1. All what I know of Clara Rockmore, I only know from the public Internet articles, videos,
and I have read a book from László Najmányi, he has wrote a documentary novel about
Professor Theremin’s life. László Najmányi is a hungarian writer who lives in the USA.
I know nothing else of Clara Rockmore.
2. I like the specially things and specially instruments and electronic music. And I can play the theremin better than another instrument. I mean, I can improvise with a theremin, but I can’t do it for example with a piano keyboard, because I hit too many false keys, and then this fact is irreversible. But I can cover many false tunes with theremin by vibrato… 🙂
3. When I heard theremin sound first time (in 2004), I thought of the old sci-fi films’ feeling.
But the first impression was terrible for me, because I saw and heard first in a video of
Jean Michel Jarre’s concert. (My ex girlfriend downloaded me some videos about Jean-Michel Jarre because she had known that I like his electronic music, and I didn’t have fast internet at that time to download large files.) But Jarre can’t play well the theremin. And my impression was the only one by his performance about this instrument for 5 years.
I thought nobody can play the theremin better than Jarre. I thought “the theremin is only an electronic noise generator device”.
Until 2009, when I realized that I was wrong about theremin, when I watched the other’s theremin performance on YouTube (Clara Rockmore, Carolina Eyck, Lydia Kavina, Randy George, Thomas Grillo, etc.)
I love this instrument from that time.
4. I think the theremin will preserve its futuristic impression for many-many years yet, and it will cause wondering to people when they meet a theremin instrument.
5. But I think, this instrument can preserve its curiosity only, if the audience can see and hear the same time as a performance. A theremin’s sound is not interesting enough without the vision of the sound production’s method. But the audiovisual experience is very impressive for the audience.
Maybe in modern music too.
6. Too bare manufacturers produce theremins, I know only “Moog” and “Silicon Chip” as official manufacturers.
In my opinion, the Moog theremins have good quality, but those are irreal expensive (those cost almost my monthly payment in Hungary). The Silicon Chip’s Jaycar Theremins are cheaper, but those need some modifications to get a well playable instrument. I made my two theremins by this way, with my own designs.
7.I recommend for beginner thereminists, before buy a theremin, try one, if it is possible (for example in a musical instrument store). And that one must be well adjusted.
If the beginner thereminist still like it after the trying, all he/she needs is buying or building an own theremin and practicing, practicing, practicing…, 🙂