Ondioline
Encyclopedia
The Ondioline is an electronic keyboard instrument
, invented in 1941 by the Frenchman Georges Jenny, and is a forerunner of today's synthesizers.
The Ondioline was capable of creating a wide variety of sounds. Its keyboard had a unique feature: it was suspended on special spring
s which made it possible to introduce a natural vibrato
if the player moved the keyboard (not the entire instrument) from side to side (laterally) with their playing hand. The result was an almost human-like vibrato that lent a wide range of expression to the Ondioline. The keyboard was also pressure-sensitive, and the instrument had a knee volume lever, as well.
The instrument's movable keyboard was modeled after the keyboard of another early electronic instrument from France, the Ondes Martenot
. The Ondioline did not feature a ring (or ribbon) controller to control pitch, as the Ondes did. Instead, the Ondioline had a strip of wire, that when pressed, provided percussion effects, but it could not produce the Ondes's theremin
-like pitch effects.
However, the Ondioline's sounds possibilities were much more varied, compared to the Ondes Martenot, which could only produce a few variations of sounds. This was due to the Ondioline's filter bank, which featured an array of 15 slider switches for various tones. Selected combinations of these switches could create sounds ranging from near-accurate recreations of symphonic instruments (oboe, French horn, etc.) to totally unique sounds of its own.
Like the Ondes Martenot, the Ondioline's circuitry was purely vacuum tube
-based. However, unlike the Ondes, whose oscillator is based on the theremin (two ultra-high frequencies beating against each other, to produce a third audible frequency), the Ondioline used a multivibrator
oscillator circuit to produce its tone. This gave the Ondioline a more versatile tone, richer in harmonics than the Ondes. Another advantage of the much smaller Ondioline was that it was very portable, and could be played in tandem with a piano or organ. At $500, its price was also much less than that of the Ondes.
The first recording artist to have a hit using the Ondioline was France's Charles Trenet
. His song "L'âme des Poètes" ("Soul of the Poets") was recorded in 1951 on Columbia Records. This hit also marks the recording debut of a very young Jean-Jacques Perrey
, who had already become known as a virtuoso of the instrument. Perrey's Ondioline solo sounds remarkably like a real violin.
The first American hit record to feature the Ondioline was "More
", by Kai Winding
, in 1963. This instrumental version of the theme from the film Mondo Cane was arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman
, with the Ondioline being played again by Jean-Jacques Perrey, who had moved to America by this time. Perrey first acquired an Ondioline in the mid-1950s while living in Paris, and used it on his Vanguard LPs, recorded in NYC, during the '60s. (Perrey continues to perform live shows with the Ondioline, and has featured it on his recent Oglio Records albums with musician Dana Countryman
, The Happy Electropop Music Machine (2006) and Destination Space (2008).)
1960s rock musician Al Kooper
made regular use of the Ondioline in his work with the Blues Project and Blood, Sweat & Tears
, and in his early solo career. Notable examples of Kooper's Ondioline work are the Blues Project's "I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes" (from the album Projections, 1966), "Steve's Song" (Projections, 1966) and "No Time Like the Right Time" (The Blues Project Live at Town Hall, 1967); Blood, Sweat & Tears' "Meagan's Gypsy Eyes" (Child Is Father to the Man
, 1968); and Kooper and Mike Bloomfield
's "His Holy Modal Majesty" (Super Session
, 1968). Tommy James and the Shondells' 1967 hit "I Think We're Alone Now" also featured the sound of an Ondioline in the background, played by keyboard session player Artie Butler.
The Ondioline was used on many other recordings, including the soundtrack of the film Spartacus
. The first use of the instrument in a film was in 1959, when Jean-Jacques Perrey played it in the French film La Vache et le Prisonnier
(The Cow and the Prisoner.)
An instrument similar to the Ondioline, the Clavioline
, was also featured on various 1960s popular recordings, including Del Shannon
's "Runaway
" (1961), the Tornados
' "Telstar
" (1962), and The Beatles
' "Baby, You're a Rich Man" (1967). The Clavioline, (although also tube-based), employed a different and much less complicated design.
