Croix Sonore
(2007) • Illustration — A modern replica of the Croix Sonore The Croix Sonore is an early electronic musical instrument with continuous pitch, similar to the theremin. Like the theremin, the pitch of the tone is dependent on the nearness of the player's arm to an antenna; unlike the theremin, the antenna was in the shape of a cross, and the electronics were inside a brass ball to which the cross was affixed. It was developed by Russian born composer Nikolai Obukhov who lived and worked in France from 1918, and built by Michel Billaudot and Pierre Dauvillier in Paris; they developed a prototype version in 1926 and demonstrated an improved version in 1934.
Croix Sonore
Jon Bernhardt · The Croix Sonore Uploaded by Flominator · CC BY-SA 2.0
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- electronic musical instrument
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gnd · 1293637688 · wikidata · Q1140792 · wikipedia · Croix Sonore
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Along with many, including Maurice Martenot, Obhukov was present at a demonstration of the thereminvox by its inventor Lev Termen (Leon Theremin) in 1924. Obukhov composed several pieces for the Croix Sonore, in duet with piano, in ensemble and as solo instrument with orchestras. The Croix Sonore was played by Marie-Antoinette Aussenac-Broglie, who was a student of Obukhov's.
Primary material
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- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1293637688, Croix Sonore.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
reference work
- “Croix Sonore”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1140792: Croix Sonore
General reference · Wikidata
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Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Croix Sonore, revision 1370417982 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.120 Years of Electronic Music : The Sonorous Cross – "La croix sonore" (1929-1934)
- 2.Hugh Davies. "Croix sonore." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/53322 (accessed January 23, 2011).
- 3.Jonathan Powell. "Obouhow, Nicolas." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/20236 (accessed January 23, 2011).
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authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1293637688, Croix Sonore.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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1- electronic musical instrumentTerminology
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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