Let's show Bob Moog lots of love this August 21, 2015!

Well if people are interested, we could do a Festschrift-like thing here. A Festschrift is a compendium of scholarly articles honoring a well respected person in some field. Now this is normally an academic thing done for a living person (there is a similar thing called a Gedenkschrift that is dedicated to someone who has died) but we can take the general concept. 

People could either write a short posting on a subject that's related to Bob Moog, or perhaps tell a story about him if they knew him, or maybe tell a story about how he changed their life in some way (he did mine) or the composers out there might write an Homage piece to him. All could be placed in this or some other thread.  

Bach to Moog combines real orchestra and solo players with electronics. What I heard on the Moog web site was not that impressive but I'll preview tracks on itunes and likely buy ones I like. Nothing approaches the original Switched on Bach album (and the companion Brandenburg Concertos album - which IMHO is even better). Wendy Carlos came out with another version years later and it was nothing as good - too much technology - broke my heart as Switched on Bach is what got me interested in classical music. The original was done at a time when there was little modern recording technology and I think the problems that had to be surmounted because of that actually helped create better music. Anyone who has not heard the Brandenburg Concertos album needs to. I think Buckley's Firing Line used Cto#2 as its theme song from the album.

Maybe I can come up with an Amazing Grace accompaniment.  What's your poison? Maybe a string quartet? I have some solo string samples. Perhaps just piano this time. That will be faster for me to just play in.

Who invented the term backing track? Most of the time it's my theremin I want in the back!

 

ThereminCat wrote: "......Moog Etherwave is the last theremin designed by Bob Moog before he passed."

TC, I think the last theremin designed by the late Dr. Bob was the Etherwave Pro. Unfortunately, because Bob was already seriously ill and knew that the prognosis was not good, the E'Pro was prematurely rushed to market before all the wrinkles had been ironed out.

Hey TCat - Ssshh... Don't tell my Rabbi! :-)

Didn't have much time - too many other projects. Just a couple minutes of Amazing Grace. Here's basically what it sounds like. I'll post the accompaniment and score on IMSLP later - people can improvise any way they like to the melody. I could raise it up another fourth (or something) to make it go on a bit longer, but little point. It's just a short confection. There's a piano version in the score I wrote too - but it sounds better on strings.

Anyone can do up their own simple version easily. That could be interesting if all the composers out there did up a version.

Amazing Grace

 

I'll try posting the accompany later tonight.

Rich

There was a time when all that Big Briar (later Moog Music) manufactured were Etherwave theremins. That was it. Bob then expanded into making more sophisticated theremins like the SERIES 91 instruments followed by the MIDI Ethervox. The company got into serious financial trouble at one point and was saved from bankruptcy by the Moogerfooger. The Etherwave Pro came long after the Etherwave Standard, Etherwave Plus and Etherwave kit.

 

 

Bob had a deeply mystical side to him which, like many scientists, he rarely discussed openly because it exposed him to ridicule and there was nothing to be gained by it.

OK. TC. You can get the accompaniment here:

Amazing Grace Accompaniment

Two statements of the melody - the second up a perfect fourth with a little phrase repeat at the end.

The score for it is here if anyone is the slightest bit interested (it includes alternate piano version that's basically the same as the string parts):

Amazing Grace Score

Sorry, I made it a tad dissonant/chromatic in places. The song is after all about a very troubled soul. Not sure why it's always done so sweetly (perhaps Bob Moog would not have liked it too saccharine). Though it sounds a lot less discordant with the melody as the accompaniment does not double the tune and tries to stay out of the way of the theremin. (Actually, I played it for someone and they said - not dissonant enough!)

As to how appropriate this song is for him, I have no idea. Being spiritual does not necessarily mean religious.

Rich

 

 

Perhaps you want to include the moving story behind the picture:

http://www.wendycarlos.com/moog/

 

As great as he was as a theremin technician and innovator, Bob Moog was not a very good theremin player - and he was the first one to admit that. Unfortunately, I’m not sure he really BELIEVED it and his failure to consult genuine virtuosos during research and development, caused him no end of problems with this high-end instruments. The technical requirements of the amateur are very different from those of a genuine adept but the amateur has no way to fully realize this. The amateur THINKS he knows, but he doesn’t. Clara Rockmore discusses this at some length in the GIFT TAPE interviews, regarding her relationship (as a virtuoso musician) with Lev Termen (as an engineer).