Theremin in 'First Man'

The theremin in First Man is full of fascinating details you might not expect. Composer Justin Hurwitz taught himself to play the instrument over roughly a year, practicing scales daily and assembling his best recorded takes. He intentionally kept his imperfections, letting tuning drifts add emotional authenticity. The instrument rises to the forefront during the Apollo 11 moon sequence, and the score ultimately won Hurwitz a Golden Globe. There's much more to uncover below.

Key Takeaways

• Justin Hurwitz self-taught himself theremin over roughly a year using daily scale practice and repeated recordings to capture the strongest takes.
• Hurwitz used a Moog Etherwave model, which enthusiasts identified through photographic evidence found during production.
• The theremin's tuning drifts and expressive imperfections were intentionally preserved to convey emotional authenticity throughout the score.
• Strings were processed through Leslie rotor cabinets and tremolo pedals to blend seamlessly with the theremin's unique texture.
• The theremin was brought forward in the mix specifically during the Apollo 11 mission and moon sequences for concentrated emotional release.

What Is the Theremin and Why Does It Suit a Space Film?

The theremin is an electronic instrument invented by Léon Theremin in 1920, and it's unlike anything else you've ever seen performed. You play it without touching it, moving your hands near two antennas to control pitch and volume. That spatial tension between performer and instrument mirrors the vast, untouchable emptiness of space itself.

Its continuous tone closely resembles the human voice, giving it an emotional expressiveness that mimics vocal inflections and registers grief, pain, and isolation with striking precision. Those qualities make it a natural fit for a space film. The theremin's wailing, eerie timbre evokes cosmic atmospheres and human vulnerability simultaneously. Hurwitz specifically intended the theremin performances to sound electronic yet not harsh, blending with the orchestral texture around it.

Combined with orchestral strings and Moog synthesizers, it captures the futuristic yet deeply personal feeling that defines the Moon race era. Much like how J.R.R. Tolkien's deep expertise in philology and linguistics shaped an entirely new mythological world, Hurwitz's intimate understanding of the theremin's voice allowed him to build a sonic universe uniquely suited to Armstrong's story. Composer Justin Hurwitz played the theremin himself for the score, using a Moog Etherwave model that enthusiasts later identified through photographic evidence.

Why Did Damien Chazelle Choose the Theremin for First Man?

His initial hesitation centered on the instrument's sci-fi associations, but he quickly recognized its nostalgic timbre could serve a deeper purpose — capturing Neil Armstrong's emotional alienation rather than just evoking outer space.

Hurwitz acquired a theremin immediately after the suggestion. Its eerie, voice-like qualities made it uniquely capable of expressing grief, loneliness, and cosmic pain, aligning perfectly with Chazelle's vision for a score that felt profoundly human rather than spectacularly cinematic. By his own admission, Hurwitz was not a virtuoso on the instrument, yet its expressive imperfection only deepened its emotional authenticity within the score. Much like Rembrandt's revolutionary approach to the group portrait format, which depicted figures in dynamic action rather than static formal lines, Hurwitz embraced imperfection as a means of conveying deeper emotional narrative.

The theremin was deliberately kept mixed mild throughout the film, only rising to the forefront during the Apollo 11 mission and the moon sequence to deliver a moment of concentrated emotional release.

How Did Justin Hurwitz Learn to Play for the Score?

When Damien Chazelle suggested the theremin, Justin Hurwitz didn't hesitate — he acquired one immediately and started experimenting. Testing the main theme revealed something striking: the instrument carried an expressive, human voice quality that perfectly captured the film's emotional core.

What followed was a year-long learning curve built entirely on self taught techniques. Without keys or a fingerboard to guide him, Hurwitz relied heavily on ear training routines, developing pitch control purely through listening. The process felt intimidating at first — electronic instruments demand a different instinct than traditional ones.

He practiced scales and arpeggios daily, recording the same pieces repeatedly and assembling the strongest takes. No formal instruction, no shortcuts. Just consistent repetition until his hands learned what his ears already knew. Much like the Sage brand archetype, Hurwitz embraced a philosophy of relentless self-reflection and information gathering, trusting that accumulated knowledge would eventually translate into mastery.

