Customized Moog Modular Synthesizer with keyboard, ribbon controllers, and stand
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Inspired by the 1968 Wendy Carlos album Switched-On Bach, Keith Emerson of the new band Emerson, Lake and Palmer sought out one of the synthesizers that Robert Moog built for a 1969 Museum of Modern Art concert. The band’s 1970 hit single “Lucky Man,” with an expressive Moog solo by Emerson, helped establish the synthesizer as a lead instrument in popular music. Emerson collaborated with Moog to expand the synthesizer and optimize it for live performance, adding additional components and preset modules that recall sounds.
Technical Description:
Two main console modules, four expansion cabinets with presets; keyboard and ribbon controllers, patch cables; additional preset switching box, "Em-o-vision" monitor
Technical Description:
Two main console modules, four expansion cabinets with presets; keyboard and ribbon controllers, patch cables; additional preset switching box, "Em-o-vision" monitor
Artwork Details
- Title: Customized Moog Modular Synthesizer with keyboard, ribbon controllers, and stand
- Artist: R. A. Moog Co. (Trumansburg, New York, USA, founded 1953)
- Artist: Keith Emerson
- Date: 1968
- Medium: Wood, metal, plastic
- Dimensions: Height (without stand): 54 in. (137.2 cm)
Width: 49 in. (124.5 cm)
Depth: 14 in. (35.6 cm)
Weight: ~300-550 lbs. (136-250 kg) - Classification: Electrophone
- Credit Line: Courtesy of the Electronic Music Education and Preservation Project (EMEAPP)
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments