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Sunday, August 29, 2010
Two rare videos of Leon Theremin and his daughter Natalia Theremin Kavan have been posted to YouTube by ThereminFamily.org. In the first, Leon and Natalia Theremin perform Glinka's Skylark in 1987. According to a comment on the site, this is one of the songs he performed for Lenin.
In the second video, Natlia Theremin performs on the theremin with piano accompaniment by Rubin Abdullin.
These two videos are a rare glimpse into Theremin family history and certainly a treasure! Special thanks to YouTube user Lirego for posting these!
Watch: Leon and Natalia Theremin Perform in 1987 (YouTube)
Watch: Natalia Theremin and Rubin Abdullin (YouTube)
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Thursday, August 26, 2010
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Monday, August 23, 2010
Photo theremins are well known in our circles for being closer to the novelty side of the spectrum of theremin-like instruments. They typically include just one
control for pitch, have short ranges, and poor and/or fixed timbre.
Jacob Joaquin has broken the mold with a post on the Csound Blog featuring an optical theremin controlling Csound, the open source synthsizer construction kit of electronic music fame. Jacob reads the photo sensors with an Arduino board and feeds the output into Csound, which generates the audio. The video demonstrates two different Csound instruments: the first one being a pretty good traditional theremin mimic, and the second really showing off the power of this platform.
Kudos to Jacob for making me re-think my opinion of what a photo theremin can do!
Read: Photoresistor Theremin (Csound Blog)
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The Mexican film La Pantera Negra features the theremin prominently in the score and it is being distributed in theaters in Mexico this month.
The theremin part was recorded by
Ernesto Mendoza. This is the first Mexican feature film to actually use a real theremin, and musically too! Although Mexican film companies released a lot of horror films in the 50s and 60s, they used a musical saw for the theremin-like tones.
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Sunday, August 22, 2010
For our Japanese readers, here are a couple of resources to help introduce you to the theremin. First up is the Adult Science Premium Theremin (translated) from Adult Science Magazine (the same folks who introduced the world to the Gakken Mini Theremin). It currently sells on Amazon.co.jp for 9780 Yen, or about $114 USD at the time of this posting.
Next up is the Theremin Learning Book by SATO Sha Megumi. It's also available at Amazon.co.jp and currently sells for 2709 Yen, or about $31 USD.
If you have either of these products and would like to write a review for Theremin World, please get in touch. |
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Saturday, August 21, 2010
Today marks 5 years since Dr. Robert Moog left this Earth. While his passing was truly a sad moment for all of us in the theremin and synthesizer communities, we wanted to spend the day today remembering the wonderful person Bob was and all the great accomplishments he left us with. As you are practicing, building, listening, or performing theremin music today, we invite you to take a moment to reflect on Bob's impact on your own life and share a fond memory with others.
Of course, the best way to help preserve Bob's legacy is to make a donation to the Bob Moog Foundation. Be sure to follow them on Twitter at @moogfoundation.
May the force of Moog be with us all... forever.
photo Bob Moog Foundation. Print reproduction is prohibited.
More Moog Mappings Posted By: omhoge @ 11:21
Bob Moog's
work not only kept the theremin alive and available in the modern age,
but changed the entire music world. It all boiled down to connecting and and
and communicating with people. Bob listened to musicians as he created his
instruments making them more intuitive and allowing the core concepts of
synthesis like
ASDR (Attack, Sustain, Decay, Release) to be more accessible.
That unrelenting vision seems to boil down to a love of people,
belief in our innate creativity, and a commitment to making the world better
through your work, music and supporting the causes you believe in.
I can map some of the most important turning points in my life directly to Bob's work.
- Switched On Bach recorded by
Wendy Carlos with support from Bob Moog and Rachel Elkind,
and the many magazine articles about the Moog Synthesizer at that time changed everything.
On
Wedny's site she quotes Bob "Switched-on Bach was released at the end of 1968
and became an immediate success. It was acclaimed as real music by musicians
and the listening public alike. As a result, the Moog Synthesizer
was suddenly accepted with open arms by the music business community.
We witnessed the birth of a new genre of music--classical music,
realized with impeccable musicianship on synthesizer and tape recorder. ..."
Her
eulogy for Bob is on her site
- The release of the
MiniMoog in 1970 enabled many of us in school at the time
access to an instrument and have hands on experience in tonal synthesis.
- The EtherWave Standard and Pro theremins
from
Moog Music
made it possible for most of us to
start the life changing process of playing the theremin and with the EWPro take
it to new levels.
And of course let me ask again, if you can please help with a donation to the
Moog Foundation.
What how did Bob Moog affect your life?
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Friday, August 13, 2010
This Sunday, August 15th, is Lev Termen's birthday, he was known as
Leon Theremin in the U.S. We champion the theremin as a serious classical and experimental instrument, but the early popular side of the theremin in records and film is important too. The flying saucer would not have had it's iconic ooo00OO00ooo sound, there would not have been a Tannerin (see Beach Boys), or even the Moog Synthesizer without Lev's invention.
It is very likely that up until the YouTube era, Samuel J. Hoffman was the most heard thereminst in America. He was the primary, if not only, thereminst in Hollywood during the forties and fifties recording records and film scores, and even some T.V appearances.
For Lev's birthday this year I'll indulge my love for B Movies. No "The Day the Earth...", "Ten Commandments" or "Spellbound" this time, here's a short list of B Flicks and Spooky Movies you'll hear the theremin in.
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The Thing from Another World (1951)
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It Came from Outer Space (1953)
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The She-Creature (1956)
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The Indestructible Man (1956)
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The Queen of Outer Space (1958)
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House on Haunted Hill (1959)
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The First Spaceship on Venus (1960)
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Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962)
(this might be a Tannerin)
Please add on your favorites in the comments!
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Thursday, August 12, 2010
 photo 20th Century Fox
Besides Bernard Herrman's famous theremin based score, most of us never forgot when the actress Patricia Neal was able to utter the famous words "Klaatu Barada Nikto" and stop an iconic robot from destroying the earth.
The 1951 science fiction classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was one of many film and television roles she appeared in. Neal's stunning looks and poise were unmistakable. She was socially active and was an advocate for stroke victims among several humanitarian efforts.
Patricia Neal died on Sunday at the age of 84, there's a good obituary in the L. A. Times.
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Monday, August 02, 2010
Gordon Charlton has released preliminary information for Hands Off 2011, a massive theremin festival to be held in Scarborough, UK from July 29-August 1st. With the event being a year away, you should have plenty of warning to get your travel plans in order. Hope to see you there!
Read all the details in our forums...
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Saturday, July 31, 2010
'Night Lights' is a new work by Dalit Warshaw for
theremin, flute, violin, and tuba, and
was recently performed as part of
Performing Arts at Chelsea Art Museum, NYC
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There is a video of the concert on uTube. 'Night Lights' was performed by Dalit Warshaw - theremin,
Helen Richman - flute,
Lynn Bechtold - violin,
Jay Rozen - tuba,
with Thomas Carlo Bo conducting.
Dalit performed on her Moog 91W, a replica
of Clara Rockmore's theremin that Bob Moog built for her in 1991. She is a composer, teacher, pianist and thereminist; Dalit was Clara Rockmore's last student. |
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