In 1920, Russian physicist and KGB spy Léon Theremin created the world’s first electronic instrument: the theremin. This instrument could be played without the physical contact with the player, as it operated on electromagnetic fields that are affected by the player’s body capacitance. One hand controlled the pitch while the other controlled the volume, each doing so by changing their proximity to two antennas protruding from either side of the instrument. 

Though it may seem that a theremin is but an electronic curiosity, the instrument has reached great heights of popularity and musical development since its invention. The instrument’s eerie sound led to its inclusion in the scores of several notable science fiction films, and as it became more well-known, several individuals expanded and refined the theremin playing technique, some becoming virtuosos with as much prestige as those of more traditional orchestral instruments. In fact, the theremin joined the orchestra in the mid-1920s, becoming the first electronic orchestra instrument. Its fame lives on to this day.