Ondes Martenot

Overview

The ondes Martenot is one of the earliest electronic musical instruments to gain a place in serious art music. Invented in 1928 by the French cellist and engineer Maurice Martenot, it produces a continuously variable, vocal, almost theremin-like tone, but with the precision of a keyboard and a uniquely expressive ribbon-controller. It has been written for by composers including Olivier Messiaen, Edgard Varèse, Darius Milhaud, and André Jolivet, and continues to feature in film scores and contemporary art music.

Origin & History

Maurice Martenot, who had served as a radio operator in the First World War, was inspired by the pure tones produced by overlapping radio oscillators. He spent years refining a heterodyne oscillator design that could be controlled with musical precision, and in 1928 introduced the first model of his instrument at the Paris Opera.

The ondes Martenot quickly attracted serious composers. Olivier Messiaen wrote some of the most important works for it, including the Turangalîla-Symphonie, which gave the instrument its single most famous orchestral role. The Martenot family continued to refine the design for decades, and the instrument is still used today, with both vintage instruments and new replicas in active service.

How It’s Played

The ondes Martenot offers two parallel ways of producing pitch. The player can press keys on a piano-style keyboard, which sounds the standard equal-tempered scale. Alternatively, the player can slide a metal ring worn on the right index finger along a wire-and-ribbon controller in front of the keyboard, which produces a fully continuous glide between any two pitches, much like the human voice.

The left hand controls volume and timbre using a panel of switches, knobs, and a touch-sensitive intensity key called the touche d’intensité. This left-hand control is the key to the ondes Martenot’s expressive nuance, since the player shapes every note’s attack, sustain, and release in real time. The instrument can route its sound through several distinct loudspeakers, including a palme speaker built around sympathetically vibrating strings.

Cultural Significance

In twentieth-century French art music the ondes Martenot occupies a unique place. Messiaen’s affection for the instrument made it part of the sonic identity of mid-century French modernism, and the Paris Conservatoire established a formal class for it that operated for decades. Composers across Europe and beyond wrote concertos, chamber works, and film scores that exploited its singular voice.

In film music the ondes Martenot is associated with mystery, longing, and otherworldly atmosphere. It appears in scores by Maurice Jarre, Jonny Greenwood, and others, and the band Radiohead has used it on several albums, introducing the instrument to a younger generation of listeners.

Related Instruments

• Theremin – another early electronic instrument controlled by hand position
• Synthesizer – the broader family of modern electronic instruments
• Trautonium – a contemporary German electronic instrument
• Sampler – the digital playback-based modern relative
• Hammond Organ – another early electromechanical instrument

Where to Hear It

Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie is the most famous showcase. Other essential listening includes Messiaen’s Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine, recordings by Cynthia Millar and Jonny Greenwood, and film scores including Lawrence of Arabia and There Will Be Blood.

• Wikipedia: Ondes Martenot
• Wikimedia Commons: Ondes Martenot

Learning Resources

The ondes Martenot is rare and expensive, which limits formal study. The Paris Conservatoire historically offered the only dedicated training program. A small number of professional players today, including builders such as Jean Laurendeau in Canada and the Martenot family workshop in France, support both new and vintage instruments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the ondes Martenot the same as a theremin?
No. Both are early electronic instruments and both can produce continuous pitch glides, but the ondes Martenot has a keyboard, a ribbon controller, and an expressive left-hand intensity key. Its tone and playing technique are quite different.

Who invented the ondes Martenot?
Maurice Martenot, a French cellist and engineer, who introduced the first model in 1928.

Is it still played today?
Yes. Vintage instruments are maintained and new replicas are built. The ondes Martenot continues to appear in concert music, film scores, and recording sessions.

Is the ondes Martenot difficult to learn?
The keyboard is straightforward for any pianist, but mastering the ribbon controller and the left-hand intensity key takes years of dedicated study.