The co-inventor of the Moog synthesizer and professor at Hofstra University on Long Island died on December 9, 2022 at the age of 90.
“The legacy ofHerb and his place in music history will never be forgotten. And here at Moog, his laughter will be missed and cherished,” Moog Music Inc. wrote on their facebook page. “We are infinitely grateful for your friendship, your collaboration, your advice and your creative spirit, Herb. Our love is with you and your family,” it also read.
Herb German started music around the age of 4. At the age of 31, he became friends with Bob Moog. In 1964, Deutsch et Moog begin work on a new instrument that would later become the first Moog synthesizer. Deutsch deals mainly with the “keyboard” side of the instrument. He wanted it to be a “small and affordable music synthesizer” that might appeal to as many musicians as possible, we learn via Pitchfork. “People have accused me of being modest, but in fact I think someone would have been in the same place and come to a similar point in a short time. It was a direction that was part of the history of technology and its inevitable link with the arts,” he said when asked regarding this collaboration (Pitchfork). He composed Jazz Images – A Worksong and Bluesthe first play written for the Moog.
“There is no one more important to the Moog legacy than Herb “, testifies the Bob Moog Foundation in a press release. “His deep creativity, his curiosity, his intelligence and his quest for musical boundaries have prompted Bob Moog to design the first Moog synthesizer with the invaluable advice and collaboration of Herb. As the prototype evolved into larger modular systems, Herb et Bob worked together to promote this revolutionary instrument, Herb composing and playing these instruments and teaching them at seminars and in his classroom,” it also reads.
Photo credit: Page Facebook de Moog Music Inc.