Theremin

Does a theremin sound like the thing that plays the riff on the Beach Boy's "Good Vibrations?"

I happened to hear a fascinating programme today on BBC Radio 4 about Leon Theremin, the Russian scientist (and cello player) and inventor of the electronic instrument that bears his name. Even Bob Moog was interviewed and talked about Theremin in glowing terms. Moog said that only 50 to 100 people around the world really know how to play the instrument today. It was also interesting listening to it being used in classical pieces – the first time I had heard a Theremin used in classical music. Moog talked about the violinist Clara Reisenberg who, he said, could play the instrument better than Theremin. Her bow arm was affected by malnutrition as a child in Russia and she could no longer play the violin so took up the Theremin and became the master player. The excerpts of her playing classical pieces were very pleasant.

It was a real eye-opener: he discovered the effect by accident when researching methods of detecting gases, demonstrated the instrument to Lenin in the 1920s, toured Russia with the instrument at Lenin’s behest, then Europe and the US giving demonstrations but actually conducting industrial espionage. He stayed in the US on 6-month visas for 11 years before returning to the USSR in uncertain circumstances. He was imprisoned but eventually, still under arrest, worked for the state and developed two bugs way ahead of anything in the West at the time: an infra-red device that could, like today’s laser bugs, detect from vibrations on an outside window what was being said in a room, and a device that was hidden inside a wooden plaque that was presented by boy scouts to the US Ambassador and was used to eavesdrop on him for 7 years before being discovered. Stalin awarded him the USSR’s highest honour and he then was unheard of in the West – and thought to be dead – until 1967 when someone met him and was shown some of his inventions – including a Terpsichord (I think that was the name mentioned) which apparently worked on a similar principle to the Theremin but involved the player standing on a platform and using the whole body to play the instrument. After word got out in the West the Soviet authorities destroyed all Theremin’s work and the poor man was kicked out of his job. Apparently he ended his life in one of the infamous Russian communal apartments, with all his Earthly possessions in his one and only room.

What an amazing person and an amazing story. Theremin’s biographer was also interviewed on the programme as well as musician Alison Goldfrapp, and they played a very funky excerpt of her playing the Theremin. The programme also looked at the use of the Theremin in the movies. As I said, a fascinating programme and I was glad that I happened to have the radio on at the right time or I would never have known about the programme. You can see a summary here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/goodvibrations.shtml

and more about Theremin here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin

The ending of the programme was a specially commissioned rap piece using the Theremin, which was very amusing. And, in case you’re wondering, yes, the programme did mention Good Vibrations and even interviewed Dr Paul Tanner, the guy who played the Theremin on that classic Beach Boys song.

P.S. I've just seen on the BBC Radio 4 Web site that you can listen to the half-hour programme via the Web. Follow the 'Go To The Listen Again page' link on the above-mentioned page and you'll get to a page listing many programmes. Search for Good Vibrations and click on the hyperlink to listen to the programme. Enjoy!