THERMENVOX
The first ever electronic musical instrument.
Invented in Russia in 1919/1920.
Named after the inventor Lev Sergeevich Termen.
The last decade has seen an unprecedented surge of interest in this amazing instrument all over the world.
The sound on this instrument does not arise from touch, but only from the movements of the performer's hands in the space in front of special antennas. At the same time from the side it seems that the sound comes from nowhere.
The instrument is designed to perform any (classical, pop, jazz) musical compositions in professional and amateur musical practice, as well as to create various sound effects (birdsong, whistling, etc.) that can be used when dubbing movies, in theatrical productions, circus programs, etc.
There are several varieties of theremin, differing in design.
Classic theremin
In the first, classical models, created by Theremin himself, sound control occurs as a result of the free movement of the performer's hands in an electromagnetic field near two metal antennas.
The performer plays while standing.
Pitch change is achieved by bringing one's hand close to the right antenna, while sound volume is controlled by bringing the other hand close to the left antenna.
Clara Rockmore masterfully mastered the technique of playing this type of theremin. This model is the most widely used in the world. There are a number of companies that make this type of instrument. A world-recognized expert is the virtuoso performer Lydia Kavina.
Kowalski system theremin
In the theremin system of Konstantin Kovalsky (the first performer and assistant to Lev Theremin), the pitch is still controlled by the right hand, while the left hand controls the general characteristics of the sound using a push-button manipulator, the volume of the sound is controlled by a pedal. 
The performer plays while sitting.
Konstantin Kovalsky (1890-1976) himself masterfully mastered the technique of playing this type of theremin.
This model was not as widespread as the classical theremin, however, the tradition continues thanks to the students and colleagues of K. Kovalsky L. Korolev and Z. V. Ranevskaya Dugina, who created their own school in Moscow.
Designer Lev Korolev has been developing and improving the theremins of this system for many years. He also created an instrument-a variety of theremin - "Tershumfon", the sound of which was a narrow-band noise, with a pronounced pitch.
In Petrograd.
Encyclopedic YouTube
1 / 3
✪ Theremin - music from the air. Lev Sergeevich Termen.
✪ Our everything. Lev Theremin
✪ ENSEMBLE AMI conducted by Vyacheslav Meshcherin
Subtitles
History of creation
At first, Theremin's measuring apparatus was a generator of electrical oscillations on a cathode lamp. The test gas was placed in a cavity between metal plates and became an element of an oscillatory circuit - a capacitor, influenced the frequency of electrical oscillations. In the process of working on increasing the sensitivity of the installation, the idea arose of combining two generators, one of which gave oscillations of a variable frequency, and the other - oscillations of a certain constant frequency. Signals from both generators were applied to the cathode relay; a signal with a difference frequency was formed at the output of the relay. The relative change in the difference frequency from the parameters of the test gas was much greater [ what?] . At the same time, if the difference frequency fell into the audio range, then the signal could be perceived by ear. The device turned out to be very sensitive: it reacted to the slightest changes in the capacitance of the oscillatory circuit, caused, for example, by a change in the position of a person's hand in space. As the capacitance changes, the frequency of the sound changes. That is, the sound arose when the human hand moved.
Picking up a melody was not a big deal for Theremin, since he was fond of music since childhood. In November 1920, at a meeting of the circle of mechanics named after Professor Kirpichev, the physicist Termen gave his first concert. The electronic musical instrument he invented was originally called etherotone (sound from the air, ether), was soon renamed in honor of the author and became known as theremin.
In creating the instrument (besides electrical sound generation), Theremin paid special attention to “the possibility of very fine control without any expenditure of mechanical energy required to press the strings or keys. The performance of music on an electric instrument should be done, for example, by free movements of the fingers in the air, similar to the gestures of a conductor, at a distance from the instrument.
In March 1922, Lev Sergeevich Termen and a member of the collegium of the People's Commissariat for Postal Service, the chairman of the Radio Council, A. M. Nikolaev, came to the Kremlin to V. I. Lenin to show the instrument. Theremin, after his own performance of Scriabin's Etude, Saint-Saens' Swan and Glinka's The Lark, began to help Lenin play the theremin. However, it soon turned out that Lenin could play on his own. Lenin completed the performance of Glinka's "Lark" without the help of the inventor. In addition, an alarm was demonstrated on a capacitive relay, the principle of operation of which was similar to that of the theremin.
Highly appreciating the prospects of the invention, Lenin wrote a note to the People's Commissar of the Navy Lev Trotsky:
As a result, despite all the difficulties of that time, a decree was signed on the creation at, where the inventor continued his research.
Use in the performing arts
Playing the theremin consists in changing the distance between the musician's hands and the antennas of the instrument. In this case, the capacitance of the oscillatory circuit changes and, as a result, the sound frequency. The vertical straight antenna is responsible for changing the tone of the sound, and the horizontal horseshoe - for changing the volume sound.
The instrument is designed to perform any (classical, pop, jazz) musical compositions in professional and amateur musical practice, as well as to create various sound effects (birdsong, whistling, etc.) that can be used when dubbing films, in theatrical productions, circus programs.
There are several varieties of theremin, differing in design. Both serial and piece models are produced.
Over time, various schools of playing the theremin developed.
Varieties of the theremin
Classic theremin
The theremin is considered classic, designed like the first theremin, created by Leo Theremin himself. When playing such instruments, sound control occurs as a result of the free movement of the performer's hands in an electromagnetic field near two metal antennas. The performer plays while standing. Changing the pitch sound is achieved by bringing the hand closer to the right antenna; the sound volume is controlled by bringing the other hand close to the left antenna.
Lev Theremin created several concert models of theremin:
- theremin for Clara Rockmore - one of the first students of Lev Theremin;
- Theremin for Lucy Rosen (English);
- theremin for Natalia Theremin - the daughter of the inventor;
- two theremins for museums: the Polytechnical Museum (where the instrument is stored) and the Central Museum of Musical Culture, located in Moscow.
The classical model of the theremin is widely used in different countries of the world. The most common variety of the classical theremin is considered to be the instrument of the American company Moog, which began producing theremin from the moment it was founded - from 1954.
Kowalski system theremin
The theremin of the Kovalsky system is a theremin designed by Konstantin Ioilevich Kovalsky, the first performer and student of Lev Theremin. When playing such an instrument, the pitch is adjusted with the right hand, the left hand controls the overall characteristics of the sound with the keypad, and the volume is controlled with the pedal. The performer plays while sitting.
The theremin of the Kovalsky system was not as widespread as the classical theremin, however, it continues to be used thanks to Kovalsky's students and colleagues - Lev Dmitrievich Korolev and Zoya Alexandrovna Dugina-Ranevskaya, who created their own school of playing the theremin in Moscow. The designer Lev Korolev (1930-2012) for many years developed and improved the theremins of this system: he created the instrument "tershumfon" (a kind of theremin, the sound of which is narrow-band noise with a pronounced pitch), created an optical indicator of the theremin's current note - a visualizer.
Performers - Olga Milanich, Pyotr Termen (great-grandson of Lev Theremin, inventor of the theremin).
Matremin
Matremin is a musical instrument created in Japan by Masami Takeuchi, the head of the theremin school. It is a theremin with automatic tuning [ what?], hidden in the matryoshka body. When playing the instrument, the frequency of the sound changes as the hand moves away and approaches the matryoshka. Matremin players gather in large ensembles - up to 270 people.
Virtual Theremin
Virtual theremin - a virtual analogue of the theremin in the form of a program for a smartphone or PDA equipped with a touchscreen. The program draws on the screen a rectangular system of coordinates with sound frequency on one axis and sound volume on the other; when touching the screen with a stylus or a finger, the program determines the coordinates of the touch point, converts the coordinates into frequency and volume in accordance with the coordinate system displayed on the screen, and reproduces the sound of a certain frequency and volume; so, for example, when moving the stylus or a finger across the screen, the pitch can change, and when moving vertically, the volume of the sound. For example, the SunVox program by Russian programmer Alexander Zolotov implements a virtual theremin as an additional function for quickly checking filters and other frequency-dependent elements of the created instruments (it is convenient to set several, for example, five or eight, octaves on the screen; but you cannot use this tool in the composition created by the program) .
Learning to play the theremin
The only school in the post-Soviet and European space that teaches playing the theremin is called the "Russian Theremin School" and operates in Moscow and St. Petersburg under the guidance of Peter Theremin (great-grandson of Lev Theremin, who created the first theremin) .
There is also a school teaching the theremin in Japan and is run by Masami Takeuchi.
- Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin tried to play the theremin.
- For the first time, the setting of the theremin according to the width of the palm was used by the daughter of Leo Theremin - Natalya Termen. Now this method is used by many thereminists all over the world. With this setting, an octave is located between the "closed" and "open" hand positions.
- One of the first in rock music, the theremin was used as a leading instrument by the American group Lothar and the Hand People (English) Russian”, which released two albums in the style of space psychedelia in 1968-1969. Moreover, the word "Lothar" in the name of the group is a proper name, the name of a theremin, and the musicians of the group positioned themselves as "the world's first group, the frontman of which is not a musician, but a musical instrument."
- The theremin is used in the songs of the rock band Children Picasso.
- The Led Zeppelin group used the theremin, in particular, in the composition "Whole Lotta Love".
- In 2001, a theremin concert was performed as part of the interstellar radio message "Children's message" to other civilizations under the METI program.
- In October 2010, the first Russian-language portal about the theremin was opened -.
- At the end of August 2011, the first music festival of modern theremin culture was held in Moscow, called "Terminology\Thereminology".
- The opening video for the British television series Doctor Who is performed on the theremin.
- Since October 2011, the project has been operating in Moscow. Every two weeks there are free master classes and lectures dedicated to the theremin and Lev Theremin.
- In the novel Hannibal by Thomas Harris, the protagonist masters playing the theremin.
- In the television series The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon Cooper plays the theremin, including a snippet of the song "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen".
- In The Midsomer Murders, a theremin melody plays during the credits.
- In the movie "Angels revolution" the characters play the theremin.
- In the series "
Theremin(theremin or thereminvox) is an electric musical instrument created in 1920 by the Russian inventor Lev Sergeevich Termen in Petrograd. The first electronic musical instrument in history, the progenitor of modern synthesizers. Theremin - a monophonic instrument - is unlike any other musical instrument, its uniqueness lies in the fact that it does not require touching to play it. The sound reproduced by the instrument depends on the position of the performer's hands in the electromagnetic field near the metal antenna. The pitch is controlled by changing the distance between the right hand of the performer and one of the antennas, the volume is set by the position of the left hand relative to the other antenna.
The instrument is designed to perform any (classical, pop, jazz) musical compositions in professional and amateur musical practice, as well as to create various sound effects (birdsong, whistling, etc.) that can be used when dubbing movies, in theatrical productions, circus programs, etc.
Story
In 1919, the head of the Physical-Technical Institute in Petrograd, Abram Ioffe, invited Lev Termen to work as a specialist in radio engineering. The new employee was given the task of measuring the dielectric constant of gases at various pressures and temperatures. Initially, Theremin's measuring apparatus was a generator of electrical oscillations on a cathode lamp. The test gas in the cavity between the metal plates was an element of an oscillatory circuit - a capacitor, which influenced the frequency of electrical oscillations. In the process of working on increasing the sensitivity of the installation, the idea arose of combining two generators, one of which gave oscillations of a certain constant frequency. The signals from both generators were fed to the cathode relay, at the output of which a signal with a difference frequency was formed. The relative change in the difference frequency from the parameters of the test gas was much larger. At the same time, if the difference frequency fell into the audio range, then the signal could be received by ear.
