At the age of twelve, Australian Percy Grainger had already imagined a form of free music with gliding tones and irregular, beatless rhythms. That was in 1894. But it was not until 1920, with the invention of the electronic theremin, that smooth transitions between notes became possible in a way that appealed to Grainger. The instrument is played without contact – simply by changing the distance between the hands and two antennas. Grainger was certain that it would allow human emotions to be expressed better than with conventional musical instruments. And so, in 1936, he wrote Free Music #1 for four theremins.
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