Electronic Music Timeline

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    Timespan

  • Telharmonium

    Telharmonium

    The Telharmonium was invented by Thaddeus Cahill and was the earliest electrical musical instrument.
  • Theremin

    Theremin

    The Theremin was invented by Leon Theremin and is controlled without physical contact.
  • Ondes Martenot

    Ondes Martenot

    Ondes Martenot was invented in 1928 and is played with a keyboard and a ring along a wire that is moved.
  • Hammond Organ

    Hammond Organ

    The Hammond organ was invented in 1935 and is and electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert.
  • Tape Recording

    Tape Recording

    Magnetic tape recording technology was introduced to music after being shared by Germany.
  • Musique Concrete

    Musique Concrete

    Musique Concrete's first song made by Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry was recorded train sounds onto a phonograph recorder.
  • Graphic Notation

    Graphic Notation

    Graphic Notation is used for musique concrete because traditional staff notation was too restricted.
  • Solid Body Guitar

    Solid Body Guitar

    Les Paul created the first solid body electric guitar in 1952.
  • First computer composed music

    First computer composed music

    The song, Illiac Suite for String Quartet, is the first song strictly composed by a computer written.
  • RCA Mark ll

    RCA Mark ll

    RCA Mark ll was the first programmable electronic music synthesizer.
  • Buchla Synthesizer

    Buchla Synthesizer

    Buchla Synthesizer was the west coast studio synthesizer and uses touch sensitive plates.
  • Moog synthesizer

    Moog synthesizer

    Moog synthesizer was invented by Robert Moog in 1964.
  • Yamaha DX - 7

    Yamaha DX - 7

    Yamaha DX-7 is one of the most successful electronic keyboards.
  • MIDI

    MIDI

    MIDI is an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface.
  • First Laptop Orchestra

    First Laptop Orchestra

    The first laptop orchestra was founded by Dan Trueman and Perry Cook in 2005 at Princeton University.