Ondes Martenot
Ondas Martenot
- Date
- 1928 · confidence high
- Place
- Paris, France
- Credited to
- Maurice Martenot
- Field
- Matter & energy
What it is
An early electronic musical instrument producing wavering, theremin-like sounds, played by moving a ring tied to a wire and, later, with a lateral-vibrato keyboard. Martenot was inspired by tone overlaps he heard from military radio oscillators.
What it led to
- Use in more than a hundred orchestral works (Messiaen's Turangalîla-symphonie)
- Adoption in film soundtracks and contemporary popular music