Wendy Carlos: a trailblazing electronic music pioneer
Synthesisers are one of the staples of modern music, making their way into songs from every genre imaginable, from classical compositions to mainstream pop. Of course, without synths, we wouldn’t have electronic music, one of the world’s most popular genres. While the history of electronic music dates back to the late 1800s with the invention of devices which were, in essence, proto-synths, a major breakthrough came in the early 1960s when Robert Moog invented the Moog synthesiser.
However, Moog wouldn’t have been able to create the final version of the Moog synthesiser if not for Wendy Carlos, one of the most important names in the history of electronic music. Carlos was born in 1939 and expressed an interest in instruments like the piano from an early age. In 1953 she created a computer for a high-school science fair which won the competition, signalling her natural abilities to invent and innovate.
Carlos studied music and physics at Brown University before earning a Master’s in composition from Columbia University. Soon, she was working with prolific names such as Leonard Bernstein before becoming a recording engineer. However, everything changed when Carlos met Moog, who was in the process of developing his iconic instrument. With Carlos’ technical prowess, Moog could adjust the device to its optimal state. She suggested alterations to the instrument, such as adding a touch-sensitive keyboard, making it easier to use.
As a result, the instrument became a sensation, with the first commercial Moog debuting in 1964. With the new invention, Carlos created lots of music, but nothing as successful as 1968’s Switched-On Bach. The record was made on the Moog, acting as an electronic interpretation of some of Bach’s best-known compositions. Talking to Carol Wright, Carlos explained that she wanted to create “appealing music you could really listen to” with the synth, which was predominantly used in experimental, non-commercial compositions until this point.
Due to the device being monophonic, Carlos revealed, “You had to release the note before you could make the next note start, which meant you had to play with a detached feeling on the keyboard, which was really very disturbing in making music.” The hard work paid off, and Carlos won three Grammys: ‘Best Engineered Classical Recording’, ‘Best Classical Performance – Instrumental Soloist or Soloists’ and ‘Best Classical Album’.
These wins were monumental – not just because they marked a significant shift in the development of mainstream music towards new sounds but also because Carlos became the first transgender person to win a Grammy. Although she did not publicly come out until 1979, Carlos underwent hormone replacement treatment in 1968 and sex reassignment surgery a few years later.
Throughout the following decades, Carlos has continued to create pioneering pieces of music and advocate for trans rights. Most notably, Carlos collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on two scores: A Clockwork Orange and The Shining, with Carlos’ unnerving synths acting as a vital part of the latter’s haunting atmosphere. She also soundtracked the 1982 science-fiction film Tron, as well as various films for Unicef.
Without Carlos, the Moog synthesiser wouldn’t be the widely-used instrument it is today. Since Carlos popularised it with Switched-On Bach, it has become one of the most important inventions in music history. It wouldn’t be long before artists like The Beatles – the biggest band in the world – used the Moog, giving it even greater recognition. Today, it’s one of the most essential instruments, with much of its success down to Carlos.
