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John W
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« on: 19:23:13, 20-12-2007 » |
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Bidding has ended (just 12 dollars) but it is an interesting record. Link. scroll down for detailsYou can read about the history of the Theremin by going to this link. The inventor, a Russian, patented the instrument in the USA in 1928 and subsequently sold the production rights to RCA. From the record no. I reckon the recording was made in 1930. The artist on the record, Lennington Heppe Shewell, was the son of RCA's Musical Instrument Division marketing director. He was involved in the RCA marketing effort to promote the Theremin which has a very eerie sound. The record would not have sold well despite the popular tunes that were recorded To hear one (or both) of the sides of that 78 go to this link and click on "Dancing with tears in my eyes"; you may become very bored after a while or you may really like it! If so, scroll down for the other side  Oh, and how about this, Martinu: FantasieJohn W |
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #1 on: 19:56:22, 20-12-2007 » |
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Could someone who knows about historic electronic instruments tell me how the Theremin differs from the Ondes-Martenot? They seem to sound the same to my philistine ears?  Menotti (who could rarely resist a gimmick) scored for one or other of these Hammer-Horror B-Movie instruments in Help! Help! The Globolinks, but he helpfully put the sounds onto a tape available from his publisher - not expecting that opera-houses might have either an instrument or a player available. |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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oliver sudden
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« Reply #2 on: 20:06:02, 20-12-2007 » |
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 Theremin  Ondes Martenot They can certainly sound very similar - I suspect the basic principle of sound production is similar but I'll have to check that. The Ondes Martenot on the other hand has various extras like the possibility of using the keyboard. Slidy stuff on the Ondes Martenot is done by moving a ring which is attached to a wire; on the theremin the hand just moves in space, on the Ondes Martenot the keyboard provides orientation (the black strip the hand moves along also has little bumps so you don't have to look directly at it). The theremin does dynamics by means of movements of one of the player's hands in space, the Ondes Martenot with a key which the left hand depresses (although on more recent models one also has the option of using a pedal). The Ondes Martenot also has various speakers which provide simple 'effects' - the strings on the picture in the photo resonate sympathetically, there's also a speaker with a little gong in it. |
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« Last Edit: 20:13:13, 20-12-2007 by oliver sudden »
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #3 on: 20:11:25, 20-12-2007 » |
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Is Tristan Murail the only person who's got an Ondes-Martenot, or does it only seem that way? "Theremin" always sounds like some kind of linctus for treating bronchial congestion to me? Please excuse the levity, I'm in need of distraction from the most miserable of rush editing jobs... |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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oliver sudden
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« Reply #4 on: 20:15:48, 20-12-2007 » |
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Is Tristan Murail the only person who's got an Ondes-Martenot, or does it only seem that way? Actually the stereotype nowadays is more along the lines of willowy blonde maidens... There aren't many of them, unfortunately, and they're only made to order as far as I can tell. (And even then I'm told they take forever.) I believe there's an Ondes Martenot emulator available that you can plug into a normal synth - word has it that's actually what Radiohead used but word has been known to be wrong... |
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martle
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« Reply #5 on: 20:17:16, 20-12-2007 » |
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Please excuse the levity, I'm in need of distraction from the most miserable of rush editing jobs...
Excused, Reiner! Let's not forget the superb use the Theremin is put to here:  |
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Green. Always green.
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time_is_now
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« Reply #6 on: 20:31:26, 20-12-2007 » |
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Is Tristan Murail the only person who's got an Ondes-Martenot? Well, that's certainly not Tristan Murail in Ollie's photo!  |
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The city is a process which always veers away from the form envisaged and desired, ... whose revenge upon its architects and planners undoes every dream of mastery. It is [also] one of the sites where Dasein is assigned the impossible task of putting right what can never be put right. - Rob Lapsley
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #7 on: 20:36:23, 20-12-2007 » |
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Is the upside-down lute body with strings attached to its outer wall (in the pic above) part of the Ondes-Martenot, or was the picture merely taken in the Museum Of Obscure and Neglected Instruments, with another oddity appearing accidentally in the background? I'd forgotten about the Beach Boys use of the thing, Martle - ta for that? I presume the BBC Radiophonic Workshop must have used both of these gizmos - presumably on the original William Hartnell/Patrick Troughton-era version of the theme music of Dr Who? I somehow didn't think the photo was Tristan Murail, whom I've seen do Turangalila on two different occasions |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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martle
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« Reply #8 on: 20:40:57, 20-12-2007 » |
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Reiner, the original BBC Radiophonic workshop Dr Who music was, I believe, completely synthesised (rather than created by any 'live' instruments - could be wrong, but it was certainly technically cutting edge at the time. Thanks to Ron Grainer -  |
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Green. Always green.
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time_is_now
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« Reply #10 on: 21:27:12, 20-12-2007 » |
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The city is a process which always veers away from the form envisaged and desired, ... whose revenge upon its architects and planners undoes every dream of mastery. It is [also] one of the sites where Dasein is assigned the impossible task of putting right what can never be put right. - Rob Lapsley
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Tony Watson
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« Reply #11 on: 21:36:17, 20-12-2007 » |
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I don't know about Dr Who but the Ondes Martenot can be heard in the signature tune to Fireball XL5: "I wish I were a spaceman, The fastest guy alive, I'd travel round the universe, On Fireball XL5..."
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Tony Watson
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« Reply #12 on: 21:45:12, 20-12-2007 » |
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Let's not forget the superb use the Theremin is put to here: My research (Google) tells me it's not actually a theremin on that record, but let's hear it for the mellotron, used on the Beatles' Strawberry Fields...  |
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oliver sudden
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« Reply #13 on: 21:49:24, 20-12-2007 » |
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Not to be confused with...  |
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Bryn
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« Reply #14 on: 21:52:32, 20-12-2007 » |
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Messiaen's "S. François d'Assise" uses 3 Ondes Martenot, but that's nothing, His "Fête des belles eaux" uses 6, and there are at least two recordings which have appeared on CD in recentish years, one of which, featuring the Sextuor Jeanne Loriod, does indeed use 6, though the more recent one made by Takashi Harada is multitracked from a single instrument. I have REM 311306 XCD, the one with the Sextuor Jeanne Loriod, recorded in 1996.  |
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« Last Edit: 22:21:11, 20-12-2007 by Bryn »
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