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“You were fantastic! Everyone was quite pleased and amazed at your ability. Thanks for an awesome performance.” — Douglas Pipes, Film Composer
“With mouths agape, the throng observed Charles Lester make his instrument literally sing. He covered many bases of precision, melodic theremin interpretations” — S.L. Duff, Los Angeles City Beat
“When Charles Lester took the stage, he kept the whole venue entranced with challenging pieces from his classical repertoire. He played them beautifully. It was very impressive.” — Buck Sanders, Film Composer
“Charles, you’re a wizard!” — Joel Siegel, Good Morning America
“Charles Lester is considered Los Angeles’ top professional theremin player” — Steve Hochman, Los Angeles Times
“Charles Lester is a space-age magician who conjures music out of thin air” — Gazette Journal, Gloucester, Virginia
“‘Phono Royal’ is super. This
musical work relates to contemporary music in the same way the Bauhaus
concept of ‘Form follows function’ relates to the picturesque and
playful lightness of ‘Art Deco.’ Theremin-virtuoso Charles Lester also
knows how to play the fatal chord. Hazelwood Music produced this
splendid sound track in stereo with a great theremin virtuoso.” — EFA Media, Frankfurt, Germany ![]() Charles Richard Lester
The theremin could be viewed as the great ancestor of electronic music: Virtually every electronic instrument traces its roots to the theremin’s inventor, Russian physicist Leon Theremin (1896-1993), who produced his first instrument in 1918. Furthermore, the theremin was the first electronic instrument with virtuoso performers playing solo and concert repertoire written specifically for it by major composers.
![]() Leon Theremin Perhaps the most intriguing characteristic of the theremin – apart from its
mysterious sound – is the way it is played: The electronic components of the theremin set up low-power, high-frequency electromagnetic fields around the two antennas, one controlling pitch and the other volume. The player’s hands alter the fields by varying their distance to the antennas. The tone-producing portion of the circuitry is known as a beat-frequency oscillator. |
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The Theremin and Me I set out on a new and totally unanticipated musical journey when, in 1995, I discovered the theremin (or, more aptly, IT discovered ME). I became totally enraptured by this enchanting instrument upon watching the documentary about its inventor, Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey. ![]() Here are some of my theremin-related adventures, more or less in reverse-chronological order—
For my promotional flyer, click here for JPG, or here for PDF.
A Brief History of the Theremin ![]()
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More Information About the Theremin Albert Glinsky’s compelling biography about Leon Theremin, Theremin-Ether Music & Espionage is a must-read for those interested in the history of the theremin. It can be obtained directly from the publisher, Indiana University Press. The documentary (Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey) mentioned above is generally available for rent or purchase at your favorite video store; or you can buy a copy from Moog Music's website, www.MoogMusic.com. Moog Music also sells theremins, effects pedals, and other electronic music gear, as well as a variety of videos, CDs, etc. pertaining to the theremin. And, not surprisingly, the Internet contains a vast wealth of information. Just start at your favorite search engine (I like google.com) and you will find plenty of information about the theremin and its history. A number of recordings are available featuring various thereminists including Clara Rockmore, Lydia Kavina, Pamelia, James Coleman, Project:Pimento, Seksu Roba, and others. Most of these are available at the various on-line record stores or through other web sites such as www.MoogMusic.com. Another great theremin resource is “Levnet,” a list-server dedicated to theremin enthusiasts. For more information on Levnet, go to Levnet Information. How would you like a mouse-operated “theremin” on your computer? A fun shareware program called “Mousing” is available from Sagebrush Systems. |
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Please note that this entire Website (137.com), and all text and some images* therein, are copyright © 1995-2008 by Charles Richard Lester. You are welcome to disseminate information or graphics from this site for non-commercial use only but only after requesting — and receiving — permission by its author (me). Please apply to Charles Richard Lester: one_three_sevenat137.com (change "at" to the "@" symbol). Thank you for appreciating the value of creativity. |
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