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Thomas Bloch: Formule (1995)

From the album Ondes Martenot

Invented by the Frenchman Maurice Martenot (the instrument’s name means “Martenot waves”), the Ondes Martenot was first presented to the public in April 1928, though it was begun much earlier. Like many early electronic instruments, the Ondes is based on the sound-generating principle of heterodyning, in which two very high and inaudible frequencies create an audible tone which corresponds to the difference between the two high frequencies.  One of these high frequencies is constant, while the other (and thus the resulting tone) is controlled by the player.  In the case of the Ondes, the instrument is played by either traditional keyboard or by moving a ring along a wire (called the ruban or “ribbon”), which allows for continuous glissando tones similar to those of the Theremin.

Because the Ondes is monophonic, the player generally uses only her right hand, keeping the left hand free to manipulate the “intensity key,” which controls the amplitude of the instrument.  In order to create a sound, the key must be pressed at the same time as the keyboard or ribbon, allowing for a variety of potential attacks and phrasing.

The intensity key is located in a drawer on the left side of the instrument, along with switches controlling the timbre and transposition buttons (including quarter-tone inflections).  There are also two foot pedals for activating the filter and shaping volume, in case both the player’s hands are busy.

Finally, the sound of the Ondes is routed to up to four specially-designed loudspeakers, some of which employ external resonators such as strings or metal plates.

More than any other electronic instrument, the Ondes was embraced by contemporary composers such as Edgard Varese and Olivier Messiaen.  As an indication of the cultural standing won by Martenot’s new instrument, Messaien’s 1937 composition Fête des belles eaux for six Ondes was performed on a boat in the Seine as part of that year’s World’s Fair.  Such ceremonial uses of the Ondes were apparently not uncommon, judging by a photograph of an all-woman Ondes octet (plus two pianos) from around 1935.

Representing a recent and decidedly unclassical use of the instrument, this wonderful little piece entitled Formule (“Formula”) was composed by Thomas Bloch, one of the world’s foremost players of the Ondes.

February 10, 2010, 7:59pm