Bibliography:
Seabrook, John. “Vibrations.” The New Yorker 9 May 2011: 23. Literature Resource Center. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
Orton, Richard, and Hugh Davies. “Theremin [Termenvoks].” Oxford Music Online. 2007. Accessed November 9, 2015. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com:80/subscriber/article/grove/music/27813.
Townsend, Peter. “The Role of Physics in Shaping Music.” Academic Search Premier. 1975. Accessed November 4, 2015.
Once I started to listen to the podcast, the music definitely hooked my attention with its eeriness, like something that should be in a old horror movie. I also found it extremely surprising that the Theremin influenced modern day technology such as phones and automobiles. The historical was really fascinating. The fact that the inventor was abducted by the Soviet Union and spent his time creating spy hearing technology while in prison for the US which then lasted 7 years! In addition to this, the instrument description and how it compares to traditional instruments definitely illustrates that there are no restrictions to what can create music. At first I thought that I had never heard the Theremin, but after hearing the second audio clip I definitely recognize it from some song in Pinocchio! Overall, I think this podcast was written really well and was organized efficiently.
Nice job
I really enjoyed your podcast. I thought it was extremely interesting to hear the sound object the theremin. The back story on the theremin was also very necessary and helped me understand the importance of the sound object as well. It was also extremely interesting to learn how the theremin works and that it doesn’t really look like an instrument at all but more like a piece of technology. Overall great podcast you guys spoke very clearly and the media used to help support your ideas were also very helpful as well. Great job!
Great podcast. I thought it was really funny that you got competitive when you began talking about other podcast sound objects. I agree though: the theremin trumps most of the other sound object assigned to us. It is beautifully unique and elegant. I was also very happy to hear Moog pronounced correctly, so refreshing. I liked your theme of the theremin being an instrumental vagabond in that it is not what one typically expects and instrument to be. Concerning that, it bothered me a little that the theremin’s unexpected nature was repeated about four or five times in almost exactly the same wording.
I really enjoyed your podcast. When the trailer was posted I was very fascinated by the idea of a musical instrument without any strings, keys, or pedals and couldn’t wait to hear the final podcast. When your podcast opened, I was thrown off by the sound because I assumed that the sound the theremin would produce more of a “vibration wavy sound” but it sounded like a human singing/humming. I really liked the point you brought up in the beginning how the theremin is an instrument that extends beyond the boundary of its time. I find this instrument so complex in the sense that you never have to touch anything to produce the sound. I found it really interesting when you brought up the point that explained how modern technology today can be credited to the thermions blueprints. It’s so interesting to think that smart phones around the world today can be credited to a musical instrument invented in the early 1900’s. Your podcast did a great job describing the instrument and the sounds it can produce. Your podcast flowed smoothly and I was never bored or uninterested by the topic of the theremin. Great work
The point about the theremin and how it isnt moving forward to its full potential really resonates with me and intrigues me. People are always saying that music is just going to be repeating itself forever and inventions and new instruments like the theremin defy that. It makes me think if an instrument as wild and revolutionary as the theremin can just pop up like that, maybe something new to us will be coming soon. Instruments like the theremin keep musicians on their toes and really are one of the few things offering new directions in the journey of music and self expression.
I thoroughly enjoyed your podcast. The theremin is a really diverse, innovative instrument and the range of applications it has is exciting. The idea that the theremin isn’t living up to its full potential because it is used to try to imitate more established instruments, rather than exploring it’s nearly unlimited potential of its own is really intriguing. I think it points towards some underlying issues/themes of our culture.