Talk:Ondes Martenot
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WikiProject Echo has identified Ondes Martenot as a foreign language featured article. You may be able to improve this article with information from the Japanese language Wikipedia. |
Yes, I know I'm supposed to Move a page rather than just create a new one and replace the old one by a redirect, but there were 2 different old pages, both incorrectly titled:
- Ondes martenot
- Ondes-martenot
Each had slightly different content, so rather than have to decide which one was "worthier" to be moved, I moved neither of them and integrated their contents here --PS4FA
There's a somewhat obscure piece by Messiaen (quite an early one, I think) which is for six (or is it four?) Ondes Martenots, the title of which escapes me - anybody happen to know what it's called? It'd be worth mentioning, I think. Pieces for massed Martenots aren't very common. --Camembert
It's Called "Fêtes des belles Eaux" (1937). It is indeed for 6 Ondes Martenots. There is a recording of it on cd by Jeanne Loriod, Messiaen's sister-in-law. Two movements from it were later rewritten for other instruments and incorporated into the "Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps".
An Ondes Martenot is featured on three tracs (Soft Shoe Dancer, Sweet Tune and Sleepwalker) on the Norwegian progrock band Popol Ace's third album "Stolen from Time", played by guest musician Sylvette Allard. --magnus bruheim
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[edit] Concertos
I just heard on Radio 3 an announcer mentioning that there are at least 30 concertos for the ondes, although that's not really a citeable source. [1] mentions someone who played 14 of them, but I'm reluctant to cite a source for 14 when I know it's actually 30. Just a thought for anyone who wants to build up the article. Mark1 20:22, 28 December 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Playing technique/instrument details
Some points to expand on in the article: The Ondes Martenot can be played in two ways: you can either play the keyboard, to produce precise pitches like on an organ, or move your hand along the keyboard while pulling a string coming out at the side of the keyboard, to produce full-range glissando sounds. The left hand has controls for volume. The original design, as used by Messiaen, came with several different speakers, with different tonal qualities; one had strings spun across it to produce resonant tones, like the sympathetic strings on a sitar. (I have picked up this knowledge over the years by being a Messiaen fan, but I cannot quote precise sources. Someone will have to investigate further :-)
[edit] Star Trek theme: Ondes Martenot or Theremin?
The Theremin article claims a Theremin was used. This needs to be researched! Ibadibam 22:39, 6 June 2006 (UTC) The article on the theme itself lists a vocalist. I seem to recall hearing that different seasons had different versions. Ibadibam 00:49, 7 June 2006 (UTC) I saw the original score once, I believe it was in either Buffalo, NY or Rochester, NY. It was for sure not a vocal part, but for a theremin or ondes martenot. There were no professional theremin players around at that time. WilcoB 11:46, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
BBC Radio 6 Music - The Great Bleep Forward claims a Ondes Martenot was used.
[edit] Touring Martenot
The article had said that Jonny Greenwood plays the Ondes Martenot in Radiohead concerts, but Mark Brend, in talking about the instrument on a recent installment of public radio's To the Best of Our Knowledge, says Radiohead synthesizes the sound for touring, out of fear that the studio Martenot is too fragile to make the trip. I took the sentence out about playing the instrument in concert, not as a judgment that the article was wrong and the radio show was right, but rather to avoid the contradiction until someone definitively irons it out.
Answer: As the answer below clarifies, he had a more portable one built by Analogue Systems to take on the road with him because he was afraid of damaging his "actual" Ondes. There should be enough photographic and video evidence around to erase any doubts about Jonny playing the Ondes live, in particular on tracks including "The National Anthem" and "How to Disappear Completely".
[edit] Kid A Era SNL Performances
I could have sworn that I saw one of these instruments being played on SNL by Mr. Greenwood. There were numbers of SNL concert MPG movies floating around the net of Radiohead's appearance when Kid A came out. I recall seeing "The National Anthem" and "Idioteque" being performed live on SNL, and I thought I saw one of these instruments being played by Mr. Greenwood. Can anyone verify?
Answer: Yes, that is indeed an Ondes Martenot that Jonny Greenwood is playing. It is an analogue controller designed to emulate the Ondes Mrtenot, which was built by Analogue Systems and called the "French Connection." This version is more portable, and is cheaper than the actual Ondes Martenot synthesizers. However, it lacks the sound generators of the original instruments, so it does not have as wide a tonal palette.
[edit] We need more info on this thang!
Questions, questions... who has the answers? Does anyone have Johnny Greenwood's phone number? He seems to know... --Sean 19:10, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Contradiction?
The article has a tag saying that it contradicts another article, but I can't find any explanation here. Can someone help me out? Is that tag obsolete? Should it be removed? Joshua Davis 22:02, 18 November 2006 (UTC)
- It's the Star Trek contoversey, I believe. See above --Bill Huston (talk) 18:44, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] But how does it work?
The article says that the Ondes Martenot produces a sound similar to that of the Theremin. Is the sound also produced in a similar way? How is it different? The Theremin article has a fairly nice explanation of what makes it work, but I don't see anything similar here. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.80.43.194 (talk) 01:19, 14 March 2007 (UTC).
