Soviet Faust

Leon Theremin, born at the end of the 19th Century, died at the end of the 20th , was a Russian and Soviet inventor. He is most famous for his invention of the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments. He was also the inventor of interlace, a technique of improving the picture quality of a video signal, widely used in video and television technology.

His research helped protect the Kremlin and as an agent of the 'organs' (as the intelligence agency in the USSR was known) he created extraordinary security and listening devices. In the USA he became a musical celebrity, mixing with the cream of the musical elite and that of society.

About the Author

B.M. Galeyev is the author of 15 monographs and hundreds of articles on history, theory and technology of light-musical synthesis and other art forms born by scientific and technological revolution epoch. He is also the author of 20 inventions. He was a member of the Russian Academy of Humanities, Ph.D., professor, participant of many international symposia and festivals of modern art, member of the International Society of Art, Science and Technology. He took part in working for "Leonardo" and "Languages of Design" magazines on their international editorial boards, devoted to "art+science+technology" problems.