Created in 1928 by Maurice Martenot, the ondes Martenot was the first practical electric instrument. On principle it works the same as the theremin but in practice, they are quite different, mostly because the ondes Martenot requires physical contact in order to be played. Except for the addition of a keyboard two or three years after its invention, the ondes Martenot design has not been changed in 80 years.

Martenot was a cellist and was keen to create an instrument that could reproduce vibrato. To accommodate this, Martenot created a keyboard that could move enough to allow a vibration of nearly a half tone on either side of the pitch being played. To modern ears, the large glisses and double-wide vibrato bring to mind sci-fi films from the 60s and 70s. In the hands of a skilled player, however, the machine is capable of startling degrees of sensitivity and delicacy. Volume and articulation are controlled with the left hand via glass push button. The further and more forcefully the button is depressed, the louder and sharper the sound.

Olivier Messiaen first wrote for the instrument in 1937 and quickly became one of its biggest proponents. Prominent parts were given to it in Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine (1943–4) as well as Turangalîla-Symphonie. In Turangalîla, Messiaen chose the ondes Martenot as a way to mimic a goddess figure without being restricted by the range and volume of the human voice.

The instrument has become popular in recent years with artpop musician such as Damon Albarn and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead.

(How To Disappear Completely, Kid A 200)

More pop stars and unusual instruments

The following is a list of words that Miss Mussel wishes would just disappear into the ether. These pesky bits of vocab have been soiling arts pages for years now and it’s just getting embarassing. To be fair, they often most often in marketing materials than they do in newspapers…but still.

Miss Mussel has made a pact with herself to strike these words from her vocabulary on a permanent basis. Why? Because they are so overused they are devoid of meaning and, if you read carefully, they are very often redundant.

diva/divo/all plays on words using this root
virtuoso
world-class (unless the item being described legitimately qualifies)
world-renowned (see above)
prodigy
genius
the next [insert name of artist or composer]
prestigious

The list will be updated as more irritating turns of phrase are spotted.

What’s on your list? If you’ve not got your own online soapbox, please feel free to use the comments. Diatribes welcome.

The Walrus has a list going of the saddest music in the world as companion to Moira Farr’s article on music and depression. The usual suspects are there (Tears In Heaven, Joni Mitchell, Patsy Cline) as well a few that are off the beaten track.

Pointing out that there isn’t any classical on the list is simply statement of fact rather than an editorial comment. The argument that classical is the deepest of all musics therefore capable of being the sadder than anything else is unnecessarily dismissive of other people’s experience, not to mention more than a little bit arrogant.

Age and a comparatively small amount of exposure to pop music means that out of the thirty songs on the list, Miss Mussel only actually knows three and one of those is because of the Muppet Show. Life experience also means that most of the music on the OM soundtrack is classical. As such, her nomination for the Saddest Music In The World is the third movement of Brahms Horn Trio Op.40.

(Barenboim/Perlman/Clevenger)

What’s your choice?

It appears that The Independent on Sunday is embracing the idea of recycling whole-heartedly. Whether this is due to an increased interest in all things environmental or an indicator that the feature idea well has run dry is another story.

Today’s paper has a story about cellist Natalie Clein busking in St Pancras Station, London.

This would be interesting/newsworthy/relevant if it weren’t for the identical exploits of Joshua Bell and Tasmin Little last April.

Seriously? This is all they could think of?

One thing Miss Mussel was happy to note, however, that the usual handwringing about the death of classical music blah, blah, blah is absent. The number of positive responses what also higher in this outing that the previous two. Coincidence? Doubtful.

Stephen Brookes, music critic at the Washington Post, posted a great video of Anne Sofie von Otter singing Der Erlkonig.

Miss Mussel has always thought that a revue-type version of Der Erlkönig featuring a baritione, his falsetto and a pair of handpuppets would be highly entertaining. Anyone else? No?

One of the perils of the intertubes is that it can suck up a whole lot of time in a big hurry. Time that should be spent creating websites or writing about mortgages. While on Stephen’s most excellent site Miss Mussel happened upon a link to the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California @ Santa Barbara. Warning: a visit here could take the whole day if you’re not careful.

If you’ve ever doubted the impact of the record on our collective idea of how music should sound, particularly on our ideas regarding rhythm have a listen to this. It’s original to say the least.