Theremin
Electronic instrument | |
---|---|
Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 53 (Electrophone) |
Inventor(s) | Léon Theremin |
Developed | 1919 |
The theremin /ˈθɛrəmɪn/,[1] originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone[2] or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928. The controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas which sense the position of the player's hands and control oscillators for frequency with one hand, and amplitude (volume) with the other, so it can be played without being touched. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker.
The theremin was used in movie soundtracks such as Miklós Rózsa's for Spellbound and The Lost Weekend and Bernard Herrmann's for The Day the Earth Stood Still and as the theme tune for the ITV drama Midsomer Murders. This has led to its association with a very eerie sound. Theremins are also used in concert music (especially avant-garde and 20th- and 21st-century new music) and in popular music genres such as rock. Psychedelic rock bands in particular, such as Hawkwind, have often used the theremin in their work.
History
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 Sergeevich Termen (known in the West as Léon Theremin) in October 1920[3][4] after the outbreak of the Russian civil war. After a lengthy tour of Europe, during which time he demonstrated his invention to packed houses, Theremin found his way to the United States, where he patented his invention in 1928 (US1661058). Subsequently, Theremin granted commercial production rights to RCA.
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.
During the 1930s Lucie Bigelow Rosen was also taken up with the theremin and together with her husband Walter Bigelow Rosen provided both financial and artistic support to the development and popularisation of the instrument.[5][6]
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 KGB agents,[7] taken back to the Soviet Union and made to work in a sharashka laboratory prison camp at Magadan, Siberia. He reappeared 30 years later. In his 2000 biography of the inventor, Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage, Albert Glinsky suggested the Russian had fled to escape crushing personal debts, and was then caught up in Stalin's political purges. In any case, Theremin did not return to the United States until 1991.[8]
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 Moog.
Since the release of the film Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey in 1994, 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.[9]
Today Moog Music, Dan Burns of soundslikeburns.com, Chuck Collins of theremaniacs.com[10] Wavefront Technologies, Kees Enkelaar[11] and Harrison Instruments manufacture performance-quality theremins. Theremin kit building remains popular with electronics buffs; kits are available from Moog Music, Theremaniacs, Harrison Instruments,[12] PAiA Electronics, and Jaycar. 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.
Operating principles
The theremin is rare among musical instruments in that it is played without physical contact. The musician stands in front of the instrument and moves his or her 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. Some low-cost theremins use a conventional, knob operated volume control and have only the pitch antenna. While commonly called antennas, they are not used for receiving or broadcasting radio frequency, but act as plates in a capacitor.
The theremin uses the heterodyne principle to generate an audio signal. The instrument's pitch circuitry includes two radio frequency oscillators. One oscillator operates at a fixed frequency. The frequency of the other oscillator is controlled by the performer's distance from the pitch 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, which is part of the oscillator and determines its frequency. (Although the capacitance between the performer and the instrument is on the order of picofarads or even hundreds of femtofarads, the circuit design gives a useful frequency shift.) The difference between the frequencies of the two oscillators at each moment allows the creation of a difference tone in the audio frequency range, resulting in audio signals that are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker.
