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ondes Martenot

British  
/ ɔ̃d mɑːtəˈnəʊ /

noun

  1. music an electronic keyboard instrument in which the frequency of an oscillator is varied to produce separate musical notes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ondes Martenot

C20: French, literally: Martenot waves, invented by Maurice Martenot (1898–1980)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Until then, he’s focusing on concert music — “I just got asked to write a concerto for the ondes martenot,” he said, referring to the early electronic instrument Greenwood famously used on Radiohead’s experimental “Kid A” album — and occasionally collaborating with his brother on Aaron’s pop productions.

From Los Angeles Times

Its cousin, the ondes martenot, was featured in one of Groening’s favorite classical pieces — the “Turangalîla-symphonie” by Olivier Messiaen — which would inspire the name for a lead character in “Futurama,” Turanga Leela.

From Los Angeles Times

But it was immense: written on a grand scale, with more than a dozen principal roles, a chorus and an orchestra equipped with idiosyncratic sounds like that of the spooky, electronic ondes Martenot.

From New York Times

And the woozy, slippery wail of the theremin-like ondes martenot.

From New York Times

Cynthia Millar was a subtle presence at the ondes martenot — to the point that the instrument could have been more assertively amplified.

From New York Times