Talk:Ondes Martenot
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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 :-)
- I saw the Ondes being played by Cynthia Millar when they performed the Ballet from The Red Shoes at the BBC Proms on 14 July 2007. Cynthia didn't have much to do in the first part. The Ondes comes in with a full glissando. I didn't notice any string in use but I was sitting some distance from her (the Royal Albert Hall is a big place). She played the keyboard with her right hand and altered the controls with her left. But what controls are available? It seems to be more than just the volume and tone because it had a huge range give the short keyboard -- SteveCrook 13:07, 25 August 2007 (UTC)
- I'm currently in the process of adding playing information to the article. In time I will add technical details. straypixel 28/03/08
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- Nice, thanks -- SteveCrook (talk) 05:58, 28 March 2008 (UTC)
[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)
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- BBC Radio 6 Music - The Great Bleep Forward claims a Ondes Martenot was used.
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- I have never heard the very first version, but the version I know is a soprano voice, definitely. Anyway, the article on the theme claims that for the first season, no soprano was used, leaving the field open for either a theremin (which I doubt) or an ondes. Or neither. -- megA 11:42, 25 August 2007 (UTC)
- EDIT: Just heard the original version. The melody is first introduced by woodwinds, maybe backed by a Novachord or a similar early synthesizer. After the first bars, the theme is taken over by the trumpets. No Ondes, no theremin, no voice as far as I can hear. -- megA (talk) 23:29, 17 March 2008 (UTC)
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[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.
- Maybe it's important that "Ondes Martenot" is a registered trademark owned by Maurice Martenot's now defunct "Lutherie Electronique" (actually "Electronic Lute-makers") Neither the Ondéa, which is a quite faithful replica of the ondes, nor the Franch Connection, which is basically a CV controller for analog modular synths, may be called Ondes Martenot. -- megA 11:56, 25 August 2007 (UTC)
[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).
- The electrical principle is called heterodyning. Two electronic oscillators produce different freqencies in the tens of kHz region. The difference between the pitches produces a 'resultant' pitch in the audible range (for example, oscillators beating together at 20,000Hz and 20,440Hz will produce a resultant of 440Hz). The control mechanisms (ring and keyboard) control the frequency of the second oscillator, and consequently the resultant frequency. The electronics are indeed similar to those of the Theremin. Unlike the Theremin, the registration controls of the ondes provide much greater scope for altering the timbre. I am quite certain that these timbral controls (named, in French, Creux,Gambe,Petit gambe and Nasillard) put into the signal chain distortive processes and filters which produce the resulting waveforms, although this is by my own deduction (and I'm not an electrical engineer). I am currently collating technical information on the ondes and I will endeavour to incorporate this into the article when time allows. Specifically, I am waiting for a book from Canada by player Jean Laurendeau, which will provide some more historical information too. If you are particularly interested, I recommend Jeanne Loriod's two-volume 'Technique de l'onde electronique, type Martenot', volume 1 of which contains some fascinating background. jdpercival, 28/03/08
I read the first few paragraphs and it really doesn't tell me anything about the instrument, other than it's uses. I'd like to be reminded that it's the instrument that I saw in a History Channel special way back when that lets you control sound by physically moving your hand, if it's even that.
- Um, every instrument is controlled by physically moving your hand(s). What do you mean? -- megA 11:51, 25 August 2007 (UTC)
[edit] "In 2008, there is a project to rebuild an instrument..."
In 2008, there is a project to rebuild an instrument which is as close as possible to the original.
I did not add this, but I can cite prominent player Thomas Bloch who has told me that his instrument technician is currently building a prototype ondes clone based on instruments in the Paris Conservatoire and reconstructed technical plans. jdpercival 30/03/08
By the way, this is a separate project to the 'Ondea', which is a digital clone of the ondes. jdpercival 24/04/08 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.67.64.220 (talk) 17:26, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Jeanne Loriod
Many of these works were written for [Messiaen's] sister-in-law, Jeanne Loriod...
I have removed this sentence - it simply isn't true. Jeanne Loriod was only 16 years old when Trois petites liturgies was composed and 20 when Turangalîla was premiered. After that point, Messiaen did not score for the ondes again until St. François d'Assise in the late 70s. According to Cynthia Millar, Loriod only entered Martenot's conservatoire class in 1947. So in fact, Jeanne Loriod can only have been in Messiaen's mind for this one piece. Ginette Martenot, the inventor's sister, premiered Fête des belles eaux, Trois petites liturgies and Turangalîla. It is certainly true however that Jeanne Loriod became the most famed exponent of Messiaen's ondes writing. jdpercival 30/03/08
