Role

:

Performer

Birth

:

March 9, 1911 in Vilnius, Lithuania

Death

:

May 10, 1998 in New York City, NY

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Concerto

 

Clara Rockmore was a renowned classical music artist who is best known for her mastery of the theremin, an electronic musical instrument that is played without physical contact. Born on March 9, 1911, in Vilnius, Lithuania, Clara was the youngest of three children in a Jewish family. Her father, Simon Reisenberg, was a professional violinist and her mother, Leah, was a pianist. Clara showed an early interest in music and began playing the violin at the age of four. However, she was forced to give up the instrument due to a medical condition that caused her to experience severe pain in her arms and hands. In 1921, Clara and her family emigrated to the United States, settling in New York City. There, she began studying music theory and composition with her mother and later with the renowned composer Joseph Schillinger. In 1928, Clara attended a concert by the Russian inventor and musician Leon Theremin, who had recently invented the theremin. The instrument fascinated Clara, and she began taking lessons with Theremin himself. She quickly became one of his most talented students, and he even developed a special version of the instrument for her that was more responsive to her playing style. Clara's talent on the theremin quickly became apparent, and she began performing in public in the early 1930s. In 1934, she made her debut at New York's Town Hall, performing a program of classical music on the theremin. The concert was a critical and commercial success, and Clara soon became one of the most sought-after performers in the United States. She performed on the theremin with many of the leading orchestras of the day, including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. One of Clara's most famous performances was her rendition of Camille Saint-Saëns' "The Swan" on the theremin. The piece, originally written for cello, is a favorite of classical music lovers and is often performed as a solo piece. Clara's version on the theremin is hauntingly beautiful and has become one of her signature pieces. She also performed works by Bach, Beethoven, and other classical composers on the theremin, demonstrating the instrument's versatility and range. In addition to her performances, Clara was also a pioneer in the development of the theremin as a musical instrument. She worked closely with Leon Theremin to refine the instrument's design and improve its sound quality. She also developed new playing techniques that allowed her to produce a wider range of sounds and expressiveness on the instrument. Her innovations helped to establish the theremin as a legitimate musical instrument and paved the way for future generations of theremin players. Clara's career as a performer and innovator continued into the 1950s and 1960s. She performed on television and radio programs, and she also recorded several albums of theremin music. In 1977, she published a book about the theremin, titled "The Art of the Theremin," which is still considered a definitive guide to the instrument. Throughout her career, Clara received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to music. In 1978, she was awarded the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, one of the highest honors in Lithuania. She was also inducted into the National Museum of American Jewish History in 2000, and in 2013, Google honored her with a Google Doodle on what would have been her 105th birthday.

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