To the best of my knowledge, there is but one instrument that can be played without touching it in any way. It was invented in 1920 by Léon Theremin, and yes, it’s called a Theremin. The idea occurred to him while developing an early form of motion detector. Theremin’s own life is a damned interesting story in its own right, and questions still remain about much of it, but let’s just concentrate on the fact that he designed an instrument to be played without physical contact. The instrument generates an electromagnetic field which is then played by moving one’s hands in proximity to its antennae. One hand controls the frequency; the other its volume.
The result is music!
The video above features Theremin playing his own instrument. Below is an audio recording of his protégé, Clara Rockmore, whose work helped to popularize the instrument. If you are having trouble placing the sound of this instrument, just think ‘horror movies’. It has featured in quite a few.
(Ugh! Spelling corrected, thanks to Mr. Washburn)
northierthanthou 
Wow, what an interesting post. Thank you!
I thought I should point out that it’s spelled “Theremin.” : ) I played it for a few months. It’s an incredibly finicky and unpredictable instrument. It relies upon a heterodynamic oscillator that detects proximity.
But you missed out the best part! That the fact that Theremin created this instrument was an idea of Vladimir Lenin! Lenin thought that in order to captivate the hearts and minds of a new generation of Communists, Russia needed to innovate in terms of musical instruments. So he discussed this with Theremin in order to make it happen, and inadvertently created electronic music as it’s known today!
Thank you for the correction, and for the additional comment. Tonight’s post has to be a quickie, so to speak, but you’re right. I probably should have gone into that. Course I could also go into Theremin’s immigration to U.S. and his sudden departure, all really good stuff.
I imagine playing this thing must have been quite an experience.
Clara Rockmore is awesome – there is a great doco on the theremin with william shatner
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/1KeExRQ-l_4/
. The Lothars are also a theremin only band 🙂
I haven’t seen that one. I’ve watched plenty of small clips and I have one other documentary, but that one is new to me. thank you for sharing it.
No problems, it is a great film. I think there is one Clara Rockmore album around on the internet, it is well worth a listen, amazing music.
http://www.4shared.com/rar/FR5oLIZX/clara_rockmore_-_2006_-_clara_.html
that is the link to Clara Rockmore – The Lost Theremin album 🙂
Theremin invented it for Rockmore as she was having troubles with her hands playing the violin.
wow that hurts my ears!!
Once again, I land here and learn something new. Had no idea the Theremin had a link to early motion detectors. Wow!
Sheldon plays the Theremin on Big Bang. Interesting.
It’s also featured in the song “Good Vibrations.”
That’s a common misconception. The instrument played on The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” was an Electro-theremin, aka Tannerin. The Tannerin is played by touching. Different technology, similar electronic sound.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro-Theremin#Tannerin
Wow! I had no idea! I learn something new everyday 🙂
Cool! Never heard or have seen such a thing.
Thank you for this really interesting post – both you and all the other commenters who had something else interesting to add! I’d always thought those sounds were a really adeptly played violin!
Huh! It is violin-ish sounding. Thank you for this interesting post!
I have always wanted one of these — but, they are a little more expensive than I can afford… maybe when I win the lottery! They’re such cool instruments!
I suspect your already know that Leon Theremin was noted for the bugs that he built for the Soviet government — particularly, the KGB. Bugs of his design were planted in the walls of the U.S. embassy in Moscow. Although crudey today’s standards, they certainly served their purpose and went undetected for years if not decades.
The accusations (probably true) that his visit to the U.S. was, in reality, a spy mission in which he was to develop new contacts for the KGB. He was quite successful in developing friendships with both the arts community (including Leonard Bernstein) and the diplomatic community.
He was, indeed, a very interesting person.
I am a musician and never heard of this instrument before. Always good to learn something new and interesting. Thanks!!
Now this is an instrument I would be interested in learning to play. I wonder, can it be ‘tuned’ to a lower register?
I watched a performance of a piece which included one of the world’s leading Thereminists (her name escapes me) at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland. The piece was lovely enough but what proceded it was interesting in its own right. The intstrument had not been connected to the sound system properly, and as engineers scrurried around trying to find the fault, the musician occassionaly moved her hands around in an artistic and decidedly graceful manner, hoping to hear a sound, but for some time in vain. For those of us in the audience who had never seen a Theremin performance before the sight of someone behaving in this fashion was quite surreal.
Ah, yes, now I remember, it was Lydia Kavina:
Hi Thank you for liking a post .I was wondering is this the same instrument that on a show called it a spy tool during past days. I don’t remember what year it was. They showed someone playing it and somehow they think they had messages to understand? .I think the person was in the USA and had messages come through.? Sorry if I can’t remember the named of the show .take care. Thanks for the videos:)
Fascinating post . Wireless Violin – WIVI . 😀