Electronic Instruments Made in France

Ondes Martenot - Maurice L. E. Martenot (1930/1934)Philharmonie de Paris

Ondes Martenot - 1930/1934 - Maurice L. E. Martenot

Sound Cross (1932/1933)Philharmonie de Paris

Croix sonore - 1932/33

Nicolaj Obuhov - Jean-François Dusailly - Michel Billaudot

This instrument was almost exclusively used by musician Marie-Antoinette Aussenac de Broglie, who would change the pitch by moving her right hand toward the center of the croix, while adjusting the volume with her left hand.

Ondes Martenot avec diffuseur principal (1937)Philharmonie de Paris

Ondes Martenot - 1937 / Maurice L. E. Martenot

Seven-octave keyboard. Tape with a ribbon covering infrasound to ultrasound. Four diffuseurs (speakers). Metallic or Palme diffuseurs.

Ondes Martenot (1937)Philharmonie de Paris

Ondes Martenot - 1937 / Maurice L. E. Martenot

Prototype of an instrument created in collaboration with Alain Daniélou.
Equipped with a note-for-note tunable keyboard, allowing the use of microtonal intervals.

Instructions for the use of the instrument for Ondes MartenotPhilharmonie de Paris

Instructions for using the instrument for an Ondes Martenot

Booklet of 10 sheets, sewn, with brown cover, typescript.

Laboratoire Ondes Musicales Martenot (1937)Philharmonie de Paris

Laboratoire Ondes Musicales Martenot (Ondes Martenot Laborat

Letter headed with Laboratoire/Ondes Musicales Martenot, typescript, in black ink. Handwritten signature of Maurice Martenot in blue ink. 

Measuring sheet of the Ondes MartenotPhilharmonie de Paris

Ondes Martenot measure sheet

Sheet with handwritten pencil annotations.

Ondioline (Env. 1965)Philharmonie de Paris

Ondioline - 1942 / Georges Jenny

Touch keyboard, manual vibrato by keyboard oscillation. Ribbon in front of the keyboard for special manual percussion effects. Knee-operated volume control. With floppy disk.

Ondioline (1950)Philharmonie de Paris

Ondioline - 1950 / Georges Jenny

Georges Jenny designed a more complex instrument, which provides the composer and the performer with rich and subtle means of expression. With just one fingering and one playing technique, the instrumentalist can play the violin, saxophone, or bongos.

Ondioline - Georges Jenny (Env. 1950)Philharmonie de Paris

Ondioline - Vers 1950 / Georges Jenny

Monodic electronic tube instrument. Sensitive keyboard with possible vibrato by lateral movement. 18 registers allow the user to modulate the timbre and the attack transients. 

It can be used as a percussion instrument by touching a metallic wire. The volume can be changed using a knee-operated control. Sound comes from a diffuseur that uses an amplification system and a loudspeaker.

Ondes Martenot - Maurice L. E. Martenot (1956)Philharmonie de Paris

Ondes Martenot - 1956 / Maurice L. E. Martenot

Made in collaboration with Marcel Manière. Model 54.

Gmebaphone 2 (1975)Philharmonie de Paris

Gmebaphone 2 - 1975 / Christian Clozier - Jean-Claude Le Duc

Second Gmebaphone model. 
Christian Clozier created the concept and layout of the Gmebogosse, and it was then built by Jean-Claude Le Duc, who took charge of its production.

Ondes Martenot - Jean-louis Martenot (1992)Philharmonie de Paris

Ondes Martenot - 1992 / Jean-louis Martenot

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
Explore more
Related theme
Music, Makers & Machines
A brief history of electronic music
View theme

Interested in Performance?

Get updates with your personalized Culture Weekly

You are all set!

Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites