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THEREMIN

Russian inventor Leon Theremin invented the world's first electronic instrument, named (what else?) The Theremin.

I saw the documentary about his life yesterday.

The Theremin looks like a podium with an antenna projecting up vertically out of it on the right edge and another metal do-dad curving out and back horizontally from the left side.

By holding your hand over the left curve, you can control the amplitude -- the nearer your left hand gets to it the quieter the sound becomes, the farther the louder.

With your right hand you make motions over the podium, these motions affect the vertical antenna thingy and control pitch over a four octave range.

You never actually touch the instrument.

The resulting sound is sort of spooky electric drone, and the instrument is usually used to play things with a lot of aunting vibrato.

With few exceptions (like Virtuoso Clara Rockmore, who plays with symphonies) the theremin found use mostly to create the spacey music in movies such as "The Day The Earth Stood Still".

After inventing his instrument, Leon Theremin moved to New York city and became quite well know and successful. He organized Theremin recitals at Carnegie Hall, invented other electronic instruments and became a prominent socialite.

However many of his less enlightened friends began to snub him when he married a black ballet dancer. But his fall from popularity in New York's social scene didn't have a chance to become a big deal, because he was soon kidnapped and smuggled back to Russia under the new communist regime.

Leon Theremin disappeared.

In the meantime, a fellow by the name of Robert Moog began to manufacture and sell Theremin's in the West (His start in lectronic musical instruments).

Leon Theremin spent much of the rest of his adulthood working to pioneer electronic surveillance technology for the KGB.

For more info, see the film.

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