From Musical Saw To Wailing Cat

The Otherworldly Sounds Of The Clavioline

The clavioline is an electronic keyboard instrument, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer. It was invented by Constant Martin in 1947. It consists of a keyboard and a separate amplifier and speaker unit. Byron Elwell, who is one of the instrument's most ardent champions, and Drew Blanke, who is an expert on all things synth, told Collectors Weekly the story of this early analog synthesizer.
In 1962, the clavioline helped make an instrumental called 'Telstar,' written by the legendary Joe Meek and performed by The Tornados, a trans-Atlantic hit, charting at No. 1 in both the U.S. and U.K.