Wendy Carlos is an extremely influential composer who shaped the way that modern music evolved. Even if this is your first time hearing that name, you may already be familiar with her work. If you’ve ever watched A Clockwork Orange or The Shining, Wendy Carlos is the genius behind both of those soundtracks. Her work on movie soundtracks doesn’t start and stop with Kubrick, she also composed the soundtrack for the sci-fi movie Tron. If you listen to electronic music, you have Wendy Carlos to thank at least in part. She was a key part of popularizing and legitimizing synthesizers as a real instrument.
Today, being familiar with the myriad of electronic genres out there can make it difficult to imagine a time when electronic devices were barely ever utilized in music. It’s important to add the context of the time period. The Moog synthesizer first came out in the 1960s, only 30 years after the invention and adoption of the electric guitar.
Officially patented by Robert Moog in 1969, the Moog synthesizer was a revolutionary, first of its kind take on synthesizing music. It was more portable and accessible than previous synthesizers, which had used a huge system of vacuum tubes to create sounds. The Moog synthesizer scaled this down to something that a single musician could actually use. Carlos began working with Moog after commissioning him to make her a synthesizer, and her input on that project as well as other projects Moog sought out her opinion on made a significant impact on the design that would become the synthesizer. Carlos offered extensive technical advice and critiques on how to make the synthesizer more musically dynamic and accessible.
Switched-On Bach
Carlos wasn’t just responsible for suggesting improvements or offering technical support though. She also introduced the synthesizer into the public consciousness with her 1968 album, “Switched-On Bach”. These were synthesized covers of the works of Bach, made with the intention of easing the listener into the world of synthetic music by using an artist they were already familiar with. The recording process for this was long and arduous. Early synthesizers had to be played one note at a time, and many had technical problems that one might expect of early prototypes. It was due to Carlos’s extreme diligence and technical know-how that this album was able to be produced. She worked hours on end programming entire symphonies one note at a time. Despite the concept being novel and seeming niche to labels, this hard work would pay off in a huge way.
The album was a breakaway commercial success, shocking everyone involved in its development by making it all the way to the Billboard Top 10. The success of the album led to the success of the synthesizer. After the album’s release Newsweek ran an article all about the Moog synthesizer, highlighting its use on the album and drawing attention to its potential future uses in music making and production. In 1969 the album was certified as Gold, and by 1986 it went Platinum.
Wendy Carlos is responsible for the album that made synthesizers seem useful. By familiarizing a wide audience with the instrument she set the stage for what would follow, which was the huge boom of synth music in the 80s. Without Carlos, would the synthesizer have been just another toy? Would it have stagnated with lack of marketing? It is impossible to know, but nobody can downplay the significance of this composer’s contributions.