Phil Cirocco (USA) and D A Wilson (UK) are the two gentlemen who've documented their restoration projects in some detail. Just as there are modern makers of so-called "historical" or "period" instruments, I think that novachord lovers are somehow going to have to find a way to start pooling their knowledge and resources and actually start making these instruments once again themselves. A tall order, I know, but no modern synths can adequately substitute the nova's unique tone world.
I've always been curious to know who the nattily-dressed gentleman was in the promotional photos of the Novachord. Was he maybe on the staff at Hammond Organ Co? There are several photos where this same man is depicted; another photo has him leaning in closer to the keyboard. I thought perhaps there might be someone out there who saw these pictures and said, "Hey, that was my grandfather!". He was obviously a real guy!!! I think that the good-looking lady was Clara Rockmore.
Three things basically killed the Novachord: 1) its outsized dimensions made it virtually impossible to get into most home doorways 2) it was quite expensive to where only movie/radio studios could realistically afford one and 3) only about 1060+/- units were produced before the debacle of WWII interfered with every aspect of life - musical and otherwise. Only a few keyboardists of that era bothered to fathom its peculiarities; most were unwilling to adapt to its demands.
@JJRaff18221882 Theater organist Fred Feibel, and Hammond organist Collins Driggs were two of the most noteworthy performers on the instrument. If I could find one, buy it and restore it, that would be my happiest
pursuit musically. The Novachord is unlike anything else. And the Theremin pairs up with it beautifully.
@dieselheart001 Have you followed - via the Internet - the efforts of the two gentlemen who have restored novachords? Just type in Novachord Restoration and you should find the appropriate artlcles. I am indeed familiar with Mr. Feibel's 78 RPM recordings - "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" being the one I like the best. Mr. Driggs isn't a name familiar to me - however, not being a huge fan of organ music that doesn't surprise me. Look on E-bay, sometimes they come up for sale. I know what you mean...
@JJRaff18221882 I have Fred's Columbia C-76 set too, and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" is nothing short of magical when performed on the Novachord. Collins Driggs was a contemporary of Feibel, and recorded on the RCA Victor label. His Victor P-93 album "Cascades Of Melody" has a very lovely version of "Deep In My Heart, Dear" from Sigmund Romberg's operetta "The Student Prince", and an equally aplomb cover of "Make Believe", a "Show Boat" piece from the minds of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein.
@JJRaff18221882 Collins' Victor P-57 album "The Magic Of The Novachord" offers some of the content of P-93, with some additions. My picks are his cover of the lovely "When Day Is Done", a B.G. DeSylva and Robert Ketscher offering, and Emil Waldteufel's "Estudiantina".
I have always wanted to hear Tommy Dorsey's "Gettin' Sentimental", and Enya's "May It Be" on the Novachord. Along with a few others.
The "Slim Gaillard Quartette" had the strangest Novachord offering- "Novachord Boogie".
@JJRaff18221882 Oddly enough, Collins was a Hammond organ man as well as a Novachordist. Ethel Smith and Collins "crossed paths" at dinner at least at one point in their careers- before she earned the title "the Latin from Manhattan". I'm not sure if he was part of Ferde Grofe's group of four Novachordists and one Hammond organist, but that keeps coming back for some weird reason... many thanks for making me remember.
@dieselheart001 I don't know why Ethel Smith didn't take up the novachord - one would've thought if anyone was up to the challenge, she would've been. Not to be overly cynical, but, probably it was a case of economics. As Hammond's "poster girl", I'm certain that she wasn't just playing their instruments for entertainment but also to help to sell their more "user friendly" post-WWII line of products. I know about the "Grofe Orchestra" you alluded to, but I have no idea as to its membership.
@JJRaff18221882 I wish there were more detail on Ethel and the Novachord- at least, whether or not she may have had an opinion of or a familiarity with it. She had to be one of the most wonderful people to visit with or interview, and quite a golfer too! I would have been delighted to have been her caddy. Those who spoke with her remember how she was so wonderfully "down to earth" and gracious. I think of everything she said about discovering and playing the Hammond organ, and wonder...
Hauntingly beautiful. This sounds simply superb. My little synth world has been rocked! I thought Buchla and Moog were the Kings. I would love to hear an album's worth of material with just the Novachord and Theremin.
this piece is simply astonishing. how such old instruments, especially the novachord, can sound so beautiful is beyond me. modern synths today cant even hold a candle to the pure sound of this instrument.
@bryceHUHwhat This is a "current" recording, not an old 40s' recording. The instruments are very old & ahead of their time. There is a large time-span between the creation of these two instruments & they were not "played" in this fashion when the were created. They did not really experiment with the synthesizer to create new sounds...they just played old-style music with it.
There are very few left of this instrument,. the first polyphonic synthesizer. It was one of very few electronic products released by Hammond that was not intended to emulate the sound of an organ. (Wikipedia)
Great!!!! I´m in love with the theremin!!!!!! Well, at 1:30 there is a "cartoon" of a guy playing the theremin, and it´s left-hand switch is in a vertical position. Does it exists too? Is it an option???
Amazing sounds. I think its incredible that Hammond managed to jump from the production of the first original Model A organ to an instrument like the Novachord in just four short years.
I can only imagine what it would be like to hear this for the first time in 1940, mind blowing!! - great composition, a big fan of both instruments;-)
Alto Volo is now also featured in my latest video which features a recreation of a childhood dream of flight. Simply click on my channel name to find it. Enjoy! :)
Glad you like it Thomas - I thought it appropriate to augment the piece with some period pics of the Novachord and Theremin in action. Both are phenomenal instruments that marry well.
And it is a curious thing that in 2010, this may actually be the first time that these two amazing instruments from yesteryear and a very different age have met, albeit in a time shifted way 70 years on.
Beautiful work on your part - you have that thing mastered!
@nuswolloh Very beautiful music. The Novachord and Theremin did met in Rozsa's score for Spellbound and Nathan Van Cleave's music for two Twilight Zone episodes A world of difference and Perchance to dream. The sounds of these two instruments marry just wonderfully.
Very nice indeed. Having followed the Novachord restoration project and developments at Hollow Sun for a while, I was convinced that the legendary NC + Theremin would be a great combination. A note to HollowSun: is there any chance the sample set will be released as wav files? Failing that, can anyone recommend or dismiss Extreme Sample Converter as a solution?
MADA FACA I NEVER LISTEN THIS MAGIC BEST BEST BEST
banderlogin100 2 months ago
so beautiful
pizzagorgonzola 2 months ago
Delightful! Excellent work by both of you.
madamerotten 2 months ago
Underbart! och jag äger en theremin, är jag också underbar då?
OLAFLORHED 2 months ago
Lovely!
Mellogel 4 months ago
wwoooooooo, sounds like heaven.I'm deeply touched.
jasonwangjazz 6 months ago 2
I would love to hear an Ennio Morricone arrangement played on one of these!
maverickdallas100 6 months ago 3
oh my god. is this an actual piece from back then or a sample mock up? either way, lovely.
TheFederalDrugs 7 months ago
Phil Cirocco (USA) and D A Wilson (UK) are the two gentlemen who've documented their restoration projects in some detail. Just as there are modern makers of so-called "historical" or "period" instruments, I think that novachord lovers are somehow going to have to find a way to start pooling their knowledge and resources and actually start making these instruments once again themselves. A tall order, I know, but no modern synths can adequately substitute the nova's unique tone world.
JJRaff18221882 7 months ago
Breathtaking!
synthlab 7 months ago
impressive !
ekj12388 7 months ago
Beautiful!
JohnLRice 8 months ago
I've always been curious to know who the nattily-dressed gentleman was in the promotional photos of the Novachord. Was he maybe on the staff at Hammond Organ Co? There are several photos where this same man is depicted; another photo has him leaning in closer to the keyboard. I thought perhaps there might be someone out there who saw these pictures and said, "Hey, that was my grandfather!". He was obviously a real guy!!! I think that the good-looking lady was Clara Rockmore.
JJRaff18221882 9 months ago
Three things basically killed the Novachord: 1) its outsized dimensions made it virtually impossible to get into most home doorways 2) it was quite expensive to where only movie/radio studios could realistically afford one and 3) only about 1060+/- units were produced before the debacle of WWII interfered with every aspect of life - musical and otherwise. Only a few keyboardists of that era bothered to fathom its peculiarities; most were unwilling to adapt to its demands.
JJRaff18221882 9 months ago
@JJRaff18221882 Theater organist Fred Feibel, and Hammond organist Collins Driggs were two of the most noteworthy performers on the instrument. If I could find one, buy it and restore it, that would be my happiest
pursuit musically. The Novachord is unlike anything else. And the Theremin pairs up with it beautifully.
dieselheart001 8 months ago
@dieselheart001 Have you followed - via the Internet - the efforts of the two gentlemen who have restored novachords? Just type in Novachord Restoration and you should find the appropriate artlcles. I am indeed familiar with Mr. Feibel's 78 RPM recordings - "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" being the one I like the best. Mr. Driggs isn't a name familiar to me - however, not being a huge fan of organ music that doesn't surprise me. Look on E-bay, sometimes they come up for sale. I know what you mean...
