Charlie I just wanted to thank you for sharing your music with us all, and for preserving the history and legacy of the theremin. My great aunt actually played an RCA theremin in the early 1930s. I wish I could remember a few more of the details to this story. While Leon Theremin was living in New York, one of his musician colleagues travelled the country demonstrating the theremin, and looking for a skilled young musician to be his student and apprentice in this new art form. My great aunt was a teenager studying classical violin who lived in Indiana. She saw the musician perform, and he allowed people who were interested to try to play the instrument. As a violinist, she had a natural aptitude for the theremin and was able to intuitively know where each note was, hold a note, and play it cleanly. Within a very short time, she was able to play any melody that he would show her, and started to get the hang of playing it from written music. The musician wanted to bring her to New York for 6 month to learn the instrument from him, and to meet Leon Theremin. She wanted to go, unfortunately, her mother would not allow it, and couldn't afford to pay for the trip. The musician completed his tour of the united states, and returned to indiana on his way back to new york to ask her and her mother a second time. Her mother still refused, their family owned a farm and they were struggling due to the depression, and needed her to work and churn butter. She continued to study classical violin, and was a skilled musician and singer who performed locally throughout her life. Maybe you will be able to fill in a few of the blanks. She wrote a memoir in 2008, and excerpts of this story were publicized as an article in the local small town newspaper in her town in Indiana.
@@CharlieDraper sure, her name was Elizabeth Kesling at that time, and later her married name became Elizabeth Busteed. At that time she lived in northern Indiana, in either Lakeville or Star City. We have her autobiography, I'll look for it. When I find it I'll send you a picture of the pages containing this story to your email address.
I actually wrote my own piano transcription of "Deep Night" based on Rudy Vallee's 1929 recording (I have perfect pitch), possibly one of the most beautiful records of all time, almost as beautiful as this one.
That is beautiful. It is great to hear the old recording of Leo Theremin himself and it is wonderful to hear the amazing instrument being played in modern times with modern recording technologies. Thank you for keeping the Theremin alive.
This is absolutely brilliant. It's so magical to hear music like this recreated. I also love it how you have Leon Theremin's performance on your channel so we can see how faithful your recording is to the original.
Beautiful! I had to learn how to play this song on my Etherwave after seeing this video. It is very satisfying! My intonation needs a lot of work but it is a treat! Question what amp/speaker combination is used here? I would love to have even a fraction of this type of sound!
A step down transformer is needed. Many RCAs were rather insensitively modified to contain them: check out rcatheremin.com and look through the images and many have a tell-tale transformer blocks somewhere on the ground floor. For my instrument, Mike Buffington fabricated a transformer which connects externally to the speaker cable.
How does the instrument react to more wild and up tempo music? What if one was to try to cover a punk tune from the late 70s or early 80s on the instrument? Would this be an impossibility due to the pace alone?
this is wonderful! out of curiosity, comparing this with leon theremin's version, his seems to have a more mellow? quality to it? Would you think this is to do with the recording quality or perhaps the instrument is different? I don't know much about theremins but both versions are lovely
I think a lot has to do with the speaker and recording technology - Leon used a Radiola 106 which cuts off a lot of the higher frequencies, and was recorded on sound film, which couldn't capture all the highest frequencies. There's also a lot of compression on that film. By contrast, I played directly into an audio interface and used EQ to cut off the higher end, and benefitted from a better compression algorithm.
@@CharlieDraper Thank you for the reply, that was interesting to read! I wonder if it'd be possible to replicate his sound. 'lo-fi theremin' perhaps haha.
I say he used a Radiola 106 purely because that's the default speaker that you were advised to buy with the RCA. But it could be a different speaker; we can't see it. He also used Jensens in for his louder instruments like the theremin cello and rhythmicon. I'm sure the sound could be reasonably approximated with some cabinet FX and low-fi processing!
Charlie I just wanted to thank you for sharing your music with us all, and for preserving the history and legacy of the theremin. My great aunt actually played an RCA theremin in the early 1930s. I wish I could remember a few more of the details to this story. While Leon Theremin was living in New York, one of his musician colleagues travelled the country demonstrating the theremin, and looking for a skilled young musician to be his student and apprentice in this new art form. My great aunt was a teenager studying classical violin who lived in Indiana. She saw the musician perform, and he allowed people who were interested to try to play the instrument. As a violinist, she had a natural aptitude for the theremin and was able to intuitively know where each note was, hold a note, and play it cleanly. Within a very short time, she was able to play any melody that he would show her, and started to get the hang of playing it from written music. The musician wanted to bring her to New York for 6 month to learn the instrument from him, and to meet Leon Theremin. She wanted to go, unfortunately, her mother would not allow it, and couldn't afford to pay for the trip.
The musician completed his tour of the united states, and returned to indiana on his way back to new york to ask her and her mother a second time. Her mother still refused, their family owned a farm and they were struggling due to the depression, and needed her to work and churn butter. She continued to study classical violin, and was a skilled musician and singer who performed locally throughout her life.
Maybe you will be able to fill in a few of the blanks. She wrote a memoir in 2008, and excerpts of this story were publicized as an article in the local small town newspaper in her town in Indiana.
This is a really fascinating tale. Can you share your aunt's name? If not publicly then please drop me an email at info@charliedraper.com
@@CharlieDraper sure, her name was Elizabeth Kesling at that time, and later her married name became Elizabeth Busteed. At that time she lived in northern Indiana, in either Lakeville or Star City.
We have her autobiography, I'll look for it. When I find it I'll send you a picture of the pages containing this story to your email address.
You are one of a very very few amazing theremin players worldwide ...
Thanks Stephan! Glad you enjoyed it.
It’s the first time I hear such beautiful theremin. The pitch is absolutely perfect.
I actually wrote my own piano transcription of "Deep Night" based on Rudy Vallee's 1929 recording (I have perfect pitch), possibly one of the most beautiful records of all time, almost as beautiful as this one.
That is beautiful. It is great to hear the old recording of Leo Theremin himself and it is wonderful to hear the amazing instrument being played in modern times with modern recording technologies. Thank you for keeping the Theremin alive.
Amazing phrasé, harmonic tension, and always a sensation so listen to a rare original theremin. Thank you for such an experience
Thanks for listening!
Lovely! Nice to hear this after enjoying the song in both BONNIE AND CLYDE and MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO.
This is absolutely brilliant. It's so magical to hear music like this recreated. I also love it how you have Leon Theremin's performance on your channel so we can see how faithful your recording is to the original.
Glad you like it! Thanks for listening.
Nice
fun! my grandfather actually wrote that song...loved your performance. :)
Wow! What an amazing connection! And thank you, I appreciate it!
Are you this man?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Reid_Maxwell
Bravo Charlie! Good to see and hear Electra in action!
Thanks RSO! Radiotrons in action!
Beautiful! I had to learn how to play this song on my Etherwave after seeing this video. It is very satisfying! My intonation needs a lot of work but it is a treat!
Question what amp/speaker combination is used here? I would love to have even a fraction of this type of sound!
Great Charlie!!
Happy to hear you enjoyed it. 🎶🎶🎶
Just wonderful!
Glad you think so!
Great! I had no idea that an rca can be directly connected to an audio interface. A special mod is needed? Thanks for the video!
A step down transformer is needed. Many RCAs were rather insensitively modified to contain them: check out rcatheremin.com and look through the images and many have a tell-tale transformer blocks somewhere on the ground floor. For my instrument, Mike Buffington fabricated a transformer which connects externally to the speaker cable.
@@CharlieDraper interesting, thanks a lot!
How does the instrument react to more wild and up tempo music?
What if one was to try to cover a punk tune from the late 70s or early 80s on the instrument? Would this be an impossibility due to the pace alone?
this is wonderful! out of curiosity, comparing this with leon theremin's version, his seems to have a more mellow? quality to it? Would you think this is to do with the recording quality or perhaps the instrument is different? I don't know much about theremins but both versions are lovely
I think a lot has to do with the speaker and recording technology - Leon used a Radiola 106 which cuts off a lot of the higher frequencies, and was recorded on sound film, which couldn't capture all the highest frequencies. There's also a lot of compression on that film. By contrast, I played directly into an audio interface and used EQ to cut off the higher end, and benefitted from a better compression algorithm.
@@CharlieDraper Thank you for the reply, that was interesting to read! I wonder if it'd be possible to replicate his sound. 'lo-fi theremin' perhaps haha.
I say he used a Radiola 106 purely because that's the default speaker that you were advised to buy with the RCA. But it could be a different speaker; we can't see it. He also used Jensens in for his louder instruments like the theremin cello and rhythmicon. I'm sure the sound could be reasonably approximated with some cabinet FX and low-fi processing!
@@CharlieDraper Ah, I see!
A song for ghosts at the end of the world
Fake b/w
so I guess you know of a modern digital camera that can shoot "real b/w" in hd?
technically this would be grayscale.
@@naneek2 1929 ?
@@franznarf He is playing an instrument built in 1929. No one claimed that the video was shot in 1929.
@@naneek2 wow you read the notes!
This is great!!! I love the originality of the decor, style and of course the music!!!