Ondioline

A Ondioline is a monophonic musical instrument which is based on an electron tube. It consists of a oscillator and a small keyboard with three octaves. The keyboard instrument is considered the forerunner of the modern synthesizer.

With the complex Ondioline frequencies can be generated by a plurality of filters, and further adjusted manually. The volume is controlled by a knee lever.

History

The first Ondioline 1938 was designed by Georges Jenny during his tuberculosis treatment and in his company Les Ondes Georges Jenny (later known as La Musique Electronique ) produced in Paris until his death in 1976 and further developed. The instruments were built by Jenny herself or sold as a kit. In the U.S. alone over 1,000 Ondiolinen were ultimately sold. In order to keep production costs as low as possible and sell the instruments for around $ 400, can have components often used of inferior quality, after which the devices had to be constantly maintained or after a few years were no longer operational.

Popular was the Ondioline especially in Europe and there often in film music as well as in the theater and in cabarets. In Germany it was marketed under the name Piaonoline and in the Netherlands as Orcheline. More became famous for the instrument at the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958. There the Ondioline was played at the Atomium.

Especially the musician Jean -Jacques Perrey gained as a projectionist of Ondioline great success and thus is considered a pioneer of electronic music.