An electronic odyssey is a documentary on both the theremin, the instrument, and prof. His selfnamed electronic musical instrumentthe first of its kind. Clara rockmore, theremin master, put electronic music on the. Steven martins documentary about leon theremin and his eponymous does honor to both the man and the machine. A documentary about theremin, the man who pioneered the field of electronic music. This documentary is fun to watch and brings to light a lot of history that is little known. Glinsky says his story is as mysterious as the instrument that bears his name, russian scientist and musical savant leon theremin. When clara rockmore, a virtuoso performer of the theremin and longtime friend of leon theremin begins to play the instrument in a presentday concert, we come to realize that the theremin is more than a musical toy that can be employed for making eerie sounds in scifi movies.
History of the theremin from tesla to moog the theremin is a unique electronic musical instrument in that it is the only instrument in the world that is played without touching. An electronic odyssey is a documentary about the creator of the theremin musical instrument, lev sergeyvich termen aka leon theremin. Steph is a great promoter of our instruments and we are proud to count her among the friends of burns theremins. Clara rockmore, theremin master, put electronic music on the map. Although there is a good amount of wellplayed theremin, it just doesnt play the leading role. It can be an instrument of exquisite artistic expression. Saturday night live alumni bill hader, fred armisen and seth meyers are the masterminds behind the series.
Sep 27, 2016 dan colman of open culture says, watch peter pringle perform on the theremin over the rainbow, the song originally written for 1939s the wizard of oz. While the documentary contains few objectionable elements, the lack of a narrative, a point of view and true insight into the man makes theremin. What better way to count down to happy hour than by wiling out on the instrument of choice for so many rockstars female lithuanian prodigies, the. From a 1962 episode of ive got a secret, contestant paul lipman demonstrates and plays his theremin to the panel. It should come as no surprise that he had a profound influence on the development of electronic music as we know it. The flying detective go behind the scenes of the cromwell dixon airplane fabric story. A documentary about the inventor of the first electronic synthesiser instrument and his subsequent life after he was abducted by the kgb as well as a history of his instrument. Theremin leon theremin playing his own instrument youtube. Even though many theremin sounds can be approximated on many modern synthesizers, some musicians continue to appreciate the expressiveness, novelty and uniqueness. Theremin music instrument electronic circuit diagram. Read the helpful background section of this lesson plan. Virtual theremin play the theremin on your computer for. Theremin, leon article about theremin, leon by the free. Although there is a good amount of wellplayed theremin, it.
Review the link to the lesson by thereminist thomas grillo to determine if you want to show it to your class. Its being done in response to requests other thereminists, and enthusiasts have made in regards to way of comparing theremins between makes and models, and learning where in the world these instruments are readily available near, or within each viewers respective country. The heterodyning vacuum tube oscillator became the standard method of producing electronic sound until. The theremin is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without contact from the player. An electronic odyssey dec 31, 2012 a very very cool documentary on the inventor of one of the most imaginative musical instruments ever constructed the theremin.
The following diagram is the theremin music instrument effect. His selfnamed electronic musical instrumentthe first of its kindtook the world by storm in the 1920s and 30s. In babylon berlin, episode 1, there is a scene in a restaurant in. It is the kind of movie that requires a musical score only the theremin possibly could supply. With leon theremin, robert moog, clara rockmore, nicolas slonimsky. The theremin is unique because this electronic instrument is played without touching it. Oct 30, 2017 the 25 greatest rock music documentaries of all time. Friends the one with the halloween party you will only have to show up to this party for 30 minutes to get into the halloween spirit.
Clara rockmore, theremin master, put electronic music on. Martin about the life of leon theremin and his invention, the theremin, a pioneering electronic musical instrument. Theremins synonyms, theremins pronunciation, theremins translation, english dictionary definition of theremins. Somewhere over the rainbow played on a 1929 theremin. It was originally known as the termenvox or aetherphone, the former of which was subsequently anglicised to theremin ipa. An interview with polystrumentist, singer and composer shuehli ong. Leon theremin was very impressed by the meeting with lenin in the kremlin. Jul 28, 2012 history of the theremin from tesla to moog the theremin is a unique electronic musical instrument in that it is the only instrument in the world that is played without touching. It produces hauntingly ethereal and eerie sounds vaguely similar to a waterphone, but unlike a waterphone it can also be played tonally, and can be made to sound.
