Robert Moog

Robert Moog was an electrical engineer and inventor who developed one of the first modular music synthesizers. While the Buchla Music Box was developed nearly simultaneously, in 1963, the Moog Synthesizer became the standard tool of electronic musicians, largely due to Moog's wide array of available modules and continuing refinements to his basic design.

Fast Facts

1. Born: May 23, 1934
2. Birthplace: New York City
3. Considered the father of the electronic synthesizer
4. Name pronounced like 'moge,' not 'moog'
5. Died August 21, 2005
6. Cause of death: brain tumor
7. 1952: Graduated from the Bronx High School of Science
8. Earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Queens College
9. Earned another bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University
10. Received a Ph.D. in engineering physics from Cornell University
11. Moog synthesizer was popularized by Wendy Carlos on her 1968 album, Switched-On Bach

Backstory

Moog began making electronic instruments at age 15, when he built a version of Leon Theramin's 1919 invention, the 'aetherphone,' or theramin. He founded the R.A. Moog Company at age 19, offering theramin kits from 1953 until the release of the company's modular synthesizer.

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