Otherworldly Sounds Of The Theremin

Description
The theremin was the first electronic musical instrument invented purely by accident by a physicist and trained cellist. Join me, Steven Hobé, as we take a minute to get the scoop!

Fun Fact
The theremin became the go-to noise for an alien encounter, most famously in the classic 1951 movie The Day the Earth Stood Still (scored by Bernard Herrmann). Other high-profile credits, alongside lots of B-Movies, include The Lost Weekend and the Biblical blockbuster The Ten Commandments.

About Steven
Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more.

A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.

Got a topic? Pop me off an email at: TCMMPodcast@Gmail.com 

Transcript

In 1920, Russian physicist, and trained cellist, Lev Sergeyevich Termen – later known as Léon Theremin, invented a machine that aimed to use radio waves to measure properties of gas. 

To his amazement, he found this apparatus emitted a strange otherworldly tone, which he could shape by moving his hands around the equipment. And thus the theremin was born. 

He was keen to market it worldwide, “People will learn to play it without too much difficulty,” he claimed and dreamed of seeing a theremin in every home.

But things didn’t quite go according to plan. It turned out that the theremin was actually very hard to play. 

Despite this, the theremin later inspired a surge in sound technology that led to Robert Moog’s creation of the modern synthesizer. It was also featured in a whole host of mystery, horror and science-fiction films throughout the 1940s and ‘50s. There is also now a range of works by contemporary composers.