Léon Theremin

Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Russian: Ле́в Серге́евич Терме́н; 27 August 1896 – 3 November 1993; Léon Theremin in America) was a Russian and Soviet inventor. He is most famous for his invention of the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments, and the first to be mass produced.

Quotes

 * I wanted to invent some kind of an instrument that would not operate mechanically, as does the piano, or the cello and the violin, whose bow movements can be compared to those of a saw. I conceived of an instrument that would create sound without using any mechanical energy, like the conductor of an orchestra.
 * Source: An Interview with Leon Theremin / Olivia Mattis and Leon Theremin in Bourges, France 16 June 1989.


 * I was interested in making a different kind of instrument. And I wanted, of course, to make an apparatus that would be controlled in space, exploiting electrical fields, and that would use little energy. Therefore I used electronic technology to create a musical instrument that would provide greater resources.
 * Source: An Interview with Leon Theremin / Olivia Mattis and Leon Theremin in Bourges, France 16 June 1989.