Electronic music for timelin

Major Events in the History of Electronic Music

By pschmelzeis

  • Invention of the Telharmonium

    Invention of the Telharmonium
    In the year 1897, an American inventor named Thaddeus Cahill patented his Telharmonium, which was a direct precursor to the modern synthesizer. Although the instrument did not reach widespread popularity, it did change the course of music production forever.
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    Major Events in the History of Electronic Music

  • Creation of the Theremin

    Creation of the Theremin
    In the year 1920, Russian scientist Leon Theremin invented the theremin, an instrument that you didn't have to touch to play. The pitch was controlled by moving the hand back and forth near the pitch antenna, and the volume was controlled by moving the hand back or forth near the loop antenna.

  • Magnetic Tape Invented for Recording Sound

    Magnetic Tape Invented for Recording Sound
    Magnetic tape was invented for recording sound in Germany in 1928, providing a flexible means to store and manipulate music. Due to WWII, this technology was kept secret until after the war, when the Allied Powers acquired this technology.

  • Ondes Martenot Invented

    Ondes Martenot Invented
    In 1928, Frenchman Maurice Martenot invented the Ondes Matenot, an instrument that used similar technology to the theremin. However, the Ondes Martenot allowed for more control over the timbre of the sound than the theremin. One distinct feature of the instrument was that it did not have a functional keyboard. The keyboard was simply covering a movable wire that changed pitches.

  • Hammond Organ Invented

    Hammond Organ Invented
    In 1929, American inventor Laurens Hammond developed a new electronic instrument using technologies from the Telharmonium called the Hammond organ. A specific model of the Hammond organ, the Hammond B3, was prevalent in music in the 1960s and 1970s.

  • Solid Body Electric Guitar Created

    Solid Body Electric Guitar Created
    In 1941, musician Les Paul invented the solid body electric guitar. After a company called Gibson rejected the guitar, he made modifications to it and eventually got Gibson to produce and sell the guitar in 1951. It is one of the best selling guitars in the world.

  • First Electronic Music for Magnetic Tape in the U.S.

    First Electronic Music for Magnetic Tape in the U.S.
    Louis and Bebe Barron were the first people to create electronic music for magnetic tape in the United States. Their composition, made from 1951-1952, was called "Heavenly Menagerie."

  • First Music Performed by a Computer

    First Music Performed by a Computer
    In England in 1951, the Ferranti Mark 1 computer played the songs "God Save the Queen," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," and "In the Mood." These were the earliest recordings of music performed by a computer.

  • First Music Synthesized on a Computer

    First Music Synthesized on a Computer
    In 1957, Bell Labs engineer Max Mathews was the first person to synthesize music on a computer. This marked the beginning of computer music in the United States.

  • First Electronic Music Studio Established in U.S.

    First Electronic Music Studio Established in U.S.
    In the year 1958, the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center was established, making it the first electronic music studio established in the United States. It was one of the premier sound facilities in the world until the late-1970's.

  • RCA Mark II Invented

    RCA Mark II Invented
    In 1958, Herbert Belar and Harry Olsen invented the RCA Mark II, the first programmable electronic music synthesizer. Although the device was not very practical and was challenging to program, it provided a new way for composers to create music electronically.

  • Moog Synthesizer Introduced

    Moog Synthesizer Introduced
    In 1964, Robert Moog introduced the first commercially available modern synthesizer, the Moog Synthesizer. This was much easier to use than the RCA Mark II. In 1969, the Minimoog was brought to the market, which eventually became the most widely used synthesizer of all time.

  • First Album Produced with Fully Synthesized Music

    First Album Produced with Fully Synthesized Music
    In 1968, a musician named Wendy (Walter) Carlos released an album called "Switched on Bach." This album was the first album produced with fully synthesized music. The album was key in bringing interest to the Moog synthesizer.

  • Industry Standard for MIDI Agreed Upon

    Industry Standard for MIDI Agreed Upon
    In January of 1983, a group of manufacturers including Roland, Yamaha, Korg, and Kawai got together and agreed upon an industry standard for MIDI. MIDI (short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a system that allows electronic instruments and computers to communicate with one another. Now every type of electronic musical instrument could communicate with every type of computer.

  • First Laptop Orchestra Founded

    First Laptop Orchestra Founded
    The first ever laptop orchestra was founded by Dan Trueman and Perry Cook in 2005 at Princeton University. It is called the PLOrk, short for Princeton Laptop Orchestra.