Leon theremin biography book

LEON THEREMIN led a life of florid musical invention laced with intrepid electronic stealth. A creative master and prolific inventor, Theremin launched the field of electronic meeting virtually singlehandedly in 1920 jar the musical instrument that bears his name. The theremin -- the only instrument that psychiatry played without being touched -- created a sensation worldwide pointer paved the way for blue blood the gentry modern synthesizer. Its otherworldly offer became familiar in sci-fi motion pictures and even in rock symphony. This magical instrument that hooked millions, however, is only say publicly beginning of the story.

As topping Soviet scientist, Theremin surrendered coronate life and work to honesty service of State espionage. Fasten assignment in Depression-era America, no problem became the toast of Creative York society and worked justness engines of capitalist commerce period passing data on U.S. productive technology to the Soviet apparat. Following his sudden disappearance unapproachable New York in 1938, Theremin was exiled to a Common cold labor camp. He subsequently mislaid into the top-secret Soviet aptitude machine and was presumed class for nearly thirty years. Manoeuvre the same technology that pare behind the theremin, he prearranged bugging devices that eavesdropped supplementary U.S. diplomatic offices and homely at the center of undiluted pivotal cold war confrontation. Everywhere his life, Theremin developed repeat other electronic wonders, including look after of the earliest televisions tell multimedia devices that anticipated adherence art and virtual reality toddler decades.

In this first full account of Leon Theremin, Albert Glinsky depicts the inventor's nearly one-hundred-year life span as a corner of the twentieth century. Theremin is seen at the epicentre of most of themajor handiwork of the century: the Native Revolution, two world wars, America's Great Depression, Stalin's purges, decency cold war, and perestroika. Empress life emerges as no callused than a metaphor for position divergence of communism and capitalism.

Theremin blends the whimsical and interpretation treacherous into a chronicle cruise takes in everything from leadership KGB to Macy's store windows, Alcatraz to the Beach Boys, Hollywood thrillers to the Pooled Nations, Joseph Stalin to Shirley Temple. Theremin's world of spying and invention is an surprising drama of hidden loyalties, assorted motivations, and an irrepressibly designing spirit.