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The Clavencin Electrique
Jean Baptiste de la Borde builds this keyboard instrument that uses static elctric charges to hit small metal clappers against bells -
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History of Electronic Music
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Thaddeus Cahil patents the Telharmonium
A huge instrument capable of electrically creating and changing sounds. It was a precuror to the synthesizer, and weighed 400,000 pounds! -
The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ
Rudolph Wurlitzer's "one-man ubstitue for the orchestra" is introduced to the world. -
The Theremin
Leon Theremin (Lev Sergeyevich Termen) invents the Etherophone, later named the Theremin. -
The Ondes Martenot by Maurice Martenot
Similar to the Theremin, but allowed more control over the timbre of the sound. Utilized a picture of a keyboard for more accurate movements to certain notes and allowed easier relation of pitches of the instrument to the chromatic scale. -
Magnetic Tape is invented in Germany during WWII to record sound
This technology was kept secret for many years, but then became commercially available for storing recorded music. -
The Hammond Organ
Laurens Hammond develops this new instrument, utilizing vacuum tubes and the same tone-wheel process used in the Telharmonium. -
Les Paul
The first solid-body electric guitar designed by Les Paul. -
The first song ever composed strictly by a computer
This was a product of the collboration of Lejaren Hillerand and Leonard Issacson. -
The RCA Mark II
First programmable electronic syntheizer designed by Herbert Belar and Harry Olson. -
The Buchla Synthesizer
Morton subotick and Ramon Sender of the San Fransisco Tape Music Center hired Donald Buchla to design a new synthesizer for their studio. -
The Moog Synthesizer
Robert Mood introduces the first commercially available modern synthesizer. -
Tomorrow Never Knows
The Beatles use tape loops tp record the song -
The Mini Moog
A simplified, compacted version of the original Moog. Designed for live performances. -
Clara Rockmore's first commercial LP is released
Thereminist extraordinaire accompanied by Nadia Reisenberg, recorded by Robert Moog. -
Yamaha releases the DX-7
A 16-voice polyphonic digital synthesizer containing 32 internal memories ad ROM/RAM cartridge slot. Developed by John Chowning. -
MIDI developed
Musical Instrument Digital Interface. This industry standard was deigned by manufacturers from Roland, Yamaha, Korg, and Kawai. -
Laptop Orchestra
The first of it's kind was founded by Don Trueman and Perry Cook at Princeton University. Many others, such as SLOrk (Stanford laptop orchestra), have since been founded.
