How it began
In October 1920 the Russian physicist Lev Sergeyevich Termen, known in the West as Leon Theremin, invented the instrument while working at the Physical-Technical Institute in Petrograd, now Saint Petersburg. It grew out of Soviet government-sponsored research into proximity sensors. The instrument was originally known as the etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox. After positive reviews at Moscow electronics conferences, Termen demonstrated it to Vladimir Lenin.
How it works
The controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas that act as position sensors, not radio antennas. Each antenna forms one half of a capacitor, with the player's hand as the other half. One hand controls the frequency of an oscillator, and so the pitch, by its distance from an upright antenna; the other controls the volume by its distance from a loop antenna. The electric signals are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker.
How it spread
Lenin was so impressed that he began taking lessons, commissioned six hundred of the instruments for distribution throughout the Soviet Union and sent Termen abroad to demonstrate Soviet technology. After a long tour of Europe, where he played to packed houses, Termen reached the United States and patented the invention there in 1928. He then granted commercial production rights to RCA.
What lasted
The theremin is described as one of the first electronic musical instruments and the first musical instrument played without being touched. Its eerie sound led to its use in film soundtracks such as Spellbound, The Lost Weekend and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Robert Moog, later known for the Moog synthesizer, began his career in 1954 by building theremins with his father.
Where it stands today
Theremins are still manufactured and played. They are used in art music, especially avant-garde and twentieth-century new music, and in popular genres such as rock. Moog's company has continued to sell theremins, including the Etherwave model, which is also offered as a kit.
