The Theremin

Lore & Background

The theremin was the product of Soviet government-sponsored research into proximity sensors. Clara Rockmore, a well-known thereminist, toured to wide acclaim performing classical repertoire, often sharing the bill with bass-baritone Paul Robeson. During the 1930s, Lucie Bigelow Rosen and her husband Walter Bigelow Rosen provided financial and artistic support to the instrument's development and popularisation. Many accounts claim he was taken from his New York City apartment by NKVD agents and made to work in a sharashka laboratory prison camp at Magadan, Siberia, reappearing 30 years later. Albert Glinsky's 2000 biography suggested he fled to escape crushing personal debts and was caught up in Stalin's political purges. After World War II, the theremin fell into disuse with serious musicians as newer, easier-to-play electronic instruments emerged, but a niche interest persisted among electronics enthusiasts and kit-building hobbyists. Robert Moog began building theremins in the 1950s as a high-school student, later publishing articles and selling theremin kits, crediting this experience as leading directly to his groundbreaking synthesizer.

Reader's Guide

The theremin's significance lies in its pioneering use of contactless control, influencing later electronic instruments and synthesizers. Its operating principle—using two antennas as capacitor plates to sense hand position—was a novel approach to musical expression. The instrument's association with eerie sounds made it a staple in film and popular culture. Robert Moog's early work building theremins directly informed his development of the Moog synthesizer, a landmark in electronic music. The theremin also provided an accessible route to music-making for people with disabilities. Modern developments include the Open Theremin, an open hardware and software project by Swiss microengineer Urz Gaudenz, which uses the original heterodyne oscillator architecture and can be fitted with a MIDI interface. Both theremin instruments and kits remain available, sustaining a dedicated community of performers and enthusiasts. The instrument's legacy endures as a symbol of early electronic music innovation and a testament to the enduring appeal of its unique, touchless performance method.

Did You Know?

• The theremin was originally known as the ætherphone, etherphone, thereminophone, or termenvox/thereminvox.
• The instrument's two metal antennas function as position sensors, not radio antennas, forming capacitors with the performer's hands.
• Clara Rockmore, a well-known thereminist, toured the United States performing classical repertoire, often sharing the bill with bass-baritone Paul Robeson.
• Robert Moog began building theremins in the 1950s as a high-school student and credited the experience as leading directly to his groundbreaking synthesizer.

Common Misconceptions (Editorial)

The theremin's antennas are not radio antennas; they function as position sensors that form capacitors with the performer's hands. Additionally, the instrument was not solely a novelty or gimmick—Clara Rockmore toured widely performing classical repertoire, demonstrating its serious musical capability.

Why It Matters (Editorial)

The theremin endures as a testament to the unexpected intersections of Cold War-era science, art, and human ingenuity—born from Soviet research and kept alive by hobbyists and pioneers like Robert Moog, whose work on the instrument directly led to the modern synthesizer. Its ghostly, contactless sound continues to captivate audiences because it challenges our basic assumptions about how music is made, reminding us that innovation often emerges from the margins.