In the 1920s and 30s, russian emigre leonard thereminthe inventor of the worlds first electronic musical instrumenthad it all. An electronic odyssey in 1994, the instrument has enjoyed a resurgence in interest and has become more widely used by contemporary musicians. The theremin was the product of soviet governmentsponsored research into proximity sensors. The scientist, whose name was leon theremin, was not mad. The original theremin used a foot pedal to control the volume and a switch mechanism to alter the pitch. Martin unearthed exceptional archival footage of theremins early years when he was the toast of new york, playing carnegie hall and hosting grand parties at his fiftyfourth street compound with paramour, clara rockwell, also a theremin virtuoso. The spooky sound of the theremin was used in several movie soundtracks during the 1950s and 1960s. Collection theremin circuits, schematics or diagrams. Leon theremin was the secret link between scifi films, the beach boys, and carnegie hall. Little was known of him in the west before steven m. 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. August 15, 1896 november 3, 1993 was a russian inventor. Theremin, an electronic odyssey is a documentary film that both informs and surprises. An incredible score with heavy theremin use accompanies this 1951 film about an alien and his robot who come to warn the people of earth to change their ways, or else.
May 21, 2011 theremin leon theremin playing his own instrument. A traditional theremin uses two antennas, one for frequency and one for amplitude, to allow players to craft music using the position of their hands between the two. Martin is a mustsee for anyone interested in the theremin. 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. Event in amsterdam, netherlands by cinema of the damd and ot301 on sunday, january 21 2018 with 404 people interested and 60 people going. An electronic odyssey is a documentary on both the theremin, the instrument, and prof. Dec 07, 2005 then, the theremin slipped back into obscurity until the recent revival of the 1990s. Theremin leon theremin playing his own instrument youtube.
This rca theremin instruction manual pdf has been scanned from a wellworn but original 1929 rca manual. With femur designs online theremin, users interactions with the screen are translated into sound thanks to that magic of javascript using the web audio api with html5. The film follows both through a strange sequence of events and interweaves these stories with those influenced by the machine and the man. Check out the movie that inspired andy baron 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 metal loop.
After a lengthy tour of europe, during which time he demonstrated his invention to packed houses, theremin. An html version of the instruction manual is also available. 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. The famous robert moog, who invented the moog synthesizer in the late 1960s, started his career by building theremins in the 1950s while he was a highschool student. He attributed the later development of the moog synthesizer to what he had learned in working with the theremin. His selfnamed electronic musical instrumentthe first of its kindtook the world by storm in the 1920s and 30s. Theremin simulator lets you play the unique electronic. Wfmu blog fans will know to seek out the theremin documentary made by steven m. But because of the preprogrammed microprocessor, the. It is the only instrument that is played without the performer ever touching it. The theremin is named for its inventor lev termen, better known worldwide as leon theremin 1896 1993. Theramin article about theramin by the free dictionary. Leon theremin, lev sergeyevich termen, russian scientist and inventor born aug. 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.
If youre your interested in further reading, check out theremin. This is an opportunity for budding engineers, hobbyists, and students to learn science, practice engineering, and build something cool. Hear from lydia kavina, bob moog, and brian wilson about how the theremin influenced their lives. In order to produce a musical tone, the theremin makes use of audiofrequency electrical oscillations produced by a vacuumtube generator. Martin unearthed exceptional archival footage of theremin s early years when he was the toast of new york, playing carnegie hall and hosting grand parties at his fiftyfourth street compound with paramour, clara rockwell, also a theremin virtuoso. No tools are needed, as the kit is built on a solderless breadboard. An electronic odyssey movie now family video javascript seems to be disabled in your browser. The theremin named after the russian physicist leon theremin lev termin in russian is an early electronic musical instrument somewhat unique in that it is played without physical contact. For the occasion the cinema arts centre will be presenting the documentary film, theremin.
Set against the backdrop of the instruments ethereal sound, theremin. See rare footage of leon theremin, clara rockmore, samuel hoffman, and more. It should come as no surprise that he had a profound influence on the development of electronic music as we know it. 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.
The instrument features a tone and portamento similar to that of the theremin, but with a different control mechanism. An electronic odyssey click to enlarge apart from crumb, this film by steven m. Learn more about theremin an electronic odyssey 1993 on imdb. As striking an experience as a pere ubu show can be, i was captivated by a. An electronic odyssey in 1993, the instrument has enjoyed a resurgence in interest and has become more widely used by contemporary musicians. An electronic odyssey pics, images, clips, trailers, production photos and more from rotten. He studied and worked in his native city, attending its university and conservatory and directing a lab at one of its technical. Theremin music instrument electronic music of brainvoyager. It is the kind of movie that requires a musical score only the theremin possibly could supply. Fans of the first star trek series will recognize its sounds, but it was used in orchestral compositions and. It is highly recommended viewing for all fans of electronic music. Theremin demonstrated his first working model of the instrument that bears his name in 1920 as the etherphone, soon to be known as the termenvox, or literally, voice of termen. An electronic odyssey is more than just the story of a novel noisemaking gadget. Martin by frankie demarco, cinematographer on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the.
