Martenot waves

E866338

Martenot waves are an early electronic musical instrument known for their ethereal, wavering tones and expressive performance capabilities, invented in the 1920s by Maurice Martenot.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf continuous-pitch instrument
electronic musical instrument
keyboard instrument
monophonic musical instrument
alsoKnownAs ondes Martenot NERFINISHED
controlInterface drawer-mounted controls
keyboard
pressure-sensitive key or button
ring on a wire
countryOfOrigin France
designedFor highly expressive melodic lines
developedInDecade 1920s
era early 20th century electronic music
historicalStatus iconic early electronic instrument
rare instrument
inception 1928
influenced later electronic musical instruments
inventor Maurice Martenot NERFINISHED
notableFeature continuous pitch control via ring and wire
highly expressive performance control
keyboard with lateral movement for vibrato
timbre control via drawer of switches and controls
use of multiple loudspeakers with different resonant characteristics
notablePerformer Ginette Martenot NERFINISHED
Jeanne Loriod NERFINISHED
Olivier Messiaen (as composer for the instrument) NERFINISHED
numberOfVoices 1
pitchControlMethod keyboard playing
sliding ring along a wire
powerSource mains electricity
relatedTo synthesizer
theremin NERFINISHED
soundCharacteristic ethereal tone
gliding pitch
vibrato-rich sound
wavering tone
timbreControlMethod switches and knobs in a control drawer
tuningSystem equal temperament
typicalUse avant-garde music
classical music
contemporary orchestral music
film music
usedInWork Fête des belles eaux NERFINISHED
Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine NERFINISHED
Turangalîla-Symphonie NERFINISHED
usesComponent heterodyne oscillators
vacuum tube oscillator
volumeControlMethod expression key operated by the left hand
pressure-sensitive control

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

ondes Martenot alsoKnownAs Martenot waves