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lev terman and the amazing theremin by V. Sirin (timpnin@disinfo.net) - December 28, 2000 |
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| Before Moog there was Theremin; before Dr. Leon Theremin came to the United States in 1927, he was Lev Segeivitch Terman, Russian physicist and inventor. Perhaps he was working on a proximity detector for a security system at the Kremlin, or maybe trying to advance the art of radio communication, when he created a musical instrument which is played at a distance - no physical contact is made between the instrument and the player to produce the otherworldly sounds of electronic whine. Modulation of tone and adjustment of volume come by movement of the hands before two antennae-like protrusions from the wooden box housing the electronics that produce the sound. Among his other inventions, Dr. Theremin is credited with the first electronic surveillance 'bug' (and perhaps its installation and use in the U.S. embassy). He worked also in diverse fields related to radio wave and frequency research, and security system work for the ultra-paranoid Soviets, but much of his work is shrouded in mystery for the latter half of his life. While a resident in the United States from 1927 through 1938, Doctor Theremin anglicized his name, from Lev Therman to Leon Theremin, and worked to perfect and market his musical instrument. He obtained a patent, worked with musicians to develop a body of music and performance on the esoteric device, and also arranged with RCA to produce units for sale. Ultimately the theremin was not a commercial success. The technical challenges of playing the instrument, and its extreme novelty, ensured that the device did not sell well to the public, and manufacture was discontinued. Some continued to play, however, most notably Clara Rockmore, formerly a violinist who became known as the world's premier virtuoso of the theremin, playing with symphony performances. The theremin's greatest exposure, though, came from Hollywood, where a former chiropodist and part-time musician, Dr. Samuel Hoffman, got the call to include the electronic instrument in movie soundtracks, starting in AlfredHitchcock's thriller, Spellbound (1945). The eerie tones and mysterious style of play from a distance characteristic of the theremin created a cultural stir, and the theremin was featured in more movie soundtracks, particularly science fiction, including The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), The Lost Weekend (1945) and many others. Meanwhile the creator of the instrument was missing, and presumed to be dead. Under questionable circumstances, and accompanied by Russian agents, Theremin left his home in the United States in 1938 and was not heard from again for many years. Some of the time was spent in Siberia, in labor camps, and his activities and whereabouts for much of the time are still unknown. The results of his labors in his native land for much of his life, and whether he worked for the authorities freely or under duress, are questions that may remain unresolved. Dr. Theremin is the subject of a documentary movie 'Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey' (1993), which provides possible answers to some of the unknowns. The film addresses many of the mysteries in the personal life of the creator of the most mysterious of musical instruments - the first instrument to be played from a distance, as if by an unseen force. The theremin became popular with musicians in the 1960s from the Beach Boys and beyond, and continues to be featured in modern music where peculiar sounds are desired. The instrument created by Dr. Theremin spawned an entire range of electronic equipment and musical devices, including the work of Robert Moog and the synthesizer. The inspirations of, and interest in, the mysterious theremin and its enigmatic inventor, continue to the present time in electronic excursions into sound. |
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Show & Tell: RCA Theremin & Radiola 106 Speaker Homebuilt Musical Instruments IMDB: Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey Art's Theremin Page PAiA Electronics Best Of Moog Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey Take A Look At Theremins The Theremin Theremin Center For Electroacoustic Music & Multimedia Mental Machine Music Theremin World Charlie Lester: Theremins Big Briar |
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