Instrument types are divided into five groups: percussion, wind, string, string and wind. But imagine an instrument that you can play without even touching it. Moreover, it produces familiar sounds and does not require any contact.
We will focus on the instrument called theremin, which was invented by Léon Theremin by chance and has the same name as its inventor. How does this interesting instrument, which can produce the sounds we hear in many places without touching it, work?
First, let’s take a look at the history of the instrument.
A Russian physicist named Léon Theremin was doing research on proximity sensors for the Russian government in 1920. He was subsequently working on a gas meter to measure the density of gas in a room. He was continuing his work with an oscillator that measured the density of gas and detected electrical signals.
While continuing to make measurements, Léon Theremin noticed that interesting sounds were heard when he approached the meter, and he saw that these sounds diminished and disappeared when he moved away from the device. Realizing that sounds suddenly appeared and disappeared while repeating these movements, Léon decided to add an audio signal to the device.
After adding the audio signals, Léon saw that the device produced louder sounds, influenced by the relative movements of the body, and began to produce different melodies within minutes. Léon then enthusiastically showed the device to Vladimir Lenin, who caught his attention, and Lenin sent him on a European tour as both a musician and a spy.
Being a spy, an inventor and a musician? Three in one with Léon Theremin.
Lenin asked Léon to take the stage in 1922, and Léon gave concerts under the name “Ether-Wave” in various places in Europe, and this interesting device attracted the attention of many people. Because Léon was waving his hands over the device as if he was doing magic, and interesting melodies were emerging. Abracadabra!
Lenin did not want to be satisfied with Europe alone and sent Léon to America in 1928 for intelligence. However, living in this evil triangle cost him dearly and attracted the attention of the FBI at that time. Léon, who was on the FBI’s watch list, escaped from the USA without leaving a trace and returned to Russia, where he died in 1993.
In fact, behind the spread of this invention lies another hero, not Léon.
Léon was not instrumental in spreading the instrument. He became known only for the concerts he gave while collecting information for intelligence in Europe and the USA. However, after Léon’s escape from America, the theremin was orphaned and no one wanted to take care of it. Until it was rediscovered by an American engineer named Robert Moog.
Robert Moog built a theremin instrument with leftover information from copies of a magazine called Electronic Worlds. Moog was so fascinated by this instrument that his admiration made the instrument more widely known.
Another hero is a giant radio company: Radio Corporation of America (RCA) bought the licensing rights to the instrument.
The instrument became famous shortly after its arrival in the United States and was quickly licensed by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). Relying on their licenses, RCA wanted to express that anyone could invent a theremin and marketed it to consumers as if it were very easy. But the truth was not like that at all.
Theremin is quite different from traditional instruments. It has no strings, frets, keys or any tuning. Playing easily available instruments becomes easy after a few training sessions, but the theremin had a rather complicated structure. This put him in a very different place in the music world.
Why didn’t it become popular at that time, despite the intervention of the Big American Radio Company?
Playing the theremin was very difficult at that time for those who wanted to try something new other than traditional instruments. Because it was an unusual musical instrument and everyone who saw it was in a small shock. Since it did not have any strings, frets or keys, sometimes even agile hand movements were insufficient.
Unfortunately, the theremin could not appeal to large audiences due to its complicated structure and did not reach the expected popularity. It was incredibly difficult to control this musical instrument, and people did not prefer to play theremin instead of playing instruments such as guitar and violin.
However, thanks to avant-garde composers, the theremin’s face suddenly started to smile.
After the “Thereminvox” patent was obtained, this patent contributed to the sound of the instrument. Then avant-garde composers such as Joseph Schillenger immediately recognized the potential of the theremin device, and in 1929 Schillenger premiered his “First Airphonic Suite” in New York. Thus, theremin soloist Léon Theremin became the talk of the town.
RCA quickly acquired the manufacturing rights to the Thereminvox and launched an advertising campaign designed to sell a theremin for every living room in the country. Although the theremin was considered a commercial failure due to RCA’s move, it is still considered the world’s first electronic instrument.
Everything is ok so far. So how does Theremin work?
Theremin works by creating electromagnetic noise. At the beginning of our content, we mentioned that Léon Theremin works with an oscillator. The human body is a capacitor, meaning our body can store and conduct electricity. Just like when we rub an inflated balloon on our hair, our hair becomes frizzy due to the electricity generated.
Each of the two antennas on the instrument is connected to circuits that oscillate at radio frequencies. The frequency of one oscillator is fixed and the other is variable. The human body, which conducts electricity in this electromagnetic field, measures the difference between fixed and variable oscillators when it moves and transmits this difference to a curtain.
Since each different hand movement activates different frequencies, a sound is produced that is reflected on the screen. This is how the accidentally discovered theremin instrument works. Although it seems easy, it is actually a very difficult instrument to use.
You can watch this video to see how it is played:
In our content, which preserves its mystery for those who do not know it, tries to remove the question marks in the minds of those who know it, and opens the curtain of mystery, we touched upon the curious points about the theremin. This instrument, which is as difficult to play as it is to survive until today, still attracts the interest and attention of many people.
If you were given the opportunity to play theremin, what song would you play? Don’t forget to mention it in the comments.
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