Feb 28, 2014 what better way to count down to happy hour than by wiling out on the instrument of choice for so many rockstars female lithuanian prodigies, the theremin. Oct 27, 20 the theremin is named for its inventor, leon theremin. An electronic odyssey 1995 directed by steven martin. This episode has everything you could ever want in a costume party episode identical twin sisters phoebe and ursula, chandler wearing that iconic bunny costume, and sean penn guest starring wearing a black shirt with planets stapled to it. Theremin an electronic odyssey 1993 leon theremin actor, robert moog actor, steven m. A documentary about the inventor of one of the first electronic instruments, the eponymous theremin the sound of which quickly became cliched in science fiction films as the accompaniment to shots of flying saucers. Some of the best theremin youve ever heard synthtopia. Theremin definition, a musical instrument with electronic tone generation, the pitch and tone volume being controlled by the distance between the players hands. The 25 greatest rock music documentaries of all time. There are few decent docs about electronic music and, unbelievably, none.
Martin profiles russian leon theremin, inventor of the worlds first electronic musical instrument. A professor, he immigrated to america, where by the late 1920s, he had. Steph paynes rocks the zep theremin approximately 3. An electronic instrument played by moving the hands near its two antennas, often used for high tremolo effects. The electrotheremin 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. An electronic odyssey in 1994, the instrument has enjoyed a resurgence in interest and has become more widely used by contemporary musicians. Enjoy exclusive amazon originals as well as popular movies and tv shows. Janet maslin of the new york times called the film a fascinating, offbeat documentary that stands as a fine job of detective work. The theremin is named for its inventor, leon theremin.
An electronic odyssey a bit tedious for anyone but diehard aficionados of obsolete electronic musical instruments. An electronic odyssey is more than just the story of a novel noisemaking gadget. Albert glinsky amethyste biedenharn theremin concert audience big briar bob moog cartoons custom cabinets enigma enigma build enigmax ethermusic 2005 ethervox etherwave led lego theremin midi moog mr mute phoenix r s theremin sewerpipe studios theremin cello. He was a young bolshevik at that time and he was very excited by the changes in. History detectives theremin season 8 episode 2 pbs. Termen left the soviet union in 1927 for the united states where he was granted a patent for the theremin in 1928.
A theremin performance rob schwimmer plays waltz for clara on his theremin. Theremins disappearance was so complete, in fact, that a history of electronic music published in 1981 claimed that theremin had died around 1945 mattis and moog, 1991 and mackay, 1981. Upon his release from a labor camp, he worked on surveillance devices for the kgb. When his theremin arrived, our contributor found an. In babylon berlin, episode 1, there is a scene in a restaurant in which a. The theremin was invented in the 1920s by a russian inventor named lev termen or leon theremin, his american name.
Theremin amazed america with his instrument until his kidnapping by soviet agents in the mid30s. 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. Theremin definition, a musical instrument with electronic tone generation, the pitch and tone volume being controlled by the distance between the players hands and two metal rods serving as antennas. The theremin never achieved the musical respect it deserved, relegated to special effects in science fiction films in the 1950s and 1960s. 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 sliding. The scientist, whose name was leon theremin, was not mad. A documentary about the amazing life of leon theremin, inventor of the theremin, the electronic musical instrument so beloved of 50s scifi movie music. 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. Watch american odyssey episodes, get episode information, recaps and more. Leon theremin was the secret link between scifi films, the beach boys, and carnegie hall. Language watch edit active discussions episode, and the account of ulysses adventures as told by himself in books ix. He studied and worked in his native city, attending its university and conservatory and directing a lab at one of its technical institutes, where he invented the theremin theremin, one of the earliest electronic musical instruments, invented 1920 in the soviet union and. An electronic odyssey is more than just the story of a. A man from new mexico bought a theremin, one of the first electronic instruments off ebay.
The theremin has remained beloved by many musicians and composers, including film composers such as beltrami, who appreciate what the theremins unique character is able to bring to their work. Theremin an electronic odyssey 1993 sheds light on the early era of electronic music. Dan colman of open culture says, watch peter pringle perform on the theremin over the rainbow, the song originally written for 1939s the wizard of oz. If you can have a real theremin or theremin like device in class, it would make the lesson all the more interesting. Theremins definition of theremins by the free dictionary. Music from another land is not the typical theremin album youd expect from musicians like lydia kavina, pamelia kurstin or peter pringle, to name a few. The film follows both through a strange sequence of events and interweaves these stories with those influenced by the machine and the man. The theremin was marketed and distributed in the usa by rca during the 1930s and continues, in a transistorised form, to be manufactured by robert moogs big briarcompany. A documentary about the inventor of the first electronic synthesiser instrument and his. It is a story about a man with a passion for electronics and music, a man with an inventive and radical mind. A profile of russian leon theremin, inventor of the worlds first electronic musical instrument. A guitar or instrument amplifier is an ideal companion unit for the theremin. The theremin became known in the usa as a home instrument and featured in many film soundtracks of the 194050s, it also appeared in several pop records of the 1960s but never overcame its novelty appeal and was used for effect rather than a serious instrument, most recordings employ the theremin as a substitute string instrument rather. History of the theremin from tesla to moog aquasonic.
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