Composer and Theorist who wrote a number of works for theremin

Another project Leon Theremin was involved in was the mechanical realisation of the ideas of the composer Joseph Schillinger.

Schillinger (1891 - 1943) left Russia in 1928, and settled in New York, where he taught music, mathematics, art history, and his own rhythmic theories at the New School for Social Research (NY University), and Columbia University Teacher's College.

In the 1920s and 30s, Schillinger devised a system of composition that reduced the elements of rhythm, melody, and harmony to 'geometric phase relationships', and in his theoretical writings he catalogued each conceivable permutation.

Eventually, he expanded this idea to orchestration, emotion in music, theatre,design, and the moving image.

It was Schillinger's experiments with complex rhythms that led him to Leon Theremin. These were realised on an instrument termed the 'Rhythmicon', which was constructed by Theremin to Henry Cowell's specifications.

This system of Schillinger's was taught to his private pupils, who included Tommy Dorsey, Vernon Duke, George Gershwin, Benny Goodman, Oscar Levant, Eubie Blake, John Lewis, Gerry Mulligan, and Glenn Miller.

Despite Schillinger's grand ambitions, it is perhaps ironic that he doesn't employ the ideas in his own music, rather only in some classroom exercises and theoretical writings. We know that he collaborated with Mary Ellen Bute on an unfinished animation project.

His works for the theremin are detailed below.

Works for Theremin
A Method for Theremin (lost)
Airphonic Suite Number One, opus 21, for theremin and orchestra 1929
Melody, 1929 for theremin and piano
Mouvement �lectrique et Path�tique, 1932, for theremin and piano
Bury, Bury Me, Wind, opus 23, for violin, theremin, and piano 1930

A copy of the First Airphonic Suite by Schillinger is available in the Fleischer Music Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Joseph Schillinger Forum Post a Comment • View Forum
	Post	Submitter	Date
	CORRECTION RE SCHILLINGER'S COMPOSITIONS	jmb41	October 29, 2010
	Correction concerning a student of Schillinger's	jms1895	January 18, 2010
2 Posts in this forum.

Items & Reviews for Joseph Schillinger Original Works for Theremin (Download) Mouvement �lectrique Et Path�tique Melody Music from the Ether: Original Works for Theremin