What's the best use of theramin in music.
 

I'm checking out a lot of the more unusual stuff from Raymond Scott. And although he wasn't known for using the theramin as much as he was for pioneering electronica in general his music has been inspiring me.

I just watched the original Day The Earth Stood Still and was really entranced by Bernard Herrmann's soundtrack which used a lot of Theramin.

What are some good examples of theramin use in music? Is there such a thing as a theramin virtuoso?

"Good Vibrations"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbwxLGohUM0

This. And furthermore:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyF_UN8g9f0

eeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeecccccccc cccttttttttrriiiiiiiiiiiiccccccccccciiiiiiiiittttt ttttyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Pamelia Kurstin

http://www.myspace.com/pameliakurstin

pixies - velouria
converge's jane doe has it only like 3 tracks.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

Contrary to popular belief, the theremin was not used on the 1966 recording of "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys, which featured Paul Tanner's "box", later called the electro-theremin. However, for concert appearances, an oscillator slide-controller was designed and built for Wilson by Robert Moog. Wilson helped to popularize the instrument when he recorded Paul Tanner playing his electro-theremin -- for the first time in recorded music history -- on the song "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times." The song appeared on The Beach Boys' 1966 album Pet Sounds, considered one of the most influential albums in popular music history.

I never liked enough 'weird' uses of this instrument, unless someone did a good job and I never heard it. I think, not sure, Dick Hyman made some cartoon music with it which was ok. I like Clara Rockmore, and little of what Raymond Scott did with it. When I saw Keiji Haino using it live I thought it was boring.

theremin is cool, but the ondes moreenti (or whatever its called) is waaay cooler

Ondes Martenot?

Star Trek theme

I agree. A boring musician is a boring musician regardless of the instruments he or she uses.

Remember that 90's post rock fascination with xylophones?

JSBE -Afro

boat anchor

I like that it can take a Theraminist 15 years to realise that they're a boring musician. But there's no reason to actually listen to theramin records.

Oh, and to fugazifan - Messiaen. I can't say this often enough.

That's actually a singer imitating a theremin. :)

i swear thats what i wrote. for sopme reason those ees creeped into my post

wufzzz eyezz

i know. amazing. im going to write a script that is somewhat based on the quartet for the end of time

Soundtrack to Bartleby.

2nded

My Velouria, my Velouria
Even I'll adore you
My Velouria

Any Beefheart song that contains it.

WHITE MICE. (maybe not the very best, but I enjoy it)

That would be Clara Rockmore. I actually prefer the weirder uses most of the time, being a weirdo, but it's hard to argue with the amount of musical precision she brought to the instrument. You can actually relax listening to her versions of classical pieces.

The failure of the theremin as an instrument is that despite the appearance of simplicity brought on by "creating music out of thin air" it's actually extremely difficult to play the thing well and get anything approaching tunefulness. Clara could do it flawlessly, but most people are better off getting it to make weird electronic noises. And admitedly, if you are going to do that, you really might as well get a moog.

Portishead used one quite well on 'Dummy'

I'll be sure to check her out.

And yes, I love the theremin on Dummy - I have played that album to death.