Clara Rockmore - Vocalise

[MegEvamalis]

it doesn't sound like a human's voice.. o_O

[MrGodthatdied]

@MegEvamalis

it actually does, closed mouth kinda--- but still there

[bodiloto]

ho la sensazione che una macchina produce i suoni...

dove e arrivata la falsificazione della "voce"...

[Yuriy21]

Bravissimo! Beautiful!

[0010010001110]

I'm so happy to have been learning and playing my own theremin for 5+ years now... it is one of the best instruments. I can only hope one day that I am as good as Clara was.

[bobbo924B]

It was actually repaired and reconditioned by Bob Moog himself. Clara Rockmore, extremely demanding, was eventually thrilled at the results, saying, "I never thought I'd be able to play it again." The Etherwave Pro, sadly discontinued and hard to come by nowadays, came closer than most to the sound of the classics (Termen's original, and the RCA tube instrument) but still has an "edge" to me. The Burns theremin, quite inexpensive, has a sweet, vocal or flute-like tone in the upper register.

[Symphonicprelude]

Clara's theremin was custom built my Theremin himself. It was built to her taste. It has a violin like quality that most others don't have. It's beautiful.

[bobbo924B]

Vibrato is a rapid, cyclical change in pitch, Tremolo is a similar change in volume. Playing a note "tremulando" doesn't necessarily mean tremolo, which is a very difficult effect to achieve without either breath control of electronics. Vibrato is much easier to achieve. Rockmore's pitch is flawless, but I've always felt her true artistry was in her astounding control of dynamics.

[bobbo924B]

Vibrato is a rapid, cyclical change in pitch, Tremolo is a similar change in volume. Playing a note "tremulando" doesn't necessarily mean tremolo, which is a very difficult effect to achieve without either breath control of electronics. Vibrato is much easier to achieve. Rockmore's pitch is flawless, but I've always felt her true artistry was in her astounding control of dynamics.

[moloch49]

That performance was transcendent! If I did not know that the music was played on the theremin, I would have sworn that it was a woman vocalizing a song without words!

Clara Rockmore was a true musical genius; I simply cannot understand why she is not better known today. Fortunately, through the wonderful vehicle of youtube,

worldwide fame (albeit posthumous) may become a reality!

[JohnEBPiano]

So, I appreciate the difficulty and everything, but this instrument is just annoying..

[radiootoo]

OH... the tremolo!

[BlueCougar]

@radiootoo That's called vibrato. tremolo is a modulation of the volume, not the pitch. And that kind of vibrato was standard for most part of the 20th century, and was effectively killed by the upcoming of the Autotuner. Just listen to old recordings of singers or instrumentalists...

[olialto7]

@BlueCougar Hang on, vibrato is still very much around nowadays in classical and pop music and everything else in between! And it shouldn't be a deviation in pitch when used by singers, although it is unavoidable on string instruments, for example. People used to call vibrato tremolando, but nowadays a tremolo effect would involve a change in pitch between two notes, commonly an octave apart when played on the piano for example. Rather like a widely spaced trill.

[bobbo924B]

@olialto7- Vibrato is a rapid, cyclical change in pitch, Tremolo is a similar change in volume, though usually slower. Playing a note "tremulando" doesn't necessarily mean tremolo, which is a very difficult effect to achieve without either breath control of electronics. Vibrato is much easier to achieve. Rockmore's pitch is flawless, but I've always felt her true artistry was in her astounding control of dynamics.

[Valhalla0]

just got her record on brand new vinyl... its rad

[willimoto]

UN PANCHO Y UNA COCA ESCUCHANDO A CLARA ROCKMORE!

[willimoto]

ESTRAORDINARIO!!!



[Rayo000008]

Impresionante! I love it!

[souzabluesplayer]

Everybody uses a theremin like a toy.

Clara REALLY PLAYED it.

[frcknxdelicious]

Not only is she beautiful, but her talent and her ability to see things that other people cannot, makes her even more beautiful .

[UPPERKELLER]

best instrument ever, best artist on theremin ever

[heyawhaw]

wow ... I just turned in to a big goose bump ... covered with ... goose bumps!!!

[elbalajazz]

beautiful!

[slctdmbntwrx]

Haven't heard this in ages, so beautiful.

[solnegrolunaroja]

If it wasn't for her arm bones problem, she would have been one of the great violin players of the XX century; she translated all her experience at the violin to the theremin, one forgets we are hearing a theremin instead of a violin!

[djpats]

Themerin! What a great instrument!

[ReturnOfTheStienway]

I wonder if Rachmaninoff ever heard this... I'm sure he would have been blown outta his mind!

[rongpockle]

Breathtakingly transcendant !

[SENAFOREVER]

Gracious me! Perfection! She plays like Rosa Ponselle sang!

[noteworthy65]

Simply incredible!

Only Clara could do that!

[Zarnewalker]

what a babe

[seanthewig]

Anyone else think that it sounds like Maria Callas singing?

[mbrellin]

Wonderful!

[JupiterIV]

For the most part, she doesn't even sound like she's playing an instrument. It sounds like she's singing.

[crapatitus]

right? isn't it hauntingly beautiful?

[punkpoetry]

amazing, never imagined this is possible. however, do check out Emil Gilels' murderously beautiful piano version

[fitzoid]

Simply perfect. Thank you for posting this.

[pretTilittlepoison]

For me, no one compares or even can come close to Clara Rockmore's recordings on the Theremin. She is breathtaking, and I personally love the instrument itself, it is so sad and so eloquent, the way it is used and the sound it emits.

[daveboy44]

Just marvelous how you simply zoomed in so slowly throughout the whole piece. Mesmerizing. And what can one say about Clara Rockmore? She was one of the musical greats of the 20th century in my book. Thank you for this.

[FawitoBlues]

I love this rachmaninof's piece! And the sound of Clara's theremin is so deep and sad... it's just wonderful!

[AsbestosLLJK]

It's a shame that this video doesn't have more views. Clara's talent was beyond description

[MantasSavickis]

yes. How many youtube users are interested in classical music? And how many of them knows about the theremin? It's one of the most diffucult instruments to play... and Clara Rockmore with no doubt is the best.

[dcurtis53]

I never knew about the theremin until 15 minutes ago when I saw a link on a friend's facebook page. I am absolutely blown away by this!

[cacaorocks]

@MantasSavickis bla bla bla

[sickTimmy]

@MantasSavickis i hear here for the first time i my life ... FANTASTIC !! Bravo

[CatFlashBlue]

@AsbestosLLJK It's a shame? As I have reached this video, it currently has 41,034 views. That is over 41,000 individual people who have come across Clara Rockmore. We have to remember that these aren't just useless numbers. That's a LOT of people. Now imagine Clara Rockmore in a coffee shop and try to fit all 41,034 people into that space, to hear her. Now suddenly that's a lot of people. The point is, it is not about the number of people; it's about how deeply the music affects each person.

[AsbestosLLJK]

@CatFlashBlue It's nice to see the logical extension of a comment I left two years ago out of pure sentimentality one evening when I'd had a couple glasses of wine

[CatFlashBlue]

@AsbestosLLJK Ha! I can't believe you still even remember the comment.

[daveboy44]

This was the recording that "hooked" me to Clara's playing. I first heard it in 1987 and am still her biggest fan.  She was a musician who just happened to play the theremin. A truly great, timeless artist who should be better known. Thank you for posting.