Centuries of Sound - 1853 to 1860

Описание: Phonoautograms by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville.

1. Diapason at 435 Hz–at sequential stages of restoration (1859 Phonautogram) 0:00

This is an example of the tuning fork tone which made the restoration possible. We start from noise, and from the noise, a sound emerges.

2. Notes played on guitar by Adolphe Giacomelli (1853 or 1