- published: 15 Jan 2008
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Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Russian: Ле́в Серге́евич Терме́н) (27 August [O.S. 15 August] 1896 – 3 November 1993), or Léon Theremin in the United States, was a Russian and Soviet inventor, most famous for his invention of the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments and the first to be mass produced. He also devised the interlace technique for improving the quality of a video signal, still widely used in video and television technology. His listening device, "The Thing", hung for seven years in plain view in the United States Ambassador's Moscow office and enabled Soviet agents to eavesdrop on secret conversations. It is considered a predecessor of RFID technology.
Léon Theremin was born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire in 1896 into a family of French Huguenot and German ancestry. He had a sister named Helena.
In the seventh class of his high school before an audience of students and parents he demonstrated various optical effects using electricity.
Leon Theremin demonstrating his instrument, the theremin. Frost Amphitheater, Stanford University. 27 September, 1991. Part of the Stanford Centennial Finale Weekend.
Albert Glinsky, author of Theremin: Ether Music and Espionage sat down with us to give a brief history of the Theremin covering everything from it's original inception in a Russian chemistry lab to it's development as a musical instrument. In addition to outlining its rich history Glinsky gives a basic tutorial in playing the Theremin and points out some of the refinements that Bob Moog made to Leon Theremin's original design. You can learn more about the Theremin here: http://bit.ly/MoogTheremins
Scene taken from DOCUMENTARY ELEKTRO MOSKVA CLICK TO WATCH FULL DOCUMENTARY: http://www.docsonline.tv/documentary/elektro-moskva CONTENT This scene, taken from the documentary ELEKTRO MOSKVA, shows, the Theremin, which is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the thereminist. It is named after the Westernized name of its Russian inventor, Léon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928. ELEKTRO MOSKVA is the story of the Soviet synthesizer turned into an allegory of everyday life under the Soviet system: nothing works, but you have to make the best of it. (Maurice Moore) This film sketches a portrait of the experimental scene in Moscow and also includes rare footage of the godfather of electronic music, Leon Theremin. There are two types of machin...
RCA Theremin machine produces a unique sound! "You're Driving Me Crazy" was recorded around 1930 with an electronic Victor Theremin being "played" by theremin soloist Lennington H. Shewell. Allan McIver provides piano accompaniment. The recording was made in Canada. The Theremin is an unusual instrument that earned a cult following because it was used to produce eerie vibrato sounds in Sci-Fi movies into the 1950s. It was the first electronic musical instrument. A theremin is played without a performer touching it. Leon Theremin invented this in Russia in 1919 or so. It was demonstrated to Russian audiences in 1920. At that time civil war was raging in an emerging Soviet Union. This Russian physicist was researching proximity sensors (or gas meters) when he accidentally invented the T...
This song was written by Harold Arlen for the 1939 MGM classic THE WIZARD OF OZ. It is widely believed to be the most loved and enduring popular song of the 20th century. It is played here on the 1929 RCA theremin that once belonged to the late Hollywood thereminist, Dr. Samuel Hoffman.
Leon Theremin demonstrates his new invention to the London Press in this 1927 newsreel. This film has no audio. To learn more about the theremin, visit www.charliedraper.co.uk or www.thereminworld.com
The theremin is the only musical instrument that you play without touching! Invented in 1920 by the Russian inventor Leon Theremin, this is one of the earliest electronic instruments. A full theremin has two antennae, one allows you to control the pitch of the note and the other the volume. This mini theremin only has one antenna, which allows you to control the pitch of the note. As you move your hand towards the antenna, the pitch of the note goes up, and as you move your hand away, the note gets lower. The slider on the left hand side of the machine has three positions; when it is pushed in fully, the theremin is off. In the mid position, the theremin plays quietly, and when it is pulled out fully, the theremin plays louder. There is a small jack socket at the back, which allows you t...
Scene taken from DOCUMENTARY ELEKTRO MOSKVA CLICK TO WATCH FULL DOCUMENTARY: http://www.docsonline.tv/documentary/elektro-moskva CONTENT This scene, taken from the documentary ELEKTRO MOSKVA, shows, the Theremin, which is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the thereminist. It is named after the Westernized name of its Russian inventor, Léon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928. ELEKTRO MOSKVA is the story of the Soviet synthesizer turned into an allegory of everyday life under the Soviet system: nothing works, but you have to make the best of it. (Maurice Moore) This film sketches a portrait of the experimental scene in Moscow and also includes rare footage of the godfather of electronic music, Leon Theremin. There are two types of machin...
Have you ever heard of the 'Theremin'? It is the only instrument which can be played without any mechanical touching! One of the first electronic musical instruments ever built, the theremin was invented by Léon Theremin. Playing this strange instrument is an art perfected by Lydia Kavina, a distant relative of Léon Theremin himself. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are se...
Description of the life and work of cellist and inventor Leon Theremin
Lev Sergeyevich Termen, 15 August 1896 -- 3 November 1993 (Léon Theremin in America) was a soviet inventor most famous for his invention of the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments, and the first to be mass produced.
Leon Theremin demonstrates his new invention to the London Press in this 1927 newsreel. This film has no audio. To learn more about the theremin, visit www.charliedraper.co.uk or www.thereminworld.com
Theremin virtuoso Pamelia Kurstin and pianist/composer Pete Drungle play live in Studio 360. Listen to an interview with Pamelia Kurstin: http://wny.cc/11YPihA