Although in 1919 Vladimir Lenin heralded the Theremin as being the sound and structure of the coming generations, it's early potential dissipated and by the 1950's the instrument was most commonly recognised in soundstracks to American B-movies. These cold war allegories used the Theremin as a signifier for the "outsider", the malevolent alien figure with "other" political views, which would arrive and destroy the world. The Theremin is one of the oldest electronic instruments, and the only one you play without touching. Moving your hands in the space around its antennas controls pitch and volume.
2 comments:
Hmmmmmmmmm...
Interesting how often the theremin has come up in conversation lately.
Are you familiar with the octopus project?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6d7qb7mf48
ps. I just picked the first video I could find of yvonne playing it... not exciting, but hopefully you'll find others =-)
Post a Comment