On 23 July, the Â鶹ԼÅÄ Proms pays tribute to the great pioneers of experimental electronic music in Prom 13: Pioneers of Sound.
To celebrate, we've put together a quiz to test your knowledge of synthesisers, the constantly evolving electronic instruments that influenced much of the music of the past century – from orchestral works for theremin and ondes Martenot to 1980s pop and beyond.
For each question, you’ll hear a short clip of a synth. To help you, each clip’s emoji provides a clue to the answer.
Once you've finished, we recommend checking out the below podcast from our pals at Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3's The Listening Service, in which Tom Service asks exactly why synths are so cool.
[LISTEN] Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 3 - The Listening Service: Pioneers of Sound
1. We’re only giving you a second of this classic Minimoog bassline, but we’d be absolutely STUNNED if you don’t get it…
2. Another Minimoog bassline, but can you identify the New Wave hit it features in?
3. At least four fabulous synths feature in the instrumental theme from this 1984 film. Can you name it?
4. More film music, but this time of a distinctly darker bent. What is it?
5. Can you name the 1972 song that features this futuristic-sounding opening?
6. Absolutely no prizes for guessing this one.
7. Bringing back memories? This track is typical of the preset synth sounds that dominated pop in the late 1980s and 90s...
8. The composer of this 1986 track thought it was so complex it could never be performed by a human (though an orchestra proved him wrong just six years later...)
9. A tricky one, this. Can you identify this 1987 British single from its B-side remix? We'll be dead impressed if you can...
10. And finally: can you name the 1940s piece that features this birdlike appearance from an ondes Martenot?
So – how did you do, synth fans?
*** CLICK HERE TO REVEAL THE ANSWERS ***
Emoji artwork supplied by
