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What does a UFO landing sound like? Or when aliens don't come in peace? If sound could travel through space, it might sound something like a theremin.
Howdy, howdy, howdy! I’m Solomon Reynolds, and this is: Saturday Morning Car Tunes! This morning, don’t look up! The theremin reminds people of extraterrestrials and has inspired TV shows like My Favorite Martian and rock bands like The Beach Boys. But did it come from outer space?
The theremin is an electronic instrument that was invented by the Russian scientist Leon Theremin. While experimenting in the lab, he worked with a machine that made different sounds the closer or further he got from it. He turned that piece of lab equipment into a musical instrument you play without touching. The theremin has two metal antennas: one that sticks straight up and one that loops to the side. Moving your hand around the straight antenna changes the pitch, while moving your hand over the loop changes the volume. It's a difficult instrument to play, but its sound is so peculiar, composers had a lot of fun with it. This is Fantasia by Bohuslav Martinů.
Clara Rockmore was a violinist and child prodigy but had to give it up after she injured her arm. She found a new life in the theremin and became the world’s best player—a perfect fit because it’s played without touch. This is her performing Saint-Saëns’ The Swan.
Isn’t the theremin enchanting? This jazz band thought so, too. This is from the best-selling theremin record ever: Radar Blues by Samuel J. Hoffman.
Shostakovich used the theremin to represent getting lost in a snowstorm in the film Alone. In the movie Spellbound, Miklós Rózsa uses the theremin to show a character feeling worried and mixed-up. The theremin has always amazed composers with its otherworldly sound. This is from the score to The Day the Earth Stood Still composed by Bernard Herrmann. Does it sound like a UFO landing?
What does it sound like when aliens don’t come in peace? This is from Mars Attacks! with music by Danny Elfman.
In his score to First Man (2018), Justin Hurwitz uses the theremin to depict a moment of quiet love when an astronaut returns home. The theremin can also sound like superheroes traveling through spacetime and the multiverse. This is Natalie Holt’s score to the TV series Loki.
The theremin is out of this world!
I’m Solomon Reynolds. I write and produce Saturday Morning Car Tunes with research assistant Carolina Correa and audio engineer Stephen Page, only on Classical California. Tune in—or out of your car—next Saturday morning!
