Clavioline
Encyclopedia
The clavioline is an electronic keyboard instrument
, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer
.
It was invented by Constant Martin
in 1947. It consists of a keyboard
and a separate amplifier
and speaker
unit. The keyboard usually covered three octaves, and had a number of switches to alter the tone of the sound produced, add vibrato, and provide other effects. Several models were produced by different companies; among the more important were the Standard, Reverb, and Concert models by Gibson and Selmer
in the 1950s. The 6-octave model developed by Harald Bode
employed octave transposition.
In England the Jennings Organ Company
's first successful product was the Univox, an early self-powered electronic keyboard based on the Selmer Clavioline.
as well as in film. A selection follows.
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
.
It was invented by Constant Martin
Constant Martin
Constant Martin was a French engineer and inventor who perfected and successfully commercialised radio sets and most famously the Clavioline, a precursor to the synthesizer...
in 1947. It consists of a keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
and a separate amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
and speaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
unit. The keyboard usually covered three octaves, and had a number of switches to alter the tone of the sound produced, add vibrato, and provide other effects. Several models were produced by different companies; among the more important were the Standard, Reverb, and Concert models by Gibson and Selmer
The Selmer Company
Henri Selmer Paris company is a French family-owned enterprise, manufacturer of musical instruments based in Paris, France in 1885. It is known for its high-quality woodwind and brass instruments, especially saxophones, clarinets and trumpets...
in the 1950s. The 6-octave model developed by Harald Bode
Harald Bode
Harald Bode was a German engineer and pioneer in the development of electronic music instruments.- Biography :...
employed octave transposition.
In England the Jennings Organ Company
Vox (musical equipment)
Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer which is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, the Vox Continental electric organ, and a series of innovative but commercially unsuccessful electric guitars and bass guitars...
's first successful product was the Univox, an early self-powered electronic keyboard based on the Selmer Clavioline.
Recordings
The clavioline has been utilized on a number of recordings in popular musicPopular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
as well as in film. A selection follows.
- Little Red Monkey (1953) by Frank ChacksfieldFrank ChacksfieldFrank Chacksfield was an English pianist, organist, composer and conductor of popular light orchestral easy listening music, who had great success in Britain and internationally in the 1950s and early 1960s.-Life and career:...
’s Tunesmiths features Jack Jordan on clavioline. This was the first record featuring an electronic instrument to feature on the UK pop chart (April 1953). - In 1953–54, Van Phillips composed music for the clavioline for the science-fiction radio trilogy Journey Into SpaceJourney Into SpaceJourney Into Space is a BBC Radio science fiction programme, written by BBC producer Charles Chilton. It was the last radio programme in the UK to attract a bigger evening audience than television...
. - In the Bollywood Hindi film NaginNagin (1954 film)Nagin is a 1954 film directed by Nandlal Jaswantlal, starring Vyjayanthimala and Pradeep Kumar.- Synopsis :Two Adivasi tribes are in conflict for some local economic rights. The daughter of the Nagi tribe's chief, Mala vows to kill the son of the Ragi tribe's chief, Sanatan as revenge...
(1954), Kalyanji Virji ShahKalyanji Virji ShahKalyanji Virji Shah was Kalyanji of Kalyanji-Anandji duo. He and his brother, Anandji Virji Shah have been famous Indian film musicians, and won the 1975 Filmfare Award for Best Music Director, for Kora Kagaz....
plays the legendary snake-charmer tune Man dole mera, tan dole mere on the on Clavioline, under the musical direction of Hemant Kumar. - RunawayRunaway (Del Shannon song)"Runaway" was a number-one Billboard Hot 100 song made famous by Del Shannon in 1961. It was written by Shannon and keyboardist Max Crook, and became a major international hit...
(1961) by Del ShannonDel ShannonDel Shannon was an American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961.- Biography :...
features a famous solo by Max CrookMax CrookMaxfield Doyle Crook is an American musician, a pioneer of electronic music in pop. He probably remains best known as the featured soloist on Del Shannon's 1961 hit "Runaway", which he co-wrote and on which he played his own invention, the Musitron...
, performed on a heavily modified clavioline that he called the “Musitron”. - The Joe Meek hit instrumental Telstar (1962) by The TornadosThe TornadosThe Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury. They enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the UK and U.S. Number One "Telstar" , the first U.S...
features the UnivoxVox (musical equipment)Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer which is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, the Vox Continental electric organ, and a series of innovative but commercially unsuccessful electric guitars and bass guitars...
Clavioline. - On the jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
albums The Magic CityThe Magic CityThe Magic City is an album by the American jazz musician Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra. Recorded in two sessions in 1965, the record was released on Ra's own Saturn label in 1966...
(1966) and The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume TwoThe Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume TwoThe Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Volume Two is a 1965 recording by the jazz musician Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra. Where Volume One of the Heliocentric Worlds series had predominantly featured short abstract pieces, Volume Two features longer pieces performed by a smaller group, making it closer...
(1966) by Sun RaSun RaSun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
, the clavioline can be heard. - Baby, You're a Rich Man (1967) by The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. - Icky Thump (2007) by The White Stripes.
- Fallen Feather (2010) by Everest.
- On I Want You All the Time (2010) by Psykick Holiday from the album Forever Pop Noir, the clavioline was played by Jez Larder of Skyline Studios.
- Forever Came Today (2011) by The MoonsThe MoonsThe Moons are a British indie rock band who formed in Northampton in 2007 and comprise singer/guitarist/songwriter Andy Crofts, drummer Ben Gordelier, guitarist and backing vocalist James Edward Bagshaw, bassist Adam Leeds and keyboardist Tom Warmsley...
. - Nation Of Lovers (2011) by LABRADORLabradorLabrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labrador_%28band%29
External links
- Reid, Gordon. “The Story of the Clavioline.” Sound on Sound (March 2007).
- Claviolines information page Chestnut Bank Productions