Friday, October 17, 2008

Theremin




So, how do you like my new spooky music? I heard it on playlists on a friend's MySpace page and had vague recollections of having heard it before. It is by Clara Rockmore (1911-1998), theremin virtuoso. If you don't know what a theremin is, I didn't either, thank god for the "internets" though. It's an electronic music device invented in 1919, that is played by not touching it, but by waving your hands around between the two antennae. It has been used in movies as spooky background music, but Clara Rockmore took it to another level and could play the classics on it extremely well. She was great friends with theremin inventor, Lev Theremin, it is rumored that he even proposed marriage to her. Some movies that featured theremin music were, The Lost Weekend(1945), Hitchcock's Spellbound(1945), The Thing Another World(1951), and more recently Batman Forever (1995), eXistenZ(1999) and The Machinist(2004). Which just goes to show, I can learn something new every day. (Not how to play the theremin, but that there is a theremin.) For a sample of Clara Rockmore's music check out my playlist on the sidebar.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

YOU are SO amazing.... the fact that you FOUND this music and went to the trouble to research the 'theremin'... well, you are some kind of diabolique... A true dark visionary... A little Halloween tidbit! Okay, it's late and I am out of descriptions (you're glad, I'm sure) Thank you for the incredible post!!! You outdid yourself on this one, and the music is PERFECTION!!! (Brought back Saturday mornings with the 'creepy movies' on and being afraid, even in broad daylight! BOO!!!)
xoxo
Karen
Room 6B
The House of
Usher

High Desert Diva said...

I've never heard of this before. Very interesting! I'm dying to know what Clara's necklace is...a doll head?

Tess Kincaid said...

This is fascinating! High Desert Diva alerted me to your post. Thanks for the introduction to Clara Rockmore and the theremin!

A Wild Thing said...

This is just fabulous, who woulda thought...I love it though, so melancholy, gonna have to check it out too...sharon

Shakti said...

I love your blog and have put a link to it on my own. Kindred spirits, I think.