The theremin, originally known as the etherphone, came to be when physicist Lev Sergeevich Termin (known as Leon Theremin in the west) noticed the musical possibilities of his Russian government-sponsored research into proximity detection. A prototype of the instrument was first created by Termin in October of 1920. It would be officially patented in 1928 after Termin had arrived in America. Protruding from the theremin are two antennas that allow the user to manipulate volume and pitch without touching the instrument. One antenna controls pitch and the other volume based on the distance of the musicians hands from them. He eventually sold the production rights to RCA who marketed it as the Thereminvox with little commercial success. Nonetheless, the public was fascinated and touring thereminists like Clara Rockmore became quite popular. Termin himself returned to the Soviet Union, some say kidnapped by KGB agents, and would not return until 1991. The theremin is most often heard as spooky music and sound effects in classic science-fiction and horror movies from the 1950s and 60s. Several pieces of popular music, most notably The Beach Boys Good Vibrations, also prominently feature the instrument.
Posted on: Tue, 20 May 2014 23:29:11 +0000
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