Theremin facts for kids
The Theremin is a very special electronic musical instrument. It was one of the first instruments ever made that used only electricity to create sounds. A Russian inventor named Léon Theremin created it in October 1920. What makes the theremin unique is that you play it without touching it!
The theremin has two metal antennas. These antennas sense where your hands are. One hand controls how high or low the pitch (the note) is. The other hand controls the volume (how loud or quiet the sound is). When you move your hands around the antennas, the theremin creates electric signals. These signals are then made louder by an amplifier and sent to a loudspeaker so you can hear the music.
The Theremin's Unique Sound
The theremin makes sounds that many people describe as "alien," "spooky," or "dreamy." It can create smooth, sliding sounds called glissandos, and wobbly sounds called vibratos.
This unique sound has made the theremin famous in movies. You might have heard it in films like Spellbound, The Lost Weekend, Mars Attacks!, and The Day the Earth Stood Still. The BBC Radiophonic Workshop also used the theremin a lot for electronic sounds in the middle of the last century.
Besides movies, the theremin is used in different kinds of music. It's popular in avant-garde (experimental) music and 20th century "new music." You can also hear it in popular music styles like rock and pop. A Russian composer named Dmitri Shostakovich was one of the first to include the theremin in his orchestra music. He even used it in his music for the 1931 film Odna.
Related Instruments
Images for kids
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Alexandra Stepanoff playing the theremin on NBC Radio, 1930
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The parts of a modern Moog theremin, ready to be put together.
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A robot playing the theremin.
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Theremin performer Anton Kershenko with a young student at the Eupatoria Deep Space Communication Center.
See also
In Spanish: Theremín para niños
