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Telharmonium invented
Thaddeus Cahill breaks ground by inventing this one of a kind electric organ -
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Years of Electronic Music
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History of American Music
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Sketch of a New Esthetic Music
Ferrucio Busoni publishes "Sketch of a New Esthetic Music"which discussed the use electoral music in future sounds -
The Thermin
Russian scientist, Leon Theremin invented the Etherophone, which was later simply called the Theremin. The Theremin was quite a unique instrument because you never actually touched the instrument to play it. It did not have a keyboard, fret or any other features usually found on a traditional instrument. -
The Ondes
A close cousin to the Theremin was the Ondes Martenot. Invented in 1928 by Frenchman Maurice Martenot, the instrument sounded very similar to the Theremin, however the Ondes allowed for much more control over the timbre of the sound. It looks like a piano, but it isn't. -
Magnetic Tape
Germans invent the Magnetic Tape, but because of political tension it was found until the inveasion of Germany during the second World War. -
The Hammond
In 1929, an American inventor named Laurens Hammond developed a new electronic instrument using the same tone-wheel process that was used in the Telharmonium. The use of vacuum tubes allowed the instrument to be much smaller and more practical than the bulky Telharmonium. -
Leo Vanishes
In 1938, Leon Theremin vanished from the United States not to be heard from for another 50 years. -
The Hammond B3
The Hammond B3 model, which was introduced in 1950, used drawbars to vary the timbre and contained a rotating speaker (Leslie speaker), which created a unique swirling sound effect. The Hammond B3 organ was often used by bands such as The Doors, Pink Floyd, Santana, Deep Purple, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. It remains one of the most popular older organs on the market. -
Forbbiden Planet
Two Frenchman by the names of Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry recorded the first electronic music score for a film, The Forbidden Planet. -
Bell Labs
In 1957, Bell Labs engineer Max Mathews was the first to synthesize music on a computer. He was successful in programming a computer to play just a few notes of music and this moment in time became the beginning of computer music in the United States. Mathews created a programming language called MUSIC I and thus the first computer music program was created. -
RCA Synthesizer
Designed by Herbert Belar and Harry Olson in 1958, the RCA Mark II was the flagship piece of equipment at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. RCA synthesizer was not very practical (weighing about 3 tons and 20 feet wide) and required considerable programming, but it did provide a new way for composers to create music electronically without having to splice together individual sounds recorded on magnetic tape. -
Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center
The first electronic music studio established in the United States was the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center (now called Computer Music Center). The center was established in 1958, and until the late 1970s, it was one of the premier sound facilities in the world. -
Water Walk
In 1960, Cage was featured on a game show I’ve Got a Secret to perform his composition Water Walk. -
The Moog
In 1964, Robert Moog introduced the first commercially available modern synthesizer. Although much easier to use than the RCA Mark II, it still had its complexities -
Lawrence of Arabia
The Ondes is used for the first time in the popular film, Lawrence of Arabia. -
Minimoog
In 1969, Moog’s company set another precedent by introducing the Minimoog – a much simpler, compact synthesizer designed for live performance situations. This model became the most popular and widely used synthesizer of all time.