JJRaff18221882 7 months ago
@JJRaff18221882 Phil Cirocco has probably the best documented restoration, and the most thorough.
I'm not sure about the other site- one seems to have stopped, and an update has yet to occur. As Phil
describes the restoration of a Novachord as a "Herculean task", I'm not surprised that more are not restored.
There is a frighteningly HUGE amount of discrete components (resistors, capacitors, etc...) in one!
dieselheart001 7 months ago
@JJRaff18221882 I have Fred's Columbia C-76 set too, and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" is nothing short of magical when performed on the Novachord. Collins Driggs was a contemporary of Feibel, and recorded on the RCA Victor label. His Victor P-93 album "Cascades Of Melody" has a very lovely version of "Deep In My Heart, Dear" from Sigmund Romberg's operetta "The Student Prince", and an equally aplomb cover of "Make Believe", a "Show Boat" piece from the minds of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein.
dieselheart001 7 months ago
@JJRaff18221882 Collins' Victor P-57 album "The Magic Of The Novachord" offers some of the content of P-93, with some additions. My picks are his cover of the lovely "When Day Is Done", a B.G. DeSylva and Robert Ketscher offering, and Emil Waldteufel's "Estudiantina".
I have always wanted to hear Tommy Dorsey's "Gettin' Sentimental", and Enya's "May It Be" on the Novachord. Along with a few others.
The "Slim Gaillard Quartette" had the strangest Novachord offering- "Novachord Boogie".
dieselheart001 7 months ago
@JJRaff18221882 Oddly enough, Collins was a Hammond organ man as well as a Novachordist. Ethel Smith and Collins "crossed paths" at dinner at least at one point in their careers- before she earned the title "the Latin from Manhattan". I'm not sure if he was part of Ferde Grofe's group of four Novachordists and one Hammond organist, but that keeps coming back for some weird reason... many thanks for making me remember.
dieselheart001 7 months ago
@dieselheart001 I don't know why Ethel Smith didn't take up the novachord - one would've thought if anyone was up to the challenge, she would've been. Not to be overly cynical, but, probably it was a case of economics. As Hammond's "poster girl", I'm certain that she wasn't just playing their instruments for entertainment but also to help to sell their more "user friendly" post-WWII line of products. I know about the "Grofe Orchestra" you alluded to, but I have no idea as to its membership.
JJRaff18221882 7 months ago
@JJRaff18221882 I wish there were more detail on Ethel and the Novachord- at least, whether or not she may have had an opinion of or a familiarity with it. She had to be one of the most wonderful people to visit with or interview, and quite a golfer too! I would have been delighted to have been her caddy. Those who spoke with her remember how she was so wonderfully "down to earth" and gracious. I think of everything she said about discovering and playing the Hammond organ, and wonder...
dieselheart001 7 months ago
@JJRaff18221882 Somewhere I have an original program of the event featuring Grofe and the
"New World Orchestra"- along with a picture of the pavilion where the performances took place,
there is a picture of the group, with Ferde front and center, and all instruments finished in white.
Thank you for jarring me loose and making me think! Proof positive that Alzheimers hasn't rusted
out my old "brain bucket" just yet!
As once said: "Film at eleven!" lol...
dieselheart001 7 months ago
Hauntingly powerful. It is as if America had reached its musical apex an age ago.
vicetube 10 months ago
Beautiful composition, Beautiful sound, beautifully played. Thankyou for posting. :-)
windymiller7 10 months ago
Stunning.
Spacelamb 11 months ago
Why the HELL didn't this become the leading genre of music for its day?
Naore12 11 months ago 8
This has been flagged as spam show
Hauntingly beautiful. This sounds simply superb. My little synth world has been rocked! I thought Buchla and Moog were the Kings. I would love to hear an album's worth of material with just the Novachord and Theremin.
twidknobbler 1 year ago
Comment removed
twidknobbler 1 year ago
Could you imagine a Vox Continental ripping through the middle of that?
I can.
paulj0557 1 year ago
this piece is simply astonishing. how such old instruments, especially the novachord, can sound so beautiful is beyond me. modern synths today cant even hold a candle to the pure sound of this instrument.
mrperson123 1 year ago 2
@bryceHUHwhat This is a "current" recording, not an old 40s' recording. The instruments are very old & ahead of their time. There is a large time-span between the creation of these two instruments & they were not "played" in this fashion when the were created. They did not really experiment with the synthesizer to create new sounds...they just played old-style music with it.
RichardEllisxyz 1 year ago
The strings sound very 80's which is odd for a recording made in the 40's. nice
bryceHUHwhat 1 year ago
There are very few left of this instrument,. the first polyphonic synthesizer. It was one of very few electronic products released by Hammond that was not intended to emulate the sound of an organ. (Wikipedia)
gulis4u 1 year ago
A friend and I are about to embark in the restoration on a hammong NC number 139, This is an inspiration to get it done. Lar
larryc4ny 1 year ago
A high quality download of this recording is available on LastFM - go to the website and do a search for D.A.Wilson & Thomas Grillo
Many Thanks, Dan Wilson, Hideaway Studio.
HideawayStudio 1 year ago
ops, acho que vi um ufo!!!
brincadeira,
animal esse som!!!!!!!!!
z3z4z3z4z3z4z3z4 1 year ago
Comment removed
z3z4z3z4z3z4z3z4 1 year ago
Great!!!! I´m in love with the theremin!!!!!! Well, at 1:30 there is a "cartoon" of a guy playing the theremin, and it´s left-hand switch is in a vertical position. Does it exists too? Is it an option???
Congratulations guys!
wolfgangstertexera 1 year ago
Amazing sounds. I think its incredible that Hammond managed to jump from the production of the first original Model A organ to an instrument like the Novachord in just four short years.
Peter0656 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Just wonderful! Reminds me of Vangelis' 1975 Heaven & Hell album.
keynshamgorilla 1 year ago
Just wonderful! It reminds me of Vangelis' 1975 Heaven and Hell album...
keynshamgorilla 1 year ago
MARVELOUS!
theironfreak 1 year ago
very special music,
I can only imagine what it would be like to hear this for the first time in 1940, mind blowing!! - great composition, a big fan of both instruments;-)
youwantotestmykungfu 1 year ago
..............in blue..........
obywatel1981 1 year ago
Awesome. Ethereal and atmospheric. This would make a good movie tune.
isolatedoddball 2 years ago
For 1939, this level of sound synthesis is just.. well, it's remarkable to say the least! This is amazing, amazing music. I am stunned.
Muzikman127 2 years ago 7
This is probably the best music ever.
kranglekrapyl 2 years ago 2
OMG! STELLAR!
ThatsABiggon 2 years ago
Absolutely beautiful.
giddygavin 2 years ago
beautiful. the sounds are incredible
needleminus 2 years ago
*collapses to the carpet in tears
ZmajSnoshaj 2 years ago
This is great! The two instruments work really well together. Thanks!
Thereminstrel 2 years ago 2
Alto Volo is now also featured in my latest video which features a recreation of a childhood dream of flight. Simply click on my channel name to find it. Enjoy! :)
ThomasGrillo 2 years ago 2
SWEET!
Very haunting and listenable.
bfm01 2 years ago
wonderful stuff (got here via analogsuicide)
DarrenRaymondHill 2 years ago
photos of the beautiful Clara Rockmore too...
inthefade 2 years ago
Comment removed
inthefade 2 years ago
Nicely done. Thanks for featuring Alto Volo in this work. It shows off the two instruments necely, especially with the photos.
Look for Alto Volo to be featured in my next youtube video, coming soon. :)
ThomasGrillo 2 years ago 6
Glad you like it Thomas - I thought it appropriate to augment the piece with some period pics of the Novachord and Theremin in action. Both are phenomenal instruments that marry well.
And it is a curious thing that in 2010, this may actually be the first time that these two amazing instruments from yesteryear and a very different age have met, albeit in a time shifted way 70 years on.
Beautiful work on your part - you have that thing mastered!
nuswolloh 2 years ago 3
Thanks. It will indeed be mastered. :)
ThomasGrillo 2 years ago 2
@nuswolloh Very beautiful music. The Novachord and Theremin did met in Rozsa's score for Spellbound and Nathan Van Cleave's music for two Twilight Zone episodes A world of difference and Perchance to dream. The sounds of these two instruments marry just wonderfully.
ericosolo 1 year ago
Very nice indeed. Having followed the Novachord restoration project and developments at Hollow Sun for a while, I was convinced that the legendary NC + Theremin would be a great combination. A note to HollowSun: is there any chance the sample set will be released as wav files? Failing that, can anyone recommend or dismiss Extreme Sample Converter as a solution?
TheseImmortalCoils 2 years ago 2