Steampunk Synths

Miss Clara Rockmore, "Queen of the Theremin"

In these gloomy times, it's understandable that we take pleasure in nostalgia. Among the birthday celebrants this week is an exceptional man, way ahead of his time - Mr Leon Theremin, whose work on the study of radio waves in the early years of the 20th century [he was a scientist in the First World War, and was caught up in the revolution that enveloped his native Russia] paved the way for today's motion-detecting burglar alarms, television technology, and radio-controlled devices; he even invented a remote eavesdropping system, the most notorious of which (nicknamed "The Thing") was hidden in a grand carved wooden plaque of the Great Seal of the United States and remained undetected in the US Embassy in Moscow for seven years after the Second World War.

It is, of course, for his even more entertaining invention of a "hands-free" electronic musical instrument (named after him) that he is most famous. The Theremin, a direct precursor of Moog's synthesiser, was first demonstrated as early as 1920, was an instant success [not least in his performances alongside the lady in the picture above], and was put to great use in Hollywood movie scores (by the likes of Miklós Rózsa and Bernard Herrmann) - it even found its way into the pop charts in songs by The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones.

By way of a celebration of the remarkable Mr Theremin, here's an old favourite here at Dolores Delargo Towers that demonstrates its use in a rather faboo way:

Orkestra Obsolete play Blue Monday using 1930s instruments

Leon Theremin (born Lev Sergeyevich Termen, 28th August 1896 – 3rd November 1993)