 |
|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
THEREMIN, THE UNTOUCHABLE INSTRUMENT
Katica started to play on the theremin about a year ago. She practiced for hours each day, and now, the „new” instrument has become an indispensable part of her concerts.
They hardly knew anything about the theremin in Hungary, so Katica’s goal is to introduce this mysterious instrument to as many people as possible, in hope that more and more of them will want to learn how to play on it.
„What I like the most about playing the theremin is that it‘s tune is almost identical with the human voice. As a singer and violinist I am very inspired by the opportunity of being able to play on a much wider scale of notes on the theremin compared to our singing voice.
I believe music is for sharing joy and happiness with our fellow beings therefore it doesn‘t matter on which instrument we play. However, theremin is trully an instrument for the soul. It’s extraordinary and mystical sound has a great impact on our emotions. Up to this day theremin is considered as a some kind of „miracle“.
Katica Illényi
The theremin /ˈθɛrəmɪn/,[1] THERR-ə-min; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone[2] or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the thereminist (performer). It is named after the westernized name of its Russian inventor, Léon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.
The instrument's controlling section usually consists of two metal antennas which 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.
The theremin was used in movie soundtracks such as Miklós Rózsa's for Spellbound and The Lost Weekend and Bernard Herrmann's for The Day the Earth Stood Still and as the theme tune for the ITV drama Midsomer Murders. This has led to its association with a very eerie sound. Theremins are also used in concert music (especially avant-garde and 20th- and 21st-century new music) and in popular music genres such as rock. Psychedelic rock bands in particular, such as Hawkwind, have often used the theremin in their work.