Bulat galeyev had published various articles on termen by then, and his soviet faust came out in russian in 1995. Martin left, writerproducerdirector of thereminan electronic odyssey speaks with clara rockmore, the world. Further distinguishing the theremin from the traditional world of mechanical musical instruments reeds, woodwinds, horns, strings, percussion, etc. Little was known of him in the west before steven m. An electronic odyssey is more than just the story of a novel noisemaking gadget. Wfmu blog fans will know to seek out the theremin documentary made by steven m.
Born in the soviet union at the height of communist repression, leon theremin arose to become a pioneer of electronics and of electronic music. A documentary about the amazing life of leon theremin, inventor of the theremin, the electronic musical instrument so beloved of 50s scifi movie music. Achetez theremin an electronic odyssey a petit prix. His selfnamed electronic musical instrumentthe first of its kind. An electronic odyssey is more than just the story of a. A batch of theremin videos wfmus beware of the blog. In order to produce a musical tone, the theremin makes use of audiofrequency electrical oscillations produced by a vacuumtube generator. A profile of russian leon theremin, inventor of the worlds first electronic musical instrument. Martins awardwinning documentary film about the inventor was shown in britain on the bbcs channel 4 theremin. While the documentary contains few objectionable elements, the lack of a narrative, a point of view and true insight into the man makes theremin.
With leon theremin, robert moog, clara rockmore, nicolas slonimsky. The scientist, whose name was leon theremin, was not mad. We discuss some of the interesting physics behind the design and operation of the theremin electronic musical instrument. An electronic odyssey in 1994 revived interest in the theremin. No tools are needed, as the kit is built on a solderless breadboard. Event in amsterdam, netherlands by cinema of the damd and ot301 on sunday, january 21 2018 with 404 people interested and 60 people going.
A documentary about the inventor of the first electronic synthesiser instrument. As striking an experience as a pere ubu show can be, i was captivated by a. Martin may be the best american documentary feature of 1994. Theremin an electronic odyssey glosses over the moscow part of its subjects history and concentrates on his days in new york, where theremin concerts were briefly part of the classical music. Spike lees new movie, clockers, strikes most terribly at the heartand for that matter at the stomachduring its opening shots, when the camera gazes relentlessly, in closeup, at. An electronic odyssey in 1994, the instrument has enjoyed a resurgence in interest and has become more widely used by contemporary musicians. 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 originally the product of russian governmentsponsored research into proximity sensors.
Dec 07, 2005 then, the theremin slipped back into obscurity until the recent revival of the 1990s. It is the kind of movie that requires a musical score only the theremin possibly could supply. An electronic odyssey 1995 including budget, domestic and international box office gross, dvd and bluray sales reports, total earnings and profitability. This is an opportunity for budding engineers, hobbyists, and students to learn science, practice engineering, and build something cool. The electro theremin 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. Even though many theremin sounds can be approximated on many modern synthesizers, some musicians continue to appreciate the expressiveness, novelty, and uniqueness. He studied and worked in his native city, attending its university and conservatory and directing a lab at one of its technical. By the 1950s, the theremin that weird electronic instrument that musicians play by waving their hands in the air around ithad become the signature sound for sciencefiction film and television, thanks to its eerie keening effect, which sounds like it originated on a distant and probably unpleasant planet.
An electronic odyssey click to enlarge apart from crumb, this film by steven m. An electronic odyssey is a documentary on both the theremin, the instrument, and prof. In this experiment, i have designed an optical theremin using a 555 timer ic. Theremin, electronic musical instrument invented in 1920 in the soviet union by leon theremin also called lev termen. His invention in 1919 of the thereminvox came at a time when his country was in the midst of the russian civil war. Dec 02, 2001 other sites sell buildityourself theremin kits. An electronic odyssey falls into the latter category as well. An electronic odyssey, a fascinating documentary about leon theremin and his invention the theremin, a simple box of. An electronic odyssey 1995 pg profiles the life of russian scientist leon theremin who died in 1993, founder of electronic music, and his revolutionary musical invention, the theremin. Martin in scenes from theremin this is an original press photo. An electronic odyssey is a documentary about the creator of the theremin musical instrument, lev sergeyvich termen aka leon theremin. An electronic odyssey was shown as part of last years new york film festival. Lydia kavina, clara rockmore featuring, william olsen director 1995. The theremin is named for its inventor lev termen, better known worldwide as leon theremin 1896 1993.
Jul 25, 2008 in 1994, after finishing a show at lounge ax in chicago, i was taken by a friend to another club to check out pere ubu. The laserdisc database collections, wishlists, marketplace of obsolete and niche video formats ldcedvhddvhshd dvd. An entertaining film about leon theremin, a russian emigre, who pioneered the field of electronic music four decades before the rise of electronic rock music, and helped usher in technological warfare between cold war super powers years before ian fleming created the fictional super spy james bond. These kits are electrically simple, and can be put together less than an hour. Theremin an electronic odyssey 1994 was released on. The instrument features a tone and portamento similar to that of the theremin, but with a different control mechanism. Theremin etherophone, an electrophonic musical instrument, invented in 1921 by the soviet engineer l. It consists of a box with radio tubes producing oscillations at two soundwave frequencies above the range of hearing. The theremin the early untouchable electronic instrument. Theremin music instrument electronic music of brainvoyager. Although theremin players do not need to have perfect pitch, the thereminist must rely on memory and careful listening to accurately play the instrument, which is considered difficult to master. Microkits makes building electronics accessible to anyone. The functionaility is modelled on the etherwave and features continously variable waveshape with a variable base pitch, two octave performance range, tone and echodelay, and a performance display that shows you the nearest note, with optional sharps and flats display. A professor, he immigrated to america, where by the late 1920s, he had.
Beach party meets the amazing colossal man meets wild in the streets. A new theremin app by kingsley sage is now available on the apple app store for the iphone. It is a story about a man with a passion for electronics and music, a man with an inventive and radical mind. The rca theremin holds a place in history as the first manufactured electronic musical instrument, and is credited with laying the foundation for all electronic music to come. But because of the preprogrammed microprocessor, the. The spooky sound of the theremin was used in several movie soundtracks during the 1950s and 1960s. Theramin article about theramin by the free dictionary. An electronic odyssey vhs, 1995 at the best online prices at ebay. An electronic odyssey is a 1993 documentary about a man whose real life resembled a spy movie in many aspects. An electronic odyssey 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 and after that we.
On todays show nic and i will be talking about two films first up is theremin. Theremin amazed america with his instrument until his kidnapping by soviet agents in the mid30s. This documentary is fun to watch and brings to light a lot of history that is little known. An electronic odyssey 1993 starring leon theremin and clara rockmore on dvd and bluray. A documentary about theremin, the man who pioneered the field of electronic music.
Copying content to your website is strictly prohibited. Even though many theremin sounds can be approximated on many modern synthesizers, some musicians continue to appreciate the expressiveness, novelty and uniqueness. September 8, 1995 nyc leon theremin born lev sergeivich termen was born in 1896 and died in moscow november 3, 1993 at the age of 97. Theremin demonstrated his first working model of the instrument that bears his name in 1920 as the etherphone, soon to be known as the termenvox, or literally, voice of termen. An electronic odyssey stars clara rockmore, robert moog, nicolas slonimsky, paul shure the pg movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 23 min, and received a score. Martin writes and directs this intriguing documentary about a mans. Theremin, an electronic odyssey is a documentary film that both informs and surprises. An electronic odyssey a bit tedious for anyone but diehard aficionados of obsolete electronic musical instruments. What are the release dates for theremin an electronic. 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. Leon theremin was the secret link between scifi films, the beach boys, and carnegie hall. Upon his release from a labor camp, he worked on surveillance devices for the kgb. Leon theremin born lev sergeivitch termen was the russian inventor of the theremin, an electronic musical instrument.
Theremin article about theremin by the free dictionary. Small movements of the hands can create a tremolo or vibrato effect. Martin left, writerproducerdirector of theremin an electronic odyssey speaks with clara rockmore, the world. Collection theremin circuits, schematics or diagrams. It features lots of obscure theremin footage and clara rockmore meeting leon termin after about 40 years separation. Theremin virtuoso, clara rockmore, performs in concert in the 1920s in orion classics featurelength documentary theremin an electronic odyssey, bottom. Very few people would recognize the name of leon theremin 18961993 if it werent for the electronic musical instrument he invented around 1918. Oct 04, 2001 but termen was a prolific inventor in other areas as well, developing a host of devices for surveillance. To control the theremin, the musician stands in front of the instrument and moves his or her hands in the proximity of two metal antennae, the distance from the antennae determining frequency pitch and amplitude volume. An electronic odyssey in 1993, the instrument has enjoyed a resurgence in interest and has become more widely used by contemporary musicians. Leon theremin demonstrates the thereminvox 1954 youtube. Here ill show you how to generate music close to it. Basically this instrument is called as theremin, originally cons.
Janet maslin of the new york times called the film a fascinating, offbeat documentary that stands as a fine job of detective work. Martin is a true proselytizer for theremins place in history, and the film makes its case in a wholly convincing and entertaining fashion. His selfnamed electronic musical instrumentthe first of its kindtook the world by storm in the 1920s and 30s. An electronic odyssey is a 1993 documentary film directed by steven m.
Made publicly available at clara rockmore method for theremin pdf film and video. 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. A brief history of the theremin, an eeriesounding early electronic instrument that gave rise to the synthesizer leon theremin born lev sergeyevich termen in saint petersburg, russia, was the inventor of the elegant and expressive theremin, the instrument bob moog started building and studying when he was 14 years old. Theremins and related memorabilia can be found on the ebay web site. It is highly recommended viewing for all fans of electronic music. An interesting subplot of the film describes professor theremin s abduction from his 57th street new york apartment, with his subsequent rediscovery, in russia, some fifty years later.
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. Theremin an electronic odyssey 1993 sheds light on the early era of electronic music. An electronic odyssey a centennial celebration of the invention of the theremin wednesday, october 16th at 7. Martin located the 95yearold theremin in moscow in 1991, interviewed him on camera, then brought him back to the u. Martin unearthed exceptional archival footage of theremins early years when he was the toast of new york, playing carnegie hall and hosting grand parties at his fiftyfourth street compound with paramour, clara rockwell, also a theremin virtuoso. 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. An electronic odyssey, we see clips of leon theremin from the 20s and 30s, standing before his instrument with burning eyes, a trim mustache, and the stately handsomeness of a. Replication of tony van roons 1995 theremin circuit featuring two photo resistors and a simple inverter based oscillator. Today, lots of bands use theremins, though many unfortunately limit themselves to using the theremin as a novelty. Theremin virtuoso, clara rockmore, performs in concert in the 1920s in orion classics featurelength documentary thereminan electronic odyssey, bottom.