The Clavivox is, effectively, a keyboard-controlled Theremin. It uses the same electronic sound-generating mechanism, but replaces the instrument’s antennae with a chromatic keyboard. For musicians already trained on a piano, this provided a much more intuitive approach. Designed in the early 1950s by inventor and composer Raymond Scott—better known for his compositions for Warner Bros. cartoons such as Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig—it’s an incredibly rare artifact. So rare, in fact, that NMC’s Clavivox is believed to be the only one in existence.
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