What is Theremin, the instrument that turned 100 years old this year?

Team Udayavani, Dec 3, 2020, 3:00 PM IST

Since its invention in the 1920s in Russia, the theremin beguiled Hollywood and sparked a musical revolution. The Theremin turned 100-years-old this year.

The theremin is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the thereminist (performer). It is one of the most intriguing inventions ever and revolutionised music

According to BBC, The instrument was invented in 1920. It is named after its inventor, Leon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.

Theremin was born in 1896 in St Petersburg. In 1920, he invented a machine that aimed to use the new-fangled technology of radio waves to measure some properties of gas. But he found his apparatus emitted a strange warbling tone, which he could shape by moving his hands around the equipment. A trained cellist, Theremin recognised the potential of his discovery, and intended to create an entirely new instrument.

The instrument’s controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas that sense the relative position of the thereminist’s 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.

Theremins involve the manipulation of electromagnetic fields around two antennae that make the instrument look rather like a weird lectern. Players control sounds by moving hands and fingers around a vertical antenna to raise or lower the tone, and up or down over a looped antenna to control volume.

However, only a small group of musicians across the world knows of the Theremin and even fewer plays it.