This is a very special week here at the mitchco a go go. Why? Because I’m updating. And also because it’s EXPERIMENTAL/AVANT-GARDE MUSIC WEEK.
Today we’ll be discussing the only instrument you can play without touching it, the theremin (I feel like there should be a dirty joke in there somewhere, but I’m not going to dignify it). It was invented by Dr. Leon Theremin, a crazy Russian inventor, and brought to international fame and fortune by Clara Rockmore, its first (and perhaps greatest) virtuoso. If you want to learn more about the good doctor, check out the documentary Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey. If you want to learn more about Clara Rockmore, here, let me tell you.
Clara was born in Lithuania, and was a childhood violin prodigy. Like any childhood violin prodigy born in the Russian empire, she was sent to the Imperial conservatory of Saint Petersburg when she was five. And like many children born in the Russian empire, she developed a bone problem due to malnutrition, and had to stop playing the violin.
Clara Rockmore and her theremin
Thankfully, she soon after met Leon Theremin, who happened to have an instrument you could play without touching. The combination of her excellent pitch, knowledge of music and instrumentation, and fucked up bones made her an ideal candidate for theremin shredding, and shred she did. Why do you think her last name was ROCK MORE?