His selfnamed theremins were in high demand from filmmakers and musicians around the globe. In 1994, after finishing a show at lounge ax in chicago, i was taken by a friend to another club to check out pere ubu. It is a story about a man with a passion for electronics and music, a man with an inventive and radical mind. Copying content to your website is strictly prohibited. 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.
Theremins article about theremins by the free dictionary. Even though many theremin sounds can be approximated on many modern synthesizers, some musicians continue to appreciate the expressiveness, novelty and uniqueness. Martin writes and directs this intriguing documentary about a mans. This document is provided to improve upon the documents that currently exist online. It consists of a box with radio tubes producing oscillations at two soundwave frequencies above the range of hearing. An electronic odyssey pictures and movie photo gallery check out just released theremin. Theremin, electronic musical instrument invented in 1920 in the soviet union by leon theremin also called lev termen.
A documentary about the amazing life of leon theremin, inventor of the theremin, the electronic musical instrument so beloved of 50s scifi movie music. An electronic odyssey 1995 this documentary explores the life of leon theremin, the inventor of an electronic synthesizer called the theremin, which uses motion to produce a. These kits are electrically simple, and can be put together less than an hour. A documentary about theremin, the man who pioneered the field of. An electronic odyssey, which will be followed by a live performance by rob schwimmer, one of the worlds premiere theremin players. Theremin etherophone, an electrophonic musical instrument, invented in 1921 by the soviet engineer l. One of the best examples of theremin music in the scifi genre, and a great story to boot. It features lots of obscure theremin footage and clara rockmore meeting leon termin after about 40 years separation. Theremin amazed america with his instrument until his kidnapping by soviet agents in the mid30s.
A batch of theremin videos wfmus beware of the blog. 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. Save theremin for sale to get email alerts and updates on your ebay feed. The theremin was originally the product of russian governmentsponsored research into proximity sensors. Theremin the reader wiki, reader view of wikipedia. Although theremin players do not need to have perfect pitch, the thereminist must rely on memory and careful listening to accurately play the instrument, which is considered difficult to master.
Perhaps the first electronic instrument, the theremin named for its designer, this russian. Fans of the first star trek series will recognize its sounds, but it was used in orchestral compositions and movies quite extensively for many. Theremins and related memorabilia can be found on the ebay web site. Very few people would recognize the name of leon theremin 18961993 if it werent for the electronic musical instrument he invented around 1918.
An electronic odyssey a bit tedious for anyone but diehard aficionados of obsolete electronic musical instruments. But termen was a prolific inventor in other areas as well, developing a host of devices for surveillance. While the documentary contains few objectionable elements, the lack of a narrative, a point of view and true insight into the man makes theremin. Even though many theremin sounds can be approximated on many modern synthesizers, some musicians continue to appreciate the expressiveness, novelty, and uniqueness. Martins awardwinning documentary film about the inventor was shown in britain on the bbcs channel 4 theremin. Janet maslin of the new york times called the film a fascinating, offbeat documentary that stands as a fine job of detective work. An electronic odyssey is a documentary about the creator of the theremin musical instrument, lev sergeyvich termen aka leon theremin. The theremin the early untouchable electronic instrument. Bulat galeyev had published various articles on termen by then, and his soviet faust came out in russian in 1995. Jul 25, 2008 in 1994, after finishing a show at lounge ax in chicago, i was taken by a friend to another club to check out pere ubu. Theremin article about theremin by the free dictionary. Martin may be the best american documentary feature of 1994.
An interesting subplot of the film describes professor theremin s abduction from his 57th street new york apartment, with his subsequent rediscovery, in russia, some fifty years later. Microkits makes building electronics accessible to anyone. Martin about the life of leon theremin and his invention, the theremin, a pioneering electronic musical instrument. 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. He is most famous for his invention of the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments. The performance will then be followed by a discussion with rob and led by musicologist olivia mattis. Upon his release from a labor camp, he worked on surveillance devices for the kgb. An entertaining film about leon theremin, a russian emigre, who pioneered the field of electronic music four decades before the rise of electronic rock music, and helped usher in technological warfare between cold war super powers years before ian fleming created the fictional super spy james bond. A professor, he immigrated to america, where by the late 1920s, he had. Today, lots of bands use theremins, though many unfortunately limit themselves to using the theremin as a novelty. A profile of russian leon theremin, inventor of the worlds first electronic musical instrument. An electronic odyssey is a 1993 documentary film directed by steven m. The theremin is the first electronic musical instrument ever to be played without being touched.
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