For The Record

Sunday, 30. March 2008, 20:02:42

The earliest sound-recording in history can now be heard for the first time.

The recording was made as soon as 17 years before Edison invented the phonograph, in fact.

On April 9, 1860 the French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville made the first recording in history of a human voice, using his phonautograph. The recording was never really meant to be listened to, rather to be used as a tool to analyze the nature of sound.

The recording is of a voice singing the French song called Au clair de la lune, Pierrot respondit. Maybe my Ffrench isn't good enough, but I know the song and wouldn't be able to tell if I didn't know. I think it sounds like a bumble-bee trapped in a bottle.

I cannot ad much detail - only say, that the phonautograph made the recording by etching with a stylus onto paper blackened by the smoke from an oil-lamp.

An operator cranked the device by hand while the recording was being made, and the result was a trace on the paper representing the sound.

You can read more here, or if you wish, you can listen to the actual recording here.

Now, That's Humour!New Camera

Comments

And here is BBC Newsreader Charlotte Green's response to the same recording...

By musickna, # 30. March 2008, 20:11:34

Damn! The BBC always gets there before I do! At least I had a giggle, too.

By ricewood, # 30. March 2008, 20:13:59

Me too.

By musickna, # 30. March 2008, 20:20:23

And yet, ironically, the song made Billboard's No. 1 spot for many years. Mainly due to the fact that it was the only recording available. It was finally knocked out of the No. 1 spot a few years later by Thomas A. Edison's famous rock n' roll classic, "Watson, Come Here."

By edwardpiercy, # 30. March 2008, 21:32:50

I like the machine used to make the recording, very classy with all that brass.

By Mickeyjoe_irl, # 30. March 2008, 21:58:25

Edward, with respect, I think you're wrong about the Edison classic. It was, I think, "Mary had a little Lamb".

Yup, Mickey good thing with the brass, except it needs polishing from time to time.

By ricewood, # 30. March 2008, 22:05:37

I thought that "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was the Bee-Gees.

By edwardpiercy, # 30. March 2008, 22:12:40

No, it was Paul McCartney (seriously - one of his more forgettable records).

By musickna, # 30. March 2008, 22:19:20

That nails it. That's why the Beetles broke up, exactly that type of thing!

By edwardpiercy, # 30. March 2008, 22:21:05

If they'd let this lot loose on that machine we would have had the first comedy record.

By Mickeyjoe_irl, # 30. March 2008, 22:27:09

By edwardpiercy, # 30. March 2008, 22:30:21

By musickna, # 30. March 2008, 22:54:50

I want some of those "silly pills" you guys are taking today.

By Stardancer, # 31. March 2008, 00:12:24

By musickna, # 31. March 2008, 00:39:11

You're right, a bumble bee in a bottle!

By cakkleberrylane, # 31. March 2008, 02:04:49

Heh heh heh - I was just going to post the article about the Charlotte Green when I noticed someone else had..

heh heh heh

By hungryghost, # 31. March 2008, 06:00:48

That's exactly why I have something against the way God created the world. Because this planet is round, I will have to sleep my 7 hours while others on the other side are having fun.

By ricewood, # 31. March 2008, 07:13:38

I think it's wonderfull, that the first recording is of musical content.

It proves to me, that music is the original mean of communication. I'm a drummer, so I like the idea that we used the drum to communicate cross the woods even before any words were spoken (except the Word of God, if you happen to believe that).

That is, off course, if you recognize drumming as music...

Just a thought...

By Aqualion, # 31. March 2008, 22:59:09

Drummin' sure is music - and the best part of it!

By ricewood, # 1. April 2008, 20:48:12