How Does the Theremin Sound During the Moon Landing Scenes?

After a year of self-taught practice, Hurwitz had shaped the theremin into something deeply personal — and nowhere does that come through more powerfully than in the moon landing sequences.

In "The Landing," a 5:31 track, you'll hear its ethereal vibrato stretch across the vastness of space while simultaneously conveying Armstrong's grief. It integrates with synthesized drones and percussive pulses during tense moments, then shifts to a delicate intimate resonance that humanizes Armstrong's emotions.

In "Moon Walk," lasting 1:29, the theremin's wailing, mournful quality softens into something fragile and human. Hurwitz blends it with the 94-piece orchestra and vintage synthesizers to balance raw spatial enormity with quiet personal loss, making the moon landing feel both monumentally historic and deeply private. The theremin was specifically chosen for its associations with 1950s–60s sci-fi and its ability to mimic a mournful, human-voice-like quality that channels the protagonist's grief. This approach aligns with the film's broader focus on personal relationships and mental health rather than solely on the engineering triumphs of the Apollo program.

How Did Hurwitz Blend the Theremin With a Full Orchestra?

Blending a self-taught theremin performance into a 94-piece orchestra could've easily produced chaos, but Hurwitz approached it with surgical precision. He kept the theremin low in the mix, feathering it lightly into early cues so you'd feel its presence without registering it consciously. That careful dynamic balancing meant the electronic sound never felt harsh or abrasive against the strings, brass, and woodwinds surrounding it.

For orchestral integration, Hurwitz routed strings through Leslie rotor cabinets and tremolo pedals, giving the acoustic instruments a processed texture that met the theremin halfway. He layered vintage synths underneath for atmospheric support, then made repeated back-and-forth adjustments until everything sat together naturally. The theremin's tuning drifts actually helped, mimicking the imperfections of live orchestral playing and making the blend feel genuinely human. The score was performed at Sony Scoring Stage in California, giving Hurwitz the ideal acoustic environment to monitor and fine-tune exactly how the theremin sat within the full ensemble.

The Effects and Vintage Synths That Give the Score Its Otherworldly Tone

The theremin's careful integration into the orchestra was only part of Hurwitz's sonic strategy. He also reached for vintage effects and synths to deepen the score's otherworldly tone. At Sony Scoring Stage, he ran sounds through Leslie speakers and an Echoplex, while analogue rotor cabinets shaped the mix during post-production.

For the futuristic late-1960s atmosphere, Hurwitz used both an American Moog synthesizer and a British EMS VCS 3. Moog layering added texture without pushing any single melody forward, keeping the sound atmospheric and immersive. The EMS VCS 3 contributed a softer, vintage futurism that avoided harsh edges. Notably, Robert Moog's own path into electronic instrument design was directly shaped by the theremin, as Moog was inspired by the instrument when developing his groundbreaking synthesizer.

Together, these tools fused with the theremin and orchestra to create something grounded yet cosmic — perfectly suited to the film's intimate, emotionally restrained style. The 94-piece orchestra performed the full score at Sony Scoring Stage in California, providing the rich acoustic foundation that made these electronic and analog textures feel anchored rather than abstract.

How Did the First Man Theremin Score Win a Golden Globe?

On January 6, 2019, Justin Hurwitz won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score at the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards — his third career Golden Globe and a milestone marking his first score built around electronic instruments.

You can trace the awards impact directly to how the score's critical reception defied the film's mixed audience reactions. While First Man divided viewers, the score earned universal praise for its bold blend of theremin, orchestra, and vintage sounds.

Hurwitz had already proven himself with two Golden Globes and two Oscars for La La Land, but this win confirmed he could push beyond familiar territory. His willingness to center an unconventional instrument in nearly every music cue clearly resonated with voters and critics alike. The score also benefited from his ongoing creative partnership with director Damien Chazelle, who encouraged the electronic exploration that defined the film's sound.

Notably, Hurwitz did not simply hire a specialist for the theremin parts — he learned and performed the theremin himself, crafting performances designed to sound mournful and human-voice-like while blending seamlessly into the orchestral texture.