Carolina Eyck courtesy Theremin World
Pilot and I recently attended a theremin concert with super star thereminist, Carolina Eyck. This was a first for both of us and well worth attending. Throughout the concert my question remained. How are otherworldly sounds played without touching the instrument? Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
The theremin was invented in 1920 by a Russian physicist named Lev Termen (in the United States his name was Leon Theremin) and is played without the thereminist making physical contact with the theremin.
The spooky sound of the theremin was used in several movie soundtracks during the 1950’s and 1960’s. It provided background music for such sci-fi classics as The Day the Earth Stood Still and It Came From Outer Space, as well in Spellbound and The Lost Weekend.
I wish I could explain the science behind playing a theremin, but truthfully, I cannot.
All I know is it has something to do with electromagnetic energy.
This is how Theremin World explains it.
Two antennas protrude from the theremin – one controlling pitch, and the other controlling volume. As a hand approaches the vertical antenna, the pitch gets higher. Approaching the horizontal antenna makes the volume softer. Because there is no physical contact with the instrument, playing the theremin in a precise melodic way requires practiced skill and keen attention to pitch.
Watching Carolina perform led me to ponder the way God works in the lives of those who claim Christ as their Lord and Savior. Although we don’t see God’s physical hand reach from heaven to touch us, we know he is at work; evidenced by changed lives and events with no explanation other than the Hand of God.
If we look at how the theremin is played, we see there are extremes in pitch and volume controlled by the moment of the musician’s hands. When we submit our lives to the Father’s plan, he controls the pitch and volume. He controls the events which reach us.
Sometimes God speaks to us in soft whispers. Sometimes he speaks in thunderous voice. Similar to the notes of the theremin, some notes are calming, others dissonant. Yet each note is a planned part of God’s symphony for our lives which, when blended together, create a masterpiece.
Have you heard a theremin, other than in the movies? What did you think about it?
Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.
But the time is coming and is already here, when by the power of God’s Spirit people will worship the Father as he really is, offering him the true worship that he wants. God is Spirit, and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is. John 4:23-24 (GNT)
I wish you well.
Sandy
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Sandy Kirby Quandt 