In 1932 Percy Grainger attended a concert of musical pieces performed on a new instrument called the theremin. This instrument, invented in 1920 by Russian physicist Lev Sergeyevich Termen (known in the USA as Léon Theremin) was a revelation to Grainger. It could produce gliding musical tones of any pitch with freely variable dynamics. When he first heard it, Grainger considered the instrument to be ‘perfectly able to carry out my intentions’. Grainger hoped to work with Léon Theremin while the Russian was in America, but this idea was thwarted when Theremin returned to Russia in 1938. Grainger scored some of his Free Music for performance on the theremin.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
Collection
Not in ACMI's collection
Previously on display
9 December 2025
ACMI: Gallery 1
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
LN192499
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-05. Sound and Colour → MI-05-C02
Measurements
Theremin: 520 x 730 x 160mm Speaker: 406 x 406 x 120mm
Object Types
3D Object
Audio equipment/Film and television equipment
Materials
metal, plastics, electronics