1940-1941 Clara Rockmore (w/ Paul Robeson) Concert Program #2

1940-1941 Clara Rockmore (w/ Paul Robeson) Concert Program #2

Clara Rockmore; Theremin; Program; Recital;

Here's the second Clara Rockmore recital program to be featured in the theremin museum. In the 1940s, Clara Rockmore toured with singer Paul Robeson. A variety of information is described about Clara Rockmore and Leon Theremin's musical instrument. Enjoy the historical rarity of what is said about the theremin during this time period!

Public Domain (?)

1940-1941

Public Domain (?)

English

EDGAR L. GOLDSMITH
WARREN E. THOMPSON

Present

PAUL ROBESON
Baritone

Assisted by
CLARA ROCKMORE
Thereminist

The third event of the 1940–41
History and Enjoyment of Music Series
Sponsored by Allied Arts Corporation

Sunday, November 24, 3:30 o'clock
AUDITORIUM THEATRE

PROGRAM

I.
Go Down, Moses
Arranged by H. T. Burleigh

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Arranged by Lawrence Brown

Oh, No, John! (English Folk-Song)
Arranged by Cecil Sharp

Night (Russian Folk-Song)
Arranged by Alexandroff

The Prayer
Arranged by J. Engel

MR. ROBESON

II.
Concerto in E minor
Allegro moderato
Andante cantabile
Allegro giocoso
Nardini

Ballad for Americans

MISS ROCKMORE

III.
MR. ROBESON

INTERMISSION

IV.
Andante from Symphonie Espagnole — Lalo
Pièce en forme de Habanera — Ravel
Requiebros — Cassado

MISS ROCKMORE

V.
The Orphan — Moussorgsky
After the Battle — Moussorgsky
Eriskey Love Lilt
Arranged by Marjory Kennedy Fraser

Nobody Knows de Trouble I've Seeen
Arranged by Lawrence Brown

Joshua Fit de Battle ob Jericho
Arranged by Lawrence Brown

MR. ROBESON

AT THE PIANO:
Lawrence Brown for Mr. Robeson
Eugene Helmer for Miss Rockmore

Victor Red Seal Records

Tour Direction: Metropolitan Musical Bureau, Inc., 113 W. 57th St., New York City.
Division of Columbia Concerts Corporation of Columbia Broadcasting System.

Note on the Theremin
For those in the audience who may not have heard the Theremin before, it is interesting to know that this instrument is named after its inventor, Russian scientist Theremin, and is unique in that the performer never touches it while playing. Tone is produced when the performer enters an electromagnetic field that is developed about the instrument. The pitch becomes higher or lower as the right hand approaches or moves away from the vertical rod; the volume is controlled by the distance of the left hand from the metal loop.

CLARA ROCKMORE

Clara Rockmore, who is Russian by birth and a former concert violinist, was one of the first to envision the great possibilities of the theremin as a concert instrument. Under the inventor's personal guidance she learned to master its intricate and difficult technique, and demonstrated extraordinary qualifications, foremost of which was the accuracy with which she produced the desired pitch from the air—“aerial fingering,” as one critic has since termed it.

The first public demonstration of the theremin as a concert instrument was given by Miss Rockmore in Town Hall, New York, on October 30, 1934. It is Miss Rockmore's virtuosity, her dignity and worth as an artist, that has transformed the theremin from a scientific marvel into a legitimate musical instrument.

Paper;