page_title: Novachord
section_title: Appearances in contemporary media
hierarchical_section_title: Novachord / Appearances in contemporary media
caption_attribution_description: English: Inside the Hammond Novachord Section of the VCA/Divider pair tube array
context_page_description: The Novachord is often considered to be the world's first commercial polyphonic synthesizer. All-electronic, incorporating many circuit and control elements found in modern synthesizers, and using subtractive synthesis to generate tones, it was designed by John M. Hanert, Laurens Hammond and C. N. Williams, and was manufactured by the Hammond company. Only 1,069 Novachords were built over a period from 1939 to 1942. It was one of very few electronic products released by Hammond that was not intended to emulate the sound of an organ.
context_section_description: Like its contemporaries, the Theremin, the Ondes Martenot and the Trautonium, the Novachord can be heard occasionally in horror and science fiction film scores including many genre films from Universal Studios and James Bernard's ethereal music for Hammer's The Gorgon (1964).  Jerry Goldsmith used the Novachord in several of his film scores and is known to have held the instrument in high regard.  It was also used for the entr'acte music in Gone With the Wind (1939). Composer Heitor Villa-Lobos included a part for the Novachord in his Symphony Nº. 7 (1945). Hanns Eisler used the Novachord in his Kammersinfonie op. 69.  Dimitri Tiomkin used the Novachord to create the unusual percussion quality for The Ballad of High Noon, the Oscar-winning opening song in the 1952 film High Noon.
  The Novachord can be heard on many recordings of the era.  Many songs sung by Vera Lynn, including "We'll Meet Again", were accompanied by Arthur Young on the Novachord. One of the most notable recordings to feature the Novachord is "Brother Bones" recording of "Sweet Georgia Brown" on Tempo Records TR652. The Novachord is used for the bass line on that track, but can be more prominently heard on the B side of the record playing the melody on "Margie".  American jazz musician Slim Gaillard and his Quartette also recorded with the instrument on their 1947 instrumental release "Novachord Boogie" (Parlophone R 3035)
caption: Section of the VCA/Divider pair tube array
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