This piece belongs to the series "Echo Location: Soundings for New Music"

Other pieces by John Diliberto

Summary: The Mellotron was the sound of progressive rock and space music in the 1970s. Before digital synthesizers, it was an instrument that played back the sounds of orchestras, choirs, and more to generate the grandeur of The Moody Blues, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson and more. Dianna Dilworth has chronicled the birth of the Mellotron, going back to the late 1940s and the Chamberlin keyboard as well as its current revival. We talk to her about these instruments and their epic journey.