Martenot
The ondes Martenot ( OHND mar-tə-NOH; French: [ɔ̃d maʁtəno], lit. 'Martenot waves') or ondes musicales (lit. 'musical waves') is an early electronic musical instrument. Early models were played only by moving a ring tied to a wire, creating "wavering" sounds similar to a theremin, but a lateral-vibrato keyboard was soon added. Dynamics and timbre are adjusted using controls in a drawer on the instrument's left side. A player of the ondes Martenot is called an ondist.
The ondes Martenot was invented in 1928 by the French inventor Maurice Martenot. Martenot was inspired by the accidental overlaps of tones between military radio oscillators, and wanted to create an instrument with the expressiveness of the cello.
The ondes Martenot is used in more than 100 orchestral compositions. The French composer Olivier Messiaen used it in pieces such as his 1949 Turangalîla-symphonie, and his sister-in-law Jeanne Loriod was a celebrated player of the instrument. It appears in numerous film and television soundtracks, particularly science fiction and horror films. It has also been used by contemporary acts such as Daft Punk, Damon Albarn, and Radiohead guitarist and keyboardist Jonny Greenwood.
Aposematic
- 2026-05-22T00:00:00.000000Z
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