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Hear ‘N Theremin
Certain sounds remind us of particular movies or time periods. We only need to hear the first explosive blast of horns to recognize the Star Wars fanfare, and the tinny sound of Moog synthesizers whisk us back to the buddy comedies of the mid-eighties.
Few instruments represent their time period better than the theremin, a mystical musical machine that everyone recognizes by sound, but few understand in application.
The theremin was created in 1919 by Russian inventor Leon Theremin. It was the first instrument played without ever being directly touched. It works by sending out oscillating vibrations which sense the relative position of the player’s hands.
Here is movie composer Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings) with a mesmerizing demonstration of the instrument:
The first movie to use the theremin was the 1950 science fiction film Rocketship X-M. From there, the instrument took over the science fiction market, providing the creepy backdrop to most of the films of that decade. Even when the instrument regained favor in the Tim Burton films Mars Attacks and Ed Wood, the overall usage was that of nostalgia for fifties schlock horror and science fiction.
However, the instrument has a unique voice that, under proper control and usage, can create unusually beautiful atmospheres. Here is someone using a theremin to recreate a famous theme song - see if you can guess which movie it is:
Amazing.
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6 Responses to “Hear ‘N Theremin”
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That is weird, but kind of cool.
Damn right.
I never heard of a theremin before. It sounds like something you would take for anxiety.
LOL EXACTLY!!!!!
I always thought that noise was made by somebody humming and whistling. I’ll be damned, I need to get me one of them.
Me wants it, precious…