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Robert Moog was an American inventor who developed the Moog

Synthesizer. It was one of the first synthesizers to gain widespread use

as a musical instrument. Moog's synthesizers were an important part

of musical innovation in rock and jazz music in the 1960s and 1970s.

(5) Robert Arthur Moog was born in Queens, a borough of New York City

75 years ago. He became fascinated with electronics as a teenager,

particularly an early electronic music instrument called the theremin.

Moog studied physic and electrical engineering at Queens College and

Columbia University, both in New York City, and later received a Ph.D. in

(10) engineering physic Cornel University in Ithaca, New York. In 1954, while

still an undergraduate student, Moog formed his own company to sell

theremins and theremin kits.

Soon after, Moog began working on a keyboard instrument that could

replicate the sound of any musical instrument electronically. Working with

(15) American composer Herbert Deutsch, Moog introduced the prototype

Moog Synthesizer at a convention in 1964. The device represented a

significant advance over previous electronic synthesizer because of

its use of new semiconductor technology, which made Lt smaller and

considerably cheaper than earlier machines. The Moog, as it was known,

(20) was soon in demand by musician all over the world.

In 1964, Moog began a collaboration with American composer and

organist Walter Carlos (now Wendy Carlos), who released the bestselling

electronic music album Switched-On Bach in 1968. Rock groups such as

the Beatles and Yes and jazz musicians such as Herbie Hancock and Chick

(25) Corea began incorporating Moog Synthesizer into their recordings, a trend

that increased when the company introduced the compact and portable

Minimoog in 1970. A Moog Synthesizer was also prominently featured on

the soundtrack to the movie A Clockwork Orange in 1971. Encyclopedia

of World Biography, 2008

1. The word "prominently" in paragraph 3 can easily be replaced by ...