The device is very sensitive. He reacted to the slightest changes in the capacitance of the oscillatory circuit, which changed from the approach of the hand. Accordingly, the frequency of the sound also changed. Picking up a melody was not a big deal for Theremin, since he was fond of music since childhood. In November 1920, at a meeting of the circle of mechanics named after Professor Kirpichev, the physicist Termen gave his first concert. The electronic musical instrument he invented was originally called etherotone (sound from the air, ether). Soon it was renamed in honor of the author and became known as the theremin.
In creating the instrument (besides electrical sound generation), Theremin paid special attention to “the possibility of very fine control without any expenditure of mechanical energy required to press the strings or keys. The performance of music on an electric instrument should be done, for example, by free movements of the fingers in the air, similar to the gestures of a conductor, at a distance from the instrument.
Varieties
Classic theremin
In the first, classical models, created by Theremin himself, sound control occurs as a result of the free movement of the performer's hands in an electromagnetic field near two metal antennas.
The performer plays while standing. Pitch change is achieved by bringing one's hand close to the right antenna, while sound volume is controlled by bringing the other hand close to the left antenna.Clara Rockmore masterfully mastered the technique of playing this type of theremin. This model is the most widely used in the world. There are a number of companies that make this type of instrument. A world-recognized expert is the virtuoso performer Lydia Kavina.
Kowalski system theremin
In the theremin system of Konstantin Kovalsky (the first performer and assistant to Lev Theremin), the pitch is still controlled by the right hand, while the left hand controls the general characteristics of the sound using a push-button manipulator, the volume of the sound is controlled by a pedal. The performer plays while sitting. Konstantin Kovalsky (1890-1976) himself masterfully mastered the technique of playing this type of theremin.This model was not as widespread as the classical theremin, however, the tradition continues thanks to the students and colleagues of K. Kovalsky L. Korolev and Z. V. Ranevskaya Dugina, who created their own school in Moscow.Designer Lev Korolev has been developing and improving the theremins of this system for many years. He also created an instrument-a variety of theremin - "Tershumfon", the sound of which was a narrow-band noise, with a pronounced pitch.
Theremin Etherwave
designed by Robert Moog, is the most popular theremin constructor in the world. It's easy to build your own Etherwave from a custom set of parts. This does not require any special knowledge from the field of electronics, although you will have to make a few rations. The main board is assembled and configured at the factory. The kit also includes nickel-plated antennas, a wooden case and an external power supply. For an additional fee, Etherwave can be purchased fully assembled and configured. The set also includes a video cassette "Mastering the Theremin" with a recording of Lydia Kavina's theremin lessons, as well as a cd "The Art of the Theremin" with a recording of music performed by Clara Rockmore.
Electromusical instrument (EMI), the progenitor of modern synthesizers. Invented in Russia in 1919, it was named after its talented creator, acoustic physicist Lev Sergeevich Termen (thereminvox - “theremin’s voice”), first demonstrated in 1920. The theremin is a monophonic instrument, unlike any other musical instrument, its uniqueness lies in the fact that it does not require touching to play. The sound reproduced by the instrument depends on the position of the performer's hands in the electromagnetic field near the metal antenna. The pitch is controlled by changing the distance between the right hand of the performer and one of the antennas, the volume is set by the position of the left hand relative to the other antenna. There are several varieties of theremin, differing in design.
The instrument is designed to perform any (classical, pop, jazz) musical compositions in professional and amateur musical practice, as well as to create various sound effects (birdsong, whistling, etc.) that can be used when scoring films, in theater productions, circus programs, etc. Any radio amateur can assemble a theremin, but only a few get a real musical instrument.
The situation is the same with performers - only a few become virtuosos of playing the theremin. The playing technique is very complex, the performer requires filigree movements and impeccable hearing. The first performer, Konstantin Kovalsky (1890–1976), masterfully mastered the technique of playing the theremin. Theremin's best student, the American Clara Rockmore, was the only one who could play any melody on the theremin, and played classics on the theremin no worse than on the violin. Leo Theremin's great-niece Lydia Kavina was good at developing the theremin in various genres - classical and rock, jazz, cinema and pop music. According to Lydia Kavina, "perhaps only the voice can compete with the theremin in terms of flexibility." The theremin was used in their work by Led Zeppelin, Marillion, Pink Floyd, Garbage, Mumiy Troll and many other bands and performers.
Jean-Michel Jarre used the theremin on his album Oxygene 7-13 (1997), and the unusual atmosphere of the composition Oxygene 10 is entirely based on the sound of the theremin. After the release of this album, Jarre constantly uses the theremin in concerts and demonstration performances (for example, at the "Printemps de Bourges" festival). Theremin also sounds in the electronic compositions of the French musician Jean-Michel Jarre, including on his first album Oxygene, which brought Jarre worldwide fame.
And a bit of history:
Lev Sergeevich Theremin (in foreign sources he is often called Leon Theremin) was born on August 15 (27), 1896 in St. Petersburg into a wealthy noble family. Versatile abilities showed already in childhood. With the same enthusiasm, he mastered playing the cello and was engaged in experiments in physics. After graduating from the gymnasium, he was admitted to the St. Petersburg Conservatory in the cello class. However, this was not enough for Theremin, a year later he also entered the faculties of physics and astronomy at St. Petersburg University.
The world war prevented getting a second higher education. He is drafted into the army. A cellist-physicist is studying at the Military Electrotechnical School. After the October Revolution, Termen was recruited again: as a military radio specialist, he was supposed to join the ranks of the Red Army. The service took place at the Detskoselskaya radio station near Petrograd and in the military radio laboratory in Moscow.
At the beginning of 1920, the civil war came to an end, Termen got the opportunity to change military clothes to civilian clothes and return to Petrograd. In the same year, Lev Theremin went to promote his invention in the United States, where the theremin subsequently gained the greatest popularity.
In 1922, Termen, after speaking at the 7th All-Russian Electrotechnical Congress, met with Lenin, who was amazed by the theremin and understood the significance of his inventions and gave him a "start in life" - an annual railway ticket so that Termen could popularize his instrument. Thanks to this, Termen traveled around 150 cities and villages with lectures and concerts.
And soon he shook Europe and America. Newspapers vied with each other about the Russian miracle. In Paris, they came to concerts with chairs and folding beds: there were not enough seats. For almost 10 years - from 1928 to 1937 - he lived in New York (where, in parallel with his scientific and technical activities, he had to conduct intelligence activities on assignments from the NKVD), taught the game, and gave concerts. invented new instruments - electronic cello, rhythmicon, terpsiton (an instrument that translated the dancer's movements into music). In 1937 Termen was summoned to Moscow. Wife Lavinia Williams, a black dancer, said he would be back in 2-3 weeks. But he was not destined to return. The inventor was accused as an accomplice in the assassination attempt on Kirov.
In the camp, Termen creates a symphony orchestra, invents special rails for a wheelbarrow - and his team begins to work twice as fast. The rumor about the miraculous prisoner reaches Beria. Theremin is transferred to the famous "sharashka", where A. Tupolev and S. Korolev worked. There, Lev Theremin, on a special assignment, invents a non-contact listening device "Buran" (which uses a radio beam reflected from a window pane). In 1947, he will receive the Stalin Prize for this... Soon the authorities will "thank" him by banning the electronic music he created as ideologically harmful...
