Ondes Martenot

Ondes Martenot
An ondes Martenot (seventh generation model, 1975)
Dates	1928–present
Technical specifications
Polyphony	none[1]
Oscillator	vacuum tube or transistor
Synthesis type	heterodyne
Input/output
Keyboard	72-note rail-mounted keyboard capable of producing vibrato by lateral motion

The ondes Martenot (/ˈoʊnd mɑːrtəˈnoʊ/ OHND mar-tə-NOH; French: [ɔ̃d maʁtəno], "Martenot waves") or ondes musicales ("musical waves") is an early electronic musical instrument. It is played with a keyboard or by moving a ring along a wire, creating "wavering" sounds similar to a theremin. A player of the ondes Martenot is called an ondist.

The ondes Martenot was invented in 1928 by the French inventor Maurice Martenot. Martenot was inspired by the accidental overlaps of tones between military radio oscillators, and wanted to create an instrument with the expressiveness of the cello.

The ondes Martenot is used in more than 100 orchestral compositions. The French composer Olivier Messiaen used it in pieces such as his 1949 symphony Turangalîla-Symphonie, and his sister-in-law Jeanne Loriod was a celebrated player of the instrument. It appears in numerous film and television soundtracks, particularly science fiction and horror films. It has also been used by contemporary acts such as Daft Punk, Damon Albarn and the Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood.