The Theremin is named for its inventor, Leon Theremin. Music professor and biographer Albert Glinsky says Theremin's story is as mysterious as the instrument that bears his name,
"Leon Theremin was a Russian scientist, [and] he was a spy," said Glinsky. "And inventor of what is probably the most unusual musical instrument ever invented. You're actually moving your two hands through two electromagnetic fields that are around two antennas."
In 1919, 23-year-old Leon Theremin invented his namesake by accident. "He was working in a laboratory in Russia as a young scientist, he was actually working on a gas meter to measure the density of gases," Glinsky said. "So as he brought his hand closer to the gas meter, he heard kind of a higher squeal. And as he brought his hand back to his body and away from the machine, it was a slower squeal. "And he started to play melodies on this thing. And lab assistants and his boss in the lab started to gather around and said, 'Well, this is amazing.'"
Theremin then devised a freestanding musical instrument based on his discovery, which he sensationally debuted in the United States in 1928. He performed in major venues like Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera House. "Critics really almost didn't know what to make of it," said Glinsky. "There was one who said that if Theremin had lived 500 years ago or something, he would've been burned at the stake as a sorcerer."
Critics also didn't know that Theremin was a KGB spy. His mission: industrial espionage -- which was a key reason why he turned to RCA (back then, a cutting-edge electronics manufacturer) to mass produce his instrument.
