Oooo-weeee-oooo

The haunting sound made famous by Robert Moog, the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" and almost every science fiction movie made in the '50s and '60s was a product of Russian physicist and trained cellist, Lev Termen. The theremin was invented in 1919 quite by accident. Termen had created a large...

By Danna Berger

September 28, 2006

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The haunting sound made famous by Robert Moog, the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" and almost every science fiction movie made in the '50s and '60s was a product of Russian physicist and trained cellist, Lev Termen. The theremin was invented in 1919 quite by accident. Termen had created a large cabinet with two antennas that would emit a whistling sound that dropped in tonality as it was approached—low tones sounded much like a bassoon while the higher ranges imitated the violin or a female soprano. After the theremin was refined in the mid 1920s, the world's first electronic musical instrument toured the states—and remains to this day nearly impossible to play "right." Grand Prairie's Robert Froehner will demonstrate the oddity that is the theremin at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the Fort Worth Public Library, 500 W. 3rd St. Following the concert, stay for the 2 p.m. showing of Spellbound, one of Alfred Hitchcock's best suspense movies, starring Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. The film's score used the theremin to leave viewers on the edges of their seats, in turn helping it win the 1946 Academy Award for Best Music. Call 817-871-7323 or visit fortworthgov.org/library/filmclub.htm.
Sun., Oct. 1, 2 p.m.

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