Léon Theremin was born today in 1896 in St. Petersburg, Russia. He invented the Theremin around October 1920 and patented the device in 1928. The Theremin was the first electronic musical instrument to be mass-produced and was one of the world's first electronic instruments to be invented.
You'd probably recognize the instrument's unique timbre from The Beach Boys' 1996 hit, "Good Vibrations." You might not know however, that Dmitri Shostakovich was one of the first composers to incorporate the Theremin into an orchestral score with his film score to Odna (1931).
Check out an excerpt of Shostakovich's use of Theremin below. Thanks for this unique instrument and happy birthday, Léon Theremin!
You'd probably recognize the instrument's unique timbre from The Beach Boys' 1996 hit, "Good Vibrations." You might not know however, that Dmitri Shostakovich was one of the first composers to incorporate the Theremin into an orchestral score with his film score to Odna (1931).
Check out an excerpt of Shostakovich's use of Theremin below. Thanks for this unique instrument and happy birthday, Léon Theremin!
