Electronic music's history predates time of rock and roll by a few decades. The majority of us weren't living on the planet when it started its hidden, unappreciated, and misunderstood growth. In the present, this "otherworldly audio-visual phenomenon that started around one century ago, may not be as bizarre and unheard of as the new generation accept a large portion of it as popular however, it's been on some bumps and in gaining widespread acceptance it's been a slow process.

Many artists - especially the contemporary electronic music enthusiasts discovered a love of analog synthesizers during the late 1970's and the early 1980's. They also had classic songs like Gary Numan's most famous hit song "Are Friends Electric?. It was during this period that the devices were smaller, less accessible and user-friendly, making them cheaper for many of us. In this piece, I'll attempt to document this journey through digestible chapters, and provide examples of the top modern-day proponents.

In my opinion it was the start of a new era. In order to create electronic music it was not necessary to have access to a huge array of tech in a live or studio. In the past, this was the exclusive domain of like Kraftwerk and their arsenal includes electronic instrumentation and custom equipment that the rest of us would have only dreamed of in the past, even if we be aware of the complexities of their working. However when I was in the 60's and 70's, I still was unaware of the intricate work that was set as a standard before in order to get to this point.

The development of electronic music is due to the late Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007). Stockhausen was an German Avante Garde composer and a pioneering figurehead of electronic music in the 1950's and beyond, informing the movement to influence artists like Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Brain Eno, Cabaret Voltaire, Depeche Mode, not to mention the neo-classical work of the Beatles and other artists throughout the decade of the 1960's. His image is featured as the face of the album cover "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" The Beatles master Opus. Let's begin by going into the past.

the Turn of the 20th Century

It was a slow-moving stargazer, until I discovered that the first recorded concert, which was exclusively electronic, weren't in the 70's or 80's however, but the 20th century! The first instrument that was entirely electronic that is entirely electronic, the Theremin which plays with no touch, was invented by Russian cellist and scientist Lev Termen (1896-1993), in the year 1919.

In 1924 in 1924, the Theremin was first introduced to concert audiences as part of The Leningrad Philharmonic. The interest generated by the theremin brought audiences to shows throughout Europe in both Britain. It was in 1930 that the famous Carnegie Hall in New York was the scene of a concert featuring classical music that was based on 10 theremins. The sight of a variety of talented musicians perform this strange sounding instrument, by wringing their hands around the antennas must have been exciting, surreal and awe-inspiring for an audience that was not yet technologically advanced!

If you're interested, take a look at some of the performances by Theremin the virtuoso Clara Rockmore (1911-1998). Lithuanian born Rockmore (Reisenberg) collaborated alongside its inventor on the streets of New York to perfect the instrument in its beginnings and then became its most well-known outstanding and well-known performer, and its most recognizable representative throughout her lifetime. In the past Clara was the very first'star' that was acclaimed as the first authentic electronic music. You won't find more haunting, but beautiful performances of classical music than on the Theremin. It's definitely a favorite of my!

Electronic Music in Sci-Fi, Cinema and Television

Unfortunately, and due in part to the difficulty of learning, the Theremin's use as an instrument for music was short and short. In the end, it was able to find its place in the 1950's Sci-Fi films. The 1951 classic film "The The Day that the Earth stood still" and a soundtrack composed by the influential American composer of film music Bernard Hermann (known for Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" and "Psycho. ) It is a soaring, rich the sound of an alien planet using two Theremins and other electronic instruments combined with acoustic instruments. Utilizing the vacuum-tube oscillator technique used in the Theremin, French cellist and radio telegraphist Maurice Martenot (1898-1980), developed an oscillator called the Ondes Martenot (in French, called"the Martenot Wave) in 1928.

With a familiar and standard keyboard that was easily understood by musicians Martenot's instrument did well in a place where the Theremin did not in its user-friendlyness. It was the first electronic instrument that was used by orchestras and composers from the time of its invention until current day. It's used as the theme for the 1960's original TV show "Star Trek" and is heard in contemporary recordings from the likes of Radiohead as well as Brian Ferry. The distinctive multi-timbral Ondes Martenot while monophonic, is by far the best instrument I've heard to the sound of contemporary synthesis.

"Forbidden Planet" which was which was released in 1956 was the first commercial studio film that featured only an electronic soundtrack... in addition to the introduction of Robbie the Robot and the gorgeous Anne Francis! The groundbreaking score was created by the husband-and-wife team Louis as well as Bebe Barron, who in the 1940s created the first private recording studio located in the USA recording electronic experimental musicians like the iconic John Cage (whose own Avante Garde works challenged the boundaries of music! ).

The Barrons are often credited with broadening the scope for electronic music to the cinema. With a soldering iron on the other hand Louis created circuits that was manipulated to produce many weird, strange sounds and motifs to be used in the film. After being created, these sounds were not able to be reproduced since the circuit would deliberately over-load, smoke and then burn out to create the desired sound. Therefore the recordings were all recorded on tape. Bebe went through endless reels and edited to what she thought was usable, after which she re-manipulated the tapes using delay and reverberation. She then recorded the final product with various tape decks.

As well as this laborious procedure, I feel I am compelled to share what could be the longest-lasting and most influential electronic Television trademark ever the theme of the long-running 1963 British Sci-Fi adventure show "Dr.". This was the very first time that a Television series had an entirely electronic theme. The concept for "Dr."Who" was created in the famous BBC Radiophonic Workshop using tape loops and test oscillators that be manipulated, recorded these on tape, and later were edited and modified by another pioneer of Electro, Delia Derbyshire, interpreting the original composition by Ron Grainer.