Lev Theremin at work In 1960, an enthusiastic article was published in the States devoted to the theremin and its creator - and Lev Davidovich was immediately fired from everywhere. Friends had difficulty finding him a place to work. Theremin became an employee of the Department of Acoustics of Moscow State University (at the same time, he was listed only as an "installer of radio-electronic equipment"!).
In Soviet times, Termen had practically no opportunity to popularize his instrument and electronic music. And only during perestroika an association of electronic music was formed, the Theremin Center was opened at the Moscow Conservatory. And in 1989, Theremin participated in the electronic music festival in the French city of Bourges (then he was already 93 years old).
Many of his inventions were classified and sent to the archives of the relevant organizations. Also Termen was engaged in developments in the field of television, burglar alarms. Theremin is also considered one of the pioneers of light and music design - he invented the prototype of the modern stroboscope.
The kit includes a set of radio components from which you can assemble two devices: a simple musical electronic instrument "Theremin", the sound of which is controlled by approaching or moving your hand away from the antenna, and "Metal Detector", which is obtained as a result of a slight change in the design scheme. First, let's assemble the Theremin: the circuit consists of two independent generators on K561LE9 microcircuits, each of which contains three logical elements "3OR-NOT". The frequency of the generators is several hundred hertz. The generator frequency on DD2 (lower in the diagram) is set by the position of the variable resistor R2, the generator frequency on DD1 (upper) is fixed. The signals from the outputs of both generators (pin 10) are mixed through capacitors C4, C5 and fed to the input of the diode detector VD1, VD2 and then to the headphones. The human ear perceives sounds well in the frequency range of 20 - 20,000 hertz, so the signals generated by the generators are not audible in the headphones. When the frequency of the second generator approaches the first one by several kilohertz, the detector begins to highlight the sound range of the sum or difference frequency. The signal heard in the headphones is the beat of the frequencies of the generators (a high-pitched sound appears in the headphones, decreasing in frequency to zero and rising again until it disappears). The frequency of the first generator is fixed, but it is affected by the capacitance of the antenna connected to the generator input through capacitor C1. Approaching / removing the hand from the antenna changes its capacitance and, accordingly, the frequency of the generator by a small amount, which is reflected in the sound in the headphones. The optimal position of the variable resistor is selected by listening to the sound in headphones and simultaneously moving the palm to and from the antenna. A small alteration will turn the Theremin into a Metal Detector - the antenna, capacitors C1, C2 and resistor R1 are removed from the circuit. Instead of C1, a jumper is installed (pins 1,2,8 are connected to 6,11,12,13), and instead of R1, a coil L1 is installed and capacitor C8 is parallel to it. The setting of the Metal Detector consists in choosing by the position of the variable resistor R2 precisely those frequency beats,
at which the approach and removal of a metal object to the search coil will change the tone of the signal heard in the headphones as much as possible. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals in the coil area sound differently. The headphone jack and plug do not use a common (earth) wire, i.e. phone capsules are connected in series to increase the load resistance.
Observe the pinout when installing microcircuits in sockets and the polarity when connecting the battery
to the schema. Violation of these rules will result in exit
failure of microchips!
Contents of radio constructor 034:
1. Chips K561LE10 (2 pcs.),
2. Sockets for microcircuits (2 pcs.),
3. Circuit board,
4. Detector diodes D9 (2 pcs.),
5. Capacitors:
C1 - 390 pF,
C2, C3 - 15 pF (2 pcs.),
C4, C5, C7, C8 - 1n (4 pcs.),
C6 - 47 uF,
6. Variable resistor R2 - 10k,
7. Plastic handle for variable resistor,
8. Fixed Resistors:
R1 - 27k (Cr/F/Or),
R3 - 22k (Cr/Cr/Or),
9. Head phones (headphones),
10. Headphone jack,
11. Coil for a metal detector (50 turns),
12. 9V battery,
13. Battery connector (red - plus),
14. Antenna wire,
15. Mounting wires,
16. Scheme and description.