To control volume, the performer's other hand acts as the grounded plate of another variable capacitor. In this case, the capacitor detunes another oscillator; that detuning is processed to change the attenuation in the amplifier circuit. The distance between the performer's hand and the volume control antenna determines the capacitance, which regulates the theremin's volume.[13]
Modern circuit designs often simplify this circuit and avoid the complexity of two heterodyne oscillators by having a single pitch oscillator, akin to the original theremin's volume circuit. This approach is usually less stable and cannot generate the low frequencies that a heterodyne oscillator can. Better designs (e.g. Moog, Theremax) may use two pairs of heterodyne oscillators, for both pitch and volume.[14]
Performance technique
Easy to learn but 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 continuously-variable-pitch design.[citation needed]
Pitch control is challenging because, like a violin or trombone, a theremin can generate tones of any pitch throughout its entire range, including those that lie between the conventional notes. And, unlike most other instruments, the theremin has no physical feedback (other than sound), like string tension or the tactile fingerboard for strings, or air column resistance in wind instruments. The player has to rely solely on what is heard, and can only correct a pitch when its volume is not at zero. (Some professional theremin models, including Moog Etherwave Pro, have a pitch-preview feature – i.e. an additional headphone output that allows the pitch to be monitored before the volume is changed.) In the case of some string instruments, the range is divided along the strings by use of length divisions (e.g., frets on a guitar). By contrast, in the case of the theremin, the entire range of pitches is controlled by the distance of the performer's hand or fingers from the pitch antenna in mid-air. Precise control of manual position coupled with an excellent sense of pitch is required, since the oscillator tuning tends to change slowly over time, resulting in changing positions for individual pitches.[citation needed]
Because some portamento is inevitable in theremin performance and because only the most experienced performers can reduce it to an inconspicuous level, the theremin repertoire of beginner/intermediate players is limited to compositions that were written to be performed legato, especially those for voice or continuously-variable-pitch instruments, and in which it is acceptable or even traditional to include some degree of portamento and glissando. Examples of works well suited for performance on the theremin include Massenet's Thaïs-Méditation[citation needed] (originally for violin), Rachmaninoff's Vocalise, and Saint-Saëns' Le cygne (The Swan) (originally for violoncello).
Using rapid and exact hand movements, however, highly skilled players can reduce undesired portamento and glissando to a level enabling them to play individual notes and even achieve staccato effects. Small and rapid movements of the hands can create tremolo or vibrato effects. 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 adapted by Léon Theremin and his protege, 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 and quickly reproduced.
An alternate and controversial "hands on" technique is called "angling." In this method the pitch control hand is actually set on the top of the theremin, thus violating the "no touch" creed of traditionalists. The performer changes the angle of the hand and fingers to alter the pitch and repositions the hand if the pitch interval is too large for "angling." Touching the instrument damps the effect of extraneous movement on pitch. This permits the use of steady pitches without vibrato and without the performer's remaining perfectly still. An alternate to touching the instrument is to rest the elbow of the pitch arm on a tripod while standing, or the arm of a chair, or one's knees while seated in order to provide a steady reference point and pivot for the arm allowing for steady pitch play over the entire pitch range.
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.[15] Although volume technique is less developed than pitch technique, some thereminists have worked to extend it, especially Pamelia Kurstin with her "walking bass" technique[16] and Rupert Chappelle.
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. Other avant-garde players use strict form and techniques other than aerial fingering. The question of the relative value of formal technique versus free form performances has been hotly debated among thereminists. Theremin artist Anthony Ptak uses antenna interference in live performance.
Recent versions of the theremin have been functionally updated: the Moog Ethervox, while functionally still a theremin, can also be used as a MIDI controller, and as such allows the artist to control any MIDI-compatible synthesizer with it, using the theremin's continuous pitch to drive modern synths.[17] The Harrison Instruments Model 302[18] Theremin uses symmetrical horizontal plates instead of a vertical rod and horizontal loop to control pitch and volume, with the volume increasing as the hand approaches the plate.
Uses
Concert music
Concert composers who have written for theremin include Bohuslav Martinů,[19] Percy Grainger,[19] Christian Wolff,[19] Joseph Schillinger,[19] Moritz Eggert,[20] Iraida Yusupova,[20] Jorge Antunes,[19] Vladimir Komarov[19], Anis Fuleihan,[21][22] and Fazıl Say.[19]
Maverick composer Percy Grainger chose to use ensembles of four or six theremins (in preference to a string quartet) for his two earliest experimental Free Music compositions (1935–37) because of the instrument's complete 'gliding' freedom of pitch.[23][24]
Musician Jean Michel Jarre used the instrument in his concert Space of Freedom[25] in Gdańsk, providing also a short history of Léon Theremin's life.
The five-piece Spaghetti Western Orchestra use a Theremin as a replacement for Edda Dell'Orso's vocals in their interpretation of Ennio Morricone's "Once Upon a Time in the West". [26]
Popular music
Theremins and theremin-like sounds started to be incorporated into popular music from the end of the 1940s (with a series of Samuel Hoffman/Harry Revel collaborations)[27] and this continued, with varying popularity, to the present.[28]
While The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" features an instrument that sounds much like a Theremin, in fact the sound is made by an instrument called the Tannerin.[29] Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin used a variation of the theremin (minus the loop) during performances of "Whole Lotta Love" and "No Quarter" throughout the performance history of Led Zeppelin, an extended multi-instrumental solo featuring theremin and bowed guitar in 1977, as well as the soundtrack for Death Wish II released in 1982. Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones also used the instrument on the group's 1967 albums "Between the Buttons" and "Their Satanic Majesties Request".[30]
Lothar and the Hand People, formed in Denver in 1965, used a Theremin (named "Lothar") onstage and on their LP.[31] The Lothars are a Boston-area band formed in early 1997 whose CDs have featured as many as four theremins played at once – a first for pop music.[32][33] Although credited with a "Thereman" [sic] on the "Mysterons" track from the album Dummy, Portishead actually used a monophonic synthesizer to achieve theremin-like effects, as confirmed by Adrian Utley, who is credited as playing the instrument; he has also created similar sounds on the songs "Half Day Closing", "Humming", "The Rip" and "Machine Gun".[34]
Film music
The Russian Dmitri Shostakovich was one of the first composers 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 in many motion pictures, notably, Spellbound, The Red House, The Lost Weekend (all three of which were written by Miklós Rózsa, the composer who pioneered the use of the instrument in Hollywood scores), The Spiral Staircase, Rocketship X-M, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing (From Another World), and The Ten Commandments (the 1956 DeMille film). The theremin is prominent in the score for the 1956 short film "A Short Vision"[35] which was aired on "The Ed Sullivan Show" the same year used by the Hungarian composer Matyas Seibel. More recent appearances in film scores include Monster House, Ed Wood and The Machinist[36] (both featuring Lydia Kavina). The DVDs for Ed Wood, Bartleby and The Day the Earth Stood Still and Spellbound (Criterion Collection) include 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).[37]
A theremin was not used for the soundtrack of Forbidden Planet, for which Louis and Bebe Barron built "disposable" oscillator circuits and a ring modulator to create the "electronic tonalities" for the film.[38][39]
Los Angeles-based thereminist Charles Richard Lester is featured on the soundtrack of Monster House[40] and has performed the US premiere of Gavriil Popov's 1932 score for Komsomol – Patron of Electrification with the L. A. Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen in 2007.[41]
Theremin music features prominently in Lucrecia Martel's 2004 film The Holy Girl.
Television
- Apart from a few episodes where an electronic organ or synthesizer was used, the theremin-like sound on the original Star Trek theme was actually provided by renowned studio soprano Loulie Jean Norman until her voice was removed in later seasons.[42] Soprano Elin Carlson sang part of the theme when CBS-Paramount TV remastered the program's title sequence in 2006.[43]
- The British television series Midsomer Murders uses a theremin in its popular theme tune as well as frequently in underscore. The theremin part is played by Celia Sheen.[44]
- In May 2007, the White Castle American hamburger restaurant chain introduced a television ad[45] featuring a theremin performance by musician Jon Bernhardt of the band The Lothars.[46]
- In October 2008, comedian, musician and theremin enthusiast Bill Bailey played a theremin during his performance of Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, which has subsequently been televised. He has previously also written an article,[47] presented a radio show[48] and incorporated the theremin in some of his televised comedy tours.
- In an episode of The Big Bang Theory (S4 E12: The Bus Pants Utilization), Sheldon Cooper practices on the theremin.[49]
- In an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba (S1 E6: Happy), Sukho Lee plays a theremin in a "Cool Tricks" segment.
Books
- The theremin is used as a literary device in "Constellations for Theremin" by Andrew Joron.[50]
Video games
- Composer Garry Schyman used a Theremin for the musical score of the 2005 videogame Destroy All Humans![51]
- Lydia Kavina's solo theremin is featured on the soundtrack for the 2006 MMORPG computer game Soul of the Ultimate Nation, composed by Howard Shore.[52]
- The Homestar Runner character Homsar plays a theremin in the 2008 point-and-click adventure game Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People – Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands.[citation needed]
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.[53]
- The Electro-Theremin (or Tannerin after Paul Tanner who played it in several productions including three tracks for The Beach Boys[54]), built by Bob Whitsell in the 1950s,[55] 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 by 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.[56]
- 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 antennae, 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.
- The Haken Continuum Fingerboard uses a continuous, flat playing surface along which the player slides his fingers to create the desired pitch and timbre values. Describable as "a continuous pitch controller that resembles a keyboard, but has no keys."
- The MC-505 by Roland being able using the integrated D-Beam-sensor like a Theremin.
- The Otamatone by the Cube Works company which is played by sliding the fingers up and down a stem to control a three-level pitch sound.
- The Audiocubes by Percussa are light emitting smart blocks which have 4 sensors on each side (optical theremin). The sensors measure the distance to your hands to control an effect or sound.[57]
- A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin. The musical saw is classified as a friction idiophone with direct friction (131.22) under the Hornbostel-Sachs system of musical instrument classification.
References
- ^ Theremin World
- ^ The London Mercury Vol.XVII No.99 1928
- ^ Glinsky, Albert (2000). Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. p. 26. ISBN 0-252-02582-2.
- ^ Léon Theremin playing his own instrument on YouTube
- ^ Glinsky pp.127–128
- ^ "The Theremin". Thereminvox. May 9, 2007. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
financially supported Léon Theremin's work
- ^ Tell Me More, BBC, h2g2 project, Undated.Accessed:05-20-2008.
- ^ Glinsky pp.185–187, 329
- ^ MRQE – Movie Review Query Engine – Theremin, see also the rare 100% score at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ "Theremin Comparison Chart" (Document). Tom FarrelTemplate:Inconsistent citations
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: postscript (link). - ^ "A review for the Enkelaar Theremin (and others)" (Document). Tom FarrelTemplate:Inconsistent citations
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{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link). - ^ "RCA Theremin circuit diagram".
- ^ Vennard, Martin (1929-03-12). "BBC News - Leon Theremin: The man and the music machine". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ Moog, Bob (2002-10-26). "Theremin Vox – In Clara's Words". Thereminvox.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ Pamelia Kurstin plays the Theremin. Kurstin shows the technique about 3 minutes into the video
- ^ Etherwave Theremins[dead link]
- ^ [1] The Harrison Instruments Model 302 Theremin
- ^ a b c d e f g "Lydia Kavina Music from the Ether". Mode Records. Retrieved 16 April 2010. Cite error: The named reference "mr" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b "Barbara Buchholz / Lydia Kavina / Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin – Touch! Don't Touch! – Works For Theremin". discogs.com. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
- ^ "Anis Fuleihan (Composer, Arranger)". bach-cantatas.com. 2007-06-10. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
- ^ "Ionisation: Thomas Arne, Ludwig van Beethoven, Edward Elgar, Anis Fuleihan, Edgard Varese, Arturo Toscanini, Henry J. Wood, Jean Sibelius, Leopold Stokowski, Nicolas Slonimsky, Wilhelm Furtwängler, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, New York Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Clara Rockmore: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ Gillies, Malcolm; Pear, David (2007–2011). 'Grainger, Percy'. In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Retrieved 2011-09-21.(subscription required)
- ^ Lewis, Thomas P (1991). A source guide to the music of Percy Grainger, chapter 4: Program notes. White Plains: Pro-Am Music Resources. ISBN 978-0-912483-56-6. Retrieved 2011-09-21.
- ^ ": Jean Michel Jarre Official Website :: Live-o-graphy :: Gdansk - 2005 :". Jeanmicheljarre.com. 2009-05-20. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ "BBC Proms Review: Spaghetti Western Orchestra". i-flicks.net. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
- ^ Music out of the Moon, Harry Revel, conducted by Les Baxter, Capitol Records Nr. T390, released 1947
- ^ "IEEEGHN: The Theremin". IEEE. 2008. Retrieved 2008-10.22.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Tom Polk (1999-07-28). "Theremin,Tannerin, electro-theremin,slide theremin,electrotheremin,electro theremin, theramin, Brian Wilson theremin, Good Vibrations Theremin, Pet Sounds Theremin". Tompolk.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ A Simple Theremin Project. University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
- ^ "www.lotharandthehandpeople.com". www.lotharandthehandpeople.com. 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ Pomerantz, Dorothy (September 17, 1998). "The Lothars revive the spooky sounds of the theremin". Somerville Journal.
- ^ Glinsky p.341
- ^ "Interview with Adrian Utley on Soundonsound, June 1995". Soundonsound.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ "A Short Vision". youtube.
- ^ "Full cast and crew for Maquinista, El". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
- ^ Hellboy cast list
- ^ "Forbidden Planet". MovieDiva. Retrieved 2006-08-16.
- ^ Notes about film soundtrack and CD, MovieGrooves-FP
- ^ imdb details for "Monster House"
- ^ "L. A. Philharmonic concert details". Laphil.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ Inside Star Trek The Real Story. Simon & Schuster. 1997. pp. 351–352. ISBN 0-671-00974-5.
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ignored (help) - ^ Elin Carlson's website, Undated. Accessed: 05-20-2008.
- ^ Maxwell, Francis (May 2005). "Hands off for gripping theremin concert in Barnes" (PDF). London Harmony: 6. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
- ^ "White Castle Ad on YouTube". Youtube.com. 2008-06-28. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ Laban, Linda (May 7, 2007). "The geek who captured the Castle". The Boston Globe. pp. C4, C8.
- ^ Bill Bailey (2004-10-18). "Bill Bailey's Weird Science Guardian article, Oct 2004". Guardian. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ "Good Vibrations: The Story of the Theremin, Oct 2004". Bbc.co.uk. 2004-10-21. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ "Theremin Makes Cameo On Big Bang Theory, Jan 2011". thereminworld.com. 2011-1-8. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Constellations for Theremin," in Andrew Joron, Fathom (New York: Black Square Editions, 2003).
- ^ var authorId = "41858809" by Spence D. (2005-06-23). "IGN Interview". Music.ign.com. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Conditt, Jessica (2012-03-08). ""Ode to Joystick"". GameDaily. Retrieved 2012-03-13.
- ^ Bloch, Thomas. "ONDES MARTENOT **** THOMAS BLOCH – the instrument : videos, pictures, works, facts..." Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ "Tannerin 2004". Retrieved 2010-01-22.
- ^ "The Paul Tanner Electro-Theremin Page". Retrieved 2010-01-22.
- ^ Taubman demonstrates his Electronde. Stills and a downloadable video at British Pathe news archive. 1938-12-12.
- ^ "Create Optical Theremin using Percussa AudioCubes".
Publications
- Rockmore, Clara (1998). Method for Theremin. Edited by David Miller & Jeffrey McFarland-Johnson. Made publicly available at Clara Rockmore Method for Theremin [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.
- Lydia Kavina, Clara Rockmore (featuring), William Olsen (Director) (1995). Mastering the Theremin (Videotape (VHS) and DVD). Moog Music and Little Big Films.
External links
- ThereminWorld.com
- ThereminVox.com
- TECI: Theremin Enthusiasts Club International
- Ted.com: Pamelia Kurstin plays and discusses her theremin
- Theremin Music Gaining Popularity – Audio: KPLU's Bellamy Pailthorp reports.
- Theremin Family (archived here)