Introduction: The Three Princes of Serendip, where Serendip is the Classical Persian name for Sri Lanka, is a fairy tale in which the protagonists ‘were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.’ Based on this, Horace Walpole coined the word serendipity in 1754 to mean inventions or discoveries made by accident. Science and technology offer many anecdotes of serendipitous discoveries and inventions. Here is the eleventh such story in a series about serendipitous, patented inventions.
Electronic musical instruments have revolutionized music making. Added to this are the developments in music recording, editing, manipulating, storage, sharing, and the advent of artificial intelligence, which have contributed to the musical world far different from what it was fifty years ago.
However, the very first electronic musical instrument was a serendipitous invention. The idea occurred to someone who was not only an accomplished physicist and inventor but also an accomplished musician. He was Lev Sergeyevich Termen, known in the West as Léon Theremin. He was working on a Soviet government-sponsored research project to develop proximity sensors. They were to be used in various applications, including security systems. During his experiments, Theremin discovered that the human body could interfere with the electromagnetic fields generated by his equipment, producing audible sounds.
This unexpected discovery piqued Theremin’s interest. He realized that by manipulating these electromagnetic fields, he could create a large variety of sounds and that they could be used in a new kind of musical instrument. The thereminovox, was born thus. The name was later shortened to The Theremin.
Unlike traditional instruments, the Theremin is played without physical contact between the musician and the instrument. Instead, the performer moves their hands near two metal antennas, one to control the pitch or frequency of the sound and the other to control the volume of the sound. The result is an eerie, ethereal sound that has captivated audiences for nearly a century. You can listen to a short performance and watch the musician playing it here.
Soon, the Theremin gained popularity. Theremin himself demonstrated the instrument, then called etherophone, to various audiences. It is said that he demonstrated it to Vladimir Lenin, too, in 1922. Lenin was reportedly fascinated by it. The instrument’s unique sound and the novelty of its touchless operation made it a sensation in both scientific and musical circles. It is one of the most unique and intriguing musical instruments ever invented.
Theremin has two primary circuits: the pitch circuit and the volume circuit. The pitch circuit comprises two radio frequency oscillators: fixed and variable frequency oscillators. The fixed frequency oscillator generates a signal at a constant frequency. The variable frequency oscillator produces a range of frequencies and is connected to a vertical antenna. Through what is called heterodyning, signals from the fixed and variable oscillators are mixed. The frequency of one oscillator is subtracted from the other. The difference in frequency is amplified and fed to a loudspeaker, producing an audible tone.
The second circuit (the volume circuit) controls the amplitude of the tone generated by the pitch circuit. As in the case of the pitch circuit, it has an oscillator connected to an antenna. The electromagnetic field around this antenna may be altered to raise or lower the amplitude of the audible tone of the pitch circuit.
Theremin moved to the United States, where he patented the invention. He sold the manufacturing rights to the then-electronics giant RCA. Theremin’s life was a complex one with many ups and downs, and you may read about it here.
Author: JL Anil Kumar
First Published by: Lexology here