Richard Lainhart, 1953-2011

Richard LainhartRichard Lainhart, a pioneer of modern modular synthesis,  died Dec 30th, 2011, from a post-operational infection.

Lainhart had a classical education in composition and electronic music and created works in both audio and visual media. He was an advernturous synthesist, often performing with a Buchla 200e modular synthesizer and Haken Continuum controller.

Lainhart’s wive, Caroline Meyers, shared the sad news:

Dear friends of Richard,

It is with a heavy heart that I that I must tell you Richard Lainhart, composer, musician, technologist, filmmaker, and digital artisan died Friday, December 30, 2011.

On December 17, Richard complained of pains in his side and was admitted to the hospital for tests which showed an intestinal cancer. He was operated on on December 21. After the surgery (which showed the cancer had not spread), there were infectious complications which took his life on December 30.

He struggled valiantly to overcome his infection, but it was not to be. We are all in shock and cannot grasp the idea of his not making music, talking music, teaching, posting and playing.

Here’s a combination audio & video performance by Lainhart from 2009, featuring work for high-definition film projection and synthesizer in quadraphonic sound. Lainhart performed with his Buchla 200e modular analog synthesizer, controlled by the Haken Continuum Fingerboard.

Richard Lainhart at the Arts Center of Capital Region, Pt 2:

Pt 3:

Pt 4:

Pt 5:

Lainhart was also a talented music educator. Here’s a sample of his course on Advanced Synthesis for Mac Pro Video:

See Lainhart’s site for more information on his work and a discography of his recordings.

5 thoughts on “Richard Lainhart, 1953-2011

  1. Rest in peace. My best wishes to the family and friends. I enjoyed your commitment and enthusaim to the arts.

    Thank you for the contributions you made and the inspiration you instilled.

    1. Caroline

      Please do. We’re sorry for your loss and the loss of your husband’s contributions to the world of music.

      James Lewin

  2. I did not know him well, but I was very glad to have known him at all. His genius was complete, left and right brain hemispheres firing at peak! He was a huge influence on my own tutorials and reviews, so I was blown away when he contacted me for technical details! He was so humble too. I know that’s the kind of nonsense people say in eulogies, but for real… He walked with celebrities and had an intelligence that far out-paced most, but he came off as a keen and modest man.

  3. I just finished the watching the lessons Analog Synthesis in a Digital World, unaware that he’s dead 🙁 . Until I searched his name and Wikipedia informed me otherwise. That made me sad, like loosing a teacher or a friend, albeit through a digital medium. I totally didn’t get any hints from Macprovideo (not that I’m looking for it).

    Rest in peace Richard. Your music and teachings shall live on forever and continue to inspire us.

Leave a Reply to Caroline Meyers Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *