theremin
Sign in to saveThe theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone, etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named after its inventor, Leon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.
Key facts
- Instrument.name
- Theremin
- Instrument.background
- electronic
- Instrument.image
- Etherwave Theremin Kit.jpg
- Instrument.image_capt
- A Moog Etherwave, assembled from a theremin kit: the loop antenna on the left controls the volume while the upright antenna controls the pitch.
- Instrument.hornbostel_sachs
- 531.1
- Instrument.hornbostel_sachs_desc
- Electrophone
- Instrument.inventors
- Leon Theremin
- Instrument.developed
- 1920; patented in 1928
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
17 sectionsContents
- History
- Operating principles
- Performance technique
- Uses
- Concert music
- Popular music
- Film music
- Theatre and performing arts
- Television
- Video games
- ''The First Theremin Concert for Extraterrestrials''
- Similar instruments
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- Film and video
- External links
The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone, etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named after its inventor, Leon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.
The instrument's controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas that function not as radio antennas but rather as position sensors. Each antenna forms one half of a capacitor with each of the thereminist's hands as the other half of the capacitor. These antennas capacitively sense the relative position of the hands and control oscillators for frequency with one hand, and amplitude (volume) with the other. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker.