Theremin, tape and electronic pioneers

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Genre

Theremin, tape and electronic pioneers · Electronic sounds came into film by way of the theremin, an instrument that you play without touching it. Shostakovich had already used it in 1931 in the Soviet film Odna, but in Hollywood the instrument only broke through in the 1940s. Miklós Rózsa used it in Spellbound (1945) for the troubled mind of the main character. In The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Bernard Herrmann placed two theremins alongside electric violin, bass and guitar. For Forbidden Planet (1956), Bebe and Louis Barron made an entirely electronic soundtrack with self-built circuits; the end credits speak of ‘electronic tonalities’. In London in 1963, Delia Derbyshire realised the Doctor Who theme with tape. Eduard Artemyev used the ANS synthesizer for Solaris (1972).

Listening

• 
  The Dream Sequence, The Mountain Lodge · Miklós Rózsa, 1945
• 
  Prelude / Outer Space / Radar · Bernard Herrmann, 1951
• 
  Main Titles - Overture · Louis and Bebe Barron, 1956

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• Film Music Map^NL Map

See also

• Louis & Bebe Barron
• Eduard Artemjev
• Electronic studio and musique concrète
• Early synthesizer scores (Moog, Berlin School, Vangelis)