Abstract: A telephone with electronic telephone alerting circuitry which includes a telephone ringing detector, a sound synthesizer activated by the ringing detector and an amplifier-speaker arrangement responsive to the synthesizer. Whenever ringing is detected, the synthesizer is activated and caused to generate a specific signal sequence programmed into the synthesizer. The synthesized signal is amplified and applied to a transducer, such as a speaker, which produces the alerting sound. The synthesizer comprises a synthesis controlling processor and a memory for storing the parameters of the programmed signal sequence. The memory may be alterable or replaceable.