The "Electronium" and "Electronium Pi" (1950)The ElectroniumThe Electronium was designed by René Seybold and manufactured by the German company Hohner GmbH in Trossingen, Germany, from 1950 onwards. The Electronium was a monophonic electronic instrument resembling an accordion. The Electronium had a 41 note keyboard with keys or buttons and 16 'registration tabs', the overall volume being controlled by the 'bellows' of the instrument. Electronium PiElectronium Pi was a keyboard controlled electronic instrument with 20 stop-tabs for divide-down synthesis. The Electronium Pi had a three octave range, transposable up or down within six octaves, controlling a single vacuum tube oscillator.The Electronium Pi was used in music concerts as an add-on for piano players and was much used throughout the 1950's in germany for both light and serious music. The Electronium Pi was used by several german Avant-Garde composers, Karlheinz Stockhausen used various Electronium models on "Telemusik" and "solo"(1952-6) and later on "Kurzwellen" (1968), These pieces being performed by his own group with the pianist Harald Bojé playing a modified standard Electronium. Further Information: |