Wavemakers - Documentary on the Ondes Martenot

"Wavemakers pursues the legacy of an electronic musical instrument as fragile as it is magical: the Ondes Martenot. The Martenot so sensitive, so expressive, that nearly a century after its invention, musicians, artisans and scientists are still trying to unravel its secrets. Among them are the inventor’s son, Jean-Louis Martenot, Suzanne Binet-Audet, the 'Jimi Hendrix of the Martenot', and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead.

Integrating vérité, never-before-seen archival material and an entrancing soundtrack, this feature documentary explores the origins and workings of the Martenot, and draws us inexorably into its spell. A modern-day story set against a historical background, Wavemakers is a journey into the very heart of the mystery of music.

With Wavemakers, Caroline Martel returns with the signature approach that turned her first feature doc about telephone operators into a 'non-stop visual and intellectual stimulation… an enormously creative documentary.' (Variety). She pursues her fascination with culture and technology, using her distinctive blend of humanism, lyricism and experimentation."

via http://artifactproductions.ca/lechantdesondes/wavemakers-the-film/?lang=en

"A CHORAL FILM ON THE MYSTERY OF AN INSTRUMENT

Maurice Martenot dreamed of sound springing from silence. Amid the chaos of the Great War, the young French wireless telegraph operator became enthralled by the unusual interference produced by his radio’s vacuum tubes. He envisioned of an instrument that would turn the raw material of electricity into music, while allowing for the complete control of the performer: the Ondes musicales Martenot. Inspired by an ideal of human and live artistic expression, his electronic instrument is of such extraordinary sensitivity that nearly a century after its invention, musicians, artisans and scientists are still trying to unravel its secrets.

With an extremely wide spectrum of timbres able to evoke sounds ranging from the human voice to wind instruments, to the hum of a machine, the Martenot’s expressive capabilities are unequalled by any other electronic instrument. But what became of it? Since its introduction at the Paris Opera in 1928, it has been widely used in both classical and popular repertoires. From the first sound films of Abel Gance and Fritz Lang, to Hollywood classics, science-fiction TV series, and recent productions such as There Will Be Blood, the Martenot has also lent a distinctive colour to the music of Olivier Messiaen, Tristan Murail, Édith Piaf and Radiohead. Yet, while it has been part of the collective unconscious of entire generations, it is practically invisible today. After the accidental death of Maurice Martenot in 1980, the Martenot workshop gradually ceased production, leaving the instrument’s future up in the air. Of the 281 Martenots that were built, only about 70 remain, and the instrument is now threatened with extinction.

With its modern-day plot set against a historical background, Wavemakers pursues the uncompleted dream of the visionary man that was Maurice Martenot (1898–1980). This feature documentary follows an ensemble of Martenot aficionados, in France and Quebec, who search through studios, basements, science labs, and workshops to unravel the secrets of the instrument. Among them is Jean-Louis Martenot, striving to keep his father’s musical and pedagogical legacy alive. Suzanne Binet-Audet, the “Jimi Hendrix of the Martenot,” who meets backstage with Jonny Greenwood. A well-known member of the band Radiohead, Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist and composer leading a new generation of musicians who are rediscovering the Martenot. Jeanloup Dierstein, an electronic instrument maker in Paris’ 17th arrondissement, is working on a new Martenot prototype, and, like its inventor, “dreams of it day and night.” Dierstein allows us to be the timely witnesses of the rebirth of one of the 20th century’s major musical innovations."