Q&A with George Maurer
Q. You'll be playing the theremin for The Men from the Polar Star. What's a theremin?
A: The theremin (or etherphone, as it was first called) is one of the earliest electronic musical instruments, created by Russian inventor Leon Theremin in 1919. It was the by-product of early Soviet research into motion detectors. The theremin is "played" without any physical contact by the performer, who "plays the air" near two antennae on the instrument. RCA patented the theremin in 1928, and soon it was being introduced as an orchestral instrument to perform classical rep in concert halls. By the 1940s and 1950s, it became more of a novelty instrument, used more-so to underscore scenes of horror, sci-fi-fantasy, or the macabre.
Q. What opportunities does playing a theremin offer you as a musician, different from your playing on piano and organ?
A: First of all, I can claim, to quote Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Off , "I've never had one lesson!" In essence, the modern-day theremin (as adapted by electronic music instrument pioneer Bob Moog) offers the same sort of creative soundscape capabilities that virtual synths and virtual, computer based, recording studios offer- yet, it's a lot more fun because you get more physically involved with the antennae (yes, that's meant to sound ambiguous). Playing a theremin is more like a dance, where the whole body gets involved.
Q. Why, when we hear the sound, do we think of Sci-Fi?
A: Because eventually, the theremin got kicked out of the concert hall (because it was too difficult to play) and landed on the "freak show" circuit, and in horror (Bride of Frankenstein), suspense (Spellbound), and eventually sci-fi movie soundtracks (Rocketship X-M, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing From Another World, It Came From Outer Space). Plus, due to increased film noir and sci-fi genre popularity after WWII, there was a high demand for newer, starker and ambiguous music styles, and the sound of the theremin, for a period of time, fit the bill with its alien sounds and its diegetic abilities to represent alien landscapes.
Q. Do you have fantasies of where else to play the theremin? Care to share?
A: My fantasy would be how else to play a theremin...
