Terpsitone
The terpsitone is a musical instrument that is played without contact with the whole body. The further development of the theremin was created in cooperation of the dancer and filmmaker Mary Ellen Bute, inventor of the theremin Leon Theremin and the musician and dancer Clara Rockmore.
Technology
Basically, the terpsitone as the Theremin works: the electrical capacitance of the human body placed in an electric field affects an oscillator. By the vibration change of a low frequency vibration is generated on a number of mechanisms, and amplified, resulting an audible sound. Unlike the Theremin pitch is controlled at terpsitone not only by hand, but with the whole body. The dancers' movements are converted into sound. The original terpsitone developed in 1932, a metal plate functions as an antenna at the dancer, each body movement, the pitch changing. The volume and tone controls a second person outside the Terpsitons.
In later models added Theremin different colored lights that allowed the dancers and visually perceive what note he is playing.
Nowadays, the whole technology is hidden in a small box that is mounted with a larger antenna above the dancers.
History
Theremin, an enthusiastic dancer, the idea of a danceable instrument has been wearing for several years around with him before he got down to the actual implementation of Terpsitons. Specifically, the development, he argued for a planned demonstration of his instruments in New York's Carnegie Hall on April 1, 1932. Theremin long sought in vain for a dancer who was able to play the terpsitone his claims pursuant to, and ended up in the good friend of his 20 -year-old Clara Rockmore.
Rockmore, who had already played on the Theremin enjoyed the new freedoms of the instrument. While a small difference in the finger position already made great musical differences on the theremin, terpsitone allowed wide, dance movements. The first appearance of the Terpsitons in history was presented by Clara Rockmore, the fact Bach / Gounod Ave Maria ** played and was accompanied by harpist Carlos Salzedo.
The development of Terpsitons fell into a phase in which the theremin star in the American public was in decline, and it disappeared for the next few years again in his workshop. In 1935, the renewed attempt at a stage of the application Terpsitons with the American Negro Ballet Eugene From Grona. None of the dancers was able to reproducibly make music with the terpsitone, Theremin journey to search for a suitable interpreter, however, the dancer and his future mistress Lavinia Williams.
From Theremin himself next to the original unit was still two built Terpsitons are known. One he built 1966-1967 at the Moscow Conservatory, this is now missing. A second he built in the 1970s for his niece Lidia Kawina. This is still preserved, and thus the only known existing terpsitone, the theremin personally built.