According to Perrey - who was a former Ondioline demonstration salesman - fewer than 700 Ondiolines were sold, mostly in Europe. It is estimated that fewer than two dozen of the instruments still exist today. The name "Jenny Ondioline" Jenny Ondioline
was used for the title of a 1993 song by British band Stereolab
. However, the song's lyrics have nothing to do with Georges Jenny, or the Ondioline.
A website dedicated to the Ondioline has been created at www.ondioline.com.
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...
, invented in 1941 by the Frenchman Georges Jenny, and is a forerunner of today's synthesizers.
The Ondioline was capable of creating a wide variety of sounds. Its keyboard had a unique feature: it was suspended on special spring
Spring (device)
A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of spring steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication...
s which made it possible to introduce a natural vibrato
Vibrato
Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...
if the player moved the keyboard (not the entire instrument) from side to side (laterally) with their playing hand. The result was an almost human-like vibrato that lent a wide range of expression to the Ondioline. The keyboard was also pressure-sensitive, and the instrument had a knee volume lever, as well.
The instrument's movable keyboard was modeled after the keyboard of another early electronic instrument from France, the Ondes Martenot
Ondes Martenot
The ondes Martenot , also known as the ondium Martenot, Martenot and ondes musicales, is an early electronic musical instrument invented in 1928 by Maurice Martenot. The original design was similar in sound to the theremin...
. The Ondioline did not feature a ring (or ribbon) controller to control pitch, as the Ondes did. Instead, the Ondioline had a strip of wire, that when pressed, provided percussion effects, but it could not produce the Ondes's theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
-like pitch effects.
However, the Ondioline's sounds possibilities were much more varied, compared to the Ondes Martenot, which could only produce a few variations of sounds. This was due to the Ondioline's filter bank, which featured an array of 15 slider switches for various tones. Selected combinations of these switches could create sounds ranging from near-accurate recreations of symphonic instruments (oboe, French horn, etc.) to totally unique sounds of its own.
Like the Ondes Martenot, the Ondioline's circuitry was purely vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
-based. However, unlike the Ondes, whose oscillator is based on the theremin (two ultra-high frequencies beating against each other, to produce a third audible frequency), the Ondioline used a multivibrator
Multivibrator
A multivibrator is an electronic circuit used to implement a variety of simple two-state systems such as oscillators, timers and flip-flops. It is characterized by two amplifying devices cross-coupled by resistors or capacitors...
oscillator circuit to produce its tone. This gave the Ondioline a more versatile tone, richer in harmonics than the Ondes. Another advantage of the much smaller Ondioline was that it was very portable, and could be played in tandem with a piano or organ. At $500, its price was also much less than that of the Ondes.
The first recording artist to have a hit using the Ondioline was France's Charles Trenet
Charles Trenet
Charles Trenet was a French singer and songwriter, most famous for his recordings from the late 1930s until the mid-1950s, though his career continued through the 1990s...
. His song "L'âme des Poètes" ("Soul of the Poets") was recorded in 1951 on Columbia Records. This hit also marks the recording debut of a very young Jean-Jacques Perrey
Jean-Jacques Perrey
Jean-Jacques Perrey is a French electronic music producer and was an early pioneer in the genre. He is best known within the sphere of popular music as a member of the influential electronic music duo Perrey and Kingsley, and for his unusually light-hearted style of music.-Biography:Perrey was...
, who had already become known as a virtuoso of the instrument. Perrey's Ondioline solo sounds remarkably like a real violin.
The first American hit record to feature the Ondioline was "More
More (Theme from Mondo Cane)
"More " is a film score song written by Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero for the 1962 Mondo film Mondo cane. Originally composed as an instrumental and titled "Ti guarderò nel cuore", lyrics were later provided by Marcello Ciorciolini, which were adapted into English by Norman Newell...
", by Kai Winding
Kai Winding
Kai Chresten Winding was a popular Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is well known for a successful collaboration with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson.-Biography:...
, in 1963. This instrumental version of the theme from the film Mondo Cane was arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman
Claus Ogerman
Claus Ogerman is a German musical arranger/ orchestrator, conductor, and composer, best known for his works with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Frank Sinatra and Diana Krall.-Life and work:...
, with the Ondioline being played again by Jean-Jacques Perrey, who had moved to America by this time. Perrey first acquired an Ondioline in the mid-1950s while living in Paris, and used it on his Vanguard LPs, recorded in NYC, during the '60s. (Perrey continues to perform live shows with the Ondioline, and has featured it on his recent Oglio Records albums with musician Dana Countryman
Dana Countryman
Dana Countryman is an American electronic music composer and performer notable for his collaboration with French electropop artist Jean-Jacques Perrey. In addition, he was a songwriter and performer in the cabaret-act quartet The Amazing Pink Things...
, The Happy Electropop Music Machine (2006) and Destination Space (2008).)
1960s rock musician Al Kooper
Al Kooper
Al Kooper is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears , providing studio support for Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1965, and also bringing together guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills to...
made regular use of the Ondioline in his work with the Blues Project and Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
, and in his early solo career. Notable examples of Kooper's Ondioline work are the Blues Project's "I Can't Keep From Crying Sometimes" (from the album Projections, 1966), "Steve's Song" (Projections, 1966) and "No Time Like the Right Time" (The Blues Project Live at Town Hall, 1967); Blood, Sweat & Tears' "Meagan's Gypsy Eyes" (Child Is Father to the Man
Child Is Father to the Man
Child Is Father to the Man is the debut album by Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in February of 1968. It reached number 47 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.-History:...
, 1968); and Kooper and Mike Bloomfield
Mike Bloomfield
Michael Bernard "Mike" Bloomfield was an American musician, guitarist, and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, who became one of the first popular music superstars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his instrumental prowess, since he rarely sang before 1969–70...
's "His Holy Modal Majesty" (Super Session
Super Session
-Personnel:* Al Kooper — vocals, piano, organ, ondioline, electric guitar, twelve-string guitar* Mike Bloomfield — guitars on side one, reissue tracks 10, 12, 13* Stephen Stills — guitars on side two, reissue track 11...
, 1968). Tommy James and the Shondells' 1967 hit "I Think We're Alone Now" also featured the sound of an Ondioline in the background, played by keyboard session player Artie Butler.
The Ondioline was used on many other recordings, including the soundtrack of the film Spartacus
Spartacus (film)
Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the novel of the same name by Howard Fast...
. The first use of the instrument in a film was in 1959, when Jean-Jacques Perrey played it in the French film La Vache et le Prisonnier
La Vache et le Prisonnier
La Vache et le Prisonnier is a French-Italian tragicomedy film from 1959 starring Fernandel and directed by Henri Verneuil. The story was based on Jacques Antoine's novel, Une histoire vraie. It is considered to be a classic and one of Fernandel's most iconic and popular films...
(The Cow and the Prisoner.)
An instrument similar to the Ondioline, the Clavioline
Clavioline
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...
, was also featured on various 1960s popular recordings, including Del Shannon
Del Shannon
Del Shannon was an American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961.- Biography :...
's "Runaway
Runaway (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), the Tornados
The Tornados
The 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...
' "Telstar
Telstar (song)
"Telstar" is a 1962 instrumental record performed by The Tornados. It was the first single by a British band to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and was also a number one hit in the UK. The record was named after the AT&T communications satellite Telstar, which went into orbit in...
" (1962), and The Beatles
The Beatles
The 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...
' "Baby, You're a Rich Man" (1967). The Clavioline, (although also tube-based), employed a different and much less complicated design.
According to Perrey - who was a former Ondioline demonstration salesman - fewer than 700 Ondiolines were sold, mostly in Europe. It is estimated that fewer than two dozen of the instruments still exist today. The name "Jenny Ondioline" Jenny Ondioline
Jenny Ondioline
Jenny Ondioline is a 1993 EP by the Anglo-French band Stereolab. Its tracks were later re-released on the Oscillons from the Anti-Sun compilation.-Track listing:# "Jenny Ondioline "# "Fruition"# "Golden Ball" [Studio]# "French Disko"...
was used for the title of a 1993 song by British band Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
. However, the song's lyrics have nothing to do with Georges Jenny, or the Ondioline.
A website dedicated to the Ondioline has been created at www.ondioline.com.
External links
- Website Hans Kockelmans
- Ondioline at Space Age Pop http://www.spaceagepop.com/lpondiol.htm