By Codi Farmer

Recently, I’ve been thinking about theremins a lot. According to BBC Music Magazine’s Classical Music, the theremin was the first electronic instrument ever invented — and was made by a Russian scientist, Leon Theremin in 1920. The theremin is especially interesting because it is a contactless instrument, meaning that all you have to do is wave your hand around the antennas for the instrument to make noise.

The theremin has two antennae, one vertical and one horizontal coming off the body of the instrument, and there are electromagnetic fields surrounding these antennae. Having movement around these fields creates interference — which is manifested in changing pitch and volume. The vertical antenna is responsible for changes in pitch, so the closer your hand gets to it, the higher the pitch will go. As for the horizontal one, the closer your hand gets to it, the quieter the volume will be. 

This instrument has a large range of timbre and sonic qualities. It’s used for extraterrestrial-inspired sounds in sci-fi movies, pop music, and even in symphonies where the theremin’s sound almost mimics a human voice. Due to the nature of the theremin, it is considered to be one of the most difficult instruments in the world to master. 

Now, you may be beginning to understand why I’ve been thinking about theremins so much. I learned about them in a class a while back when we were discussing music in science fiction movies, but I’ve recently been curious about how else they may be used in more “normal” music settings. Especially in the modern age where we have no shortage of interesting electronic instruments. I began reading an article listing some of the greatest theremin players, and one Katica Illényi particularly caught my attention.

Illényi is a Hungarian musician and dancer. Her specialties are violin, singing, and the theremin, which was later added to her tool belt. According to Illényi, in interviews noted on her website, people in Hungary hardly knew anything about the theremin, so she made it a personal goal to introduce as many people as possible to the instrument. Now, she uses the theremin in practically every performance she does, even if it’s not for the entirety of her concerts.

According to her website, Illényi uses the theremin solely as a substitute for the human voice, since it has such a wider range of notes in comparison to a human singer. In her words, the theremin is “an instrument for the soul” and she believes that its “extraordinary and mystical sound” has an incredible ability to sway our emotions.

Though the theremin isn’t necessarily her main instrument, nor is she considered to be the greatest theremin player of all time, Illényi’s unique perspective on the instrument provided a wonderful outlet for the theremin to shine. 

Here are some of my favorite performances by Illényi: