerous Tour was a tour by The Hamsters, Wilko Johnson and his band, and John Otway with his guitarist Richard Holgarth. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the 1956 film. ...

Publications

• Rockmore, Clara (1998). Method for Theremin. Edited by David Miller & Jeffrey McFarland-Johnson. Made publicly available at [3] [pdf]
• Eyck, Carolina (2006). The Art of Playing the Theremin. Berlin: SERVI Verlag. ISBN 3-933757-08-8. 
• Glinsky, Albert (2000). Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02582-2. 

Film and video

• Martin, Steven M. (Director). (1995). Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey [Film and DVD]. Orion/MGM.
• Olsen, William (Director). (1995). Mastering the Theremin [Videotape (VHS) and DVD]. Moog Music and Little Big Films.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Theremin

• ThereminWorld.com
• oddmusic.com theremin page
• TECI: Theremin Enthusiasts Club International
• Theremin.info
• Clara Rockmore playing "The Swan" (Saint-Saëns)
• Dr. Samuel Hoffman, Hollywood's premiere thereminist
• Art's Theremin Page: Complete construction plans for solid state and vacuum tube theremins
• Theremin Music Gaining Popularity - Audio: KPLU's Bellamy Pailthorp reports.