Amplification and Electronic Musical Instruments

The Ondes Martenot Synthesizer: History and Characteristics

Ondes Martenot Synth - photo of Andrew Garton

The Ondes Martenot is one of the earliest electronic synthesizers in history, invented by Frenchman Maurice Martenot in 1928. Martenot was a cellist and a radio telegraph technician who, during World War I, experimented with sound interference between radio oscillators. Inspired by the theremin, another electronic instrument invented by Russian Leon Theremin, Martenot aimed to create an instrument capable of expressing the sensitivity and expressiveness of a string instrument, combined with the timbral and melodic possibilities offered by electronics.

The first model of the Ondes Martenot was presented to the public in 1928 in Paris, during a performance at the Paris Opera. The instrument consisted of a box with two high-frequency generators, one fixed and one variable, producing a frequency difference perceived as sound. The pitch and intensity of the sound could be modulated using two devices: a movable ring along a metallic wire, which enabled glissandos and microtonal intervals, and a movable keyboard along a guide, serving as a reference for the notes. The timbre could be altered using filters that modified the harmonics of the fundamental sound.

A Hit Among Composers

The Ondes Martenot immediately gained popularity and piqued the interest of many composers, including Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, André Jolivet, Jacques Ibert, Edgard Varèse, and Olivier Messiaen. The latter was one of the instrument’s strongest advocates, incorporating it into several works, including his celebrated Turangalîla-Symphonie (1949). Messiaen was also the mentor of Jeanne Loriod, one of the most renowned Ondes Martenot performers, who married his brother, Yvonne Loriod.

The instrument was also used by other musicians across various genres, including popular music, film scores, and experimental music. Notable examples include the soundtracks of Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Ghostbusters (1984), composed by Maurice Jarre and Elmer Bernstein, respectively; Radiohead’s tracks How to Disappear Completely (2000) and Where I End and You Begin (2003), played by Jonny Greenwood; and Daft Punk’s songs Touch (2013) and Giorgio by Moroder (2013), performed by Thomas Bloch.

Technical Developments

Martenot continued to refine his instrument in the following years, introducing several modifications and improvements. Among the most significant were the addition of a functioning keyboard in 1930, the option to choose between different sound diffusers in 1938, and the replacement of thermionic valves with transistors in 1974¹. The final model produced by Martenot was the seventh, made in 1975 in limited quantities. After his death in 1980, production of the instrument continued, thanks to some of his students and collaborators.

How the Ondes Martenot Synthesizer Is Built

The Ondes Martenot is an electronic musical instrument that generates sound electronically by producing an audio signal that drives an acoustic speaker. The instrument operates on the heterodyne principle, combining two high-frequency signals—one fixed and one variable—to generate an audible frequency difference perceived as sound.

The instrument comprises several components: a console with main controls, a movable keyboard along a guide, a movable ring along a metal wire, a main diffuser, and optional diffusers. The console houses two high-frequency generators—one fixed and one variable—that produce the sound signal, a valve or transistor amplifier to amplify the signal, filters to alter the timbre, switches to select the diffuser and sound type, potentiometers to adjust volume and dynamics, and buttons to activate or deactivate the sound³.

The keyboard consists of a series of movable keys along a metal guide, enabling chromatic scale notes with quarter-tone precision. The keyboard is touch- and pressure-sensitive, allowing for vibrato and dynamic sound variations. The ring is an alternative to the keyboard, comprising a metal ring connected to a taut wire between two endpoints. Moving the ring along the wire varies the sound frequency continuously, producing glissandos and microtonal intervals¹. The ring features a button to activate or deactivate the sound.

The main diffuser is a conventional loudspeaker that reproduces the instrument’s sound. Additionally, the performer can select from four optional diffusers, each offering distinct sound characteristics: the palm diffuser, a cabinet with a flexible membrane producing a soft, warm sound; the métallique diffuser, a cabinet with a metal membrane producing a bright, metallic sound; the résonance diffuser, a cabinet with suspended springs creating a reverb effect; and the gong diffuser, a cabinet with a metal gong producing a percussive effect.

Guide to the Ondes Martenot Synthesizer – Video by Philharmonia Orchestra

The Instrument’s Range and Notation

The Ondes Martenot has a range of six and a half octaves, from C2 to G8. Its musical notation follows the conventions of traditional keyboard instruments. However, specific symbols are used to indicate unique techniques such as glissandos, vibratos, timbral, and dynamic variations. Additionally, the type of diffuser to be used for each piece or section is specified.

The Ondes Martenot in Music

Classical Music

The Ondes Martenot has captivated the attention of many classical composers, particularly in the 20th century. Early adopters included French composers Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, André Jolivet, and Jacques Ibert, who used it in works such as Pacific 231 (1923), Suite pour Ondes Martenot et piano (1933), Concerto pour Ondes Martenot et orchestre (1947), and Escales (1922). Belgian composer Joseph Jongen also wrote a Symphonie concertante for Ondes Martenot and organ in 1926.

However, the instrument’s most prominent advocate was Olivier Messiaen, who discovered it in 1930 and was immediately captivated. Messiaen used it in several works, including Fête des belles eaux (1937), Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine (1944), Turangalîla-Symphonie (1949), Réveil des oiseaux (1953), Oiseaux exotiques (1956), Chronochromie (1960), La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ (1969), and Saint François d’Assise (1983)¹. Messiaen also taught Jeanne Loriod, one of the most famous Ondes Martenot performers, who married his brother Yvonne Loriod. Loriod collaborated with Messiaen on many works and wrote a treatise on the Ondes Martenot in 1987.

Other composers who wrote for the instrument include French composer Edgard Varèse, who used it in his Deserts (1954); Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi, who incorporated it in his Uaxuctum (1966); Japanese composer Takashi Yoshimatsu, who featured it in his Atom Hearts Club Suite No. 2 (2000); and English composer Thomas Adès, who used it in his The Exterminating Angel (2016).

An in-depth look at the Ondes Martenot synthesizer by Exploratorium

Popular Music

The Ondes Martenot has also gained traction in popular music, particularly in film scoring and rock music. Early examples of its atmospheric potential include Maurice Jarre and Elmer Bernstein’s film scores for Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Ghostbusters (1984)³. Ennio Morricone also used it in works such as Il deserto dei Tartari (1976) and Mission (1986).

In rock music, one of the instrument’s notable users is Jonny Greenwood, guitarist and keyboardist for Radiohead. Greenwood became fascinated with the Ondes Martenot after hearing Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie and acquired one in 1998. He has since used it in several Radiohead tracks, including How to Disappear Completely (2000), Where I End and You Begin (2003), Nude (2007), and Burn the Witch (2016). Greenwood has also composed works for Ondes Martenot and orchestra, such as Smear (2004) and 48 Responses to Polymorphia (2011).

Other artists who have used the instrument include Daft Punk, featuring it in the songs Touch and Giorgio by Moroder from their album Random Access Memories (2013), played by Thomas Bloch²; Stereolab, featuring it in Narco Martenot from their album Dots and Loops (1997); and Vinicio Capossela, who incorporated it into several tracks on his album Marinai, profeti e balene (2011), played by Nadia Ratsimandresy.

An unpublished work by Olivier Messiaen – video by Christin Ott

Useful Resources

If you want to delve deeper into the Ondes Martenot, check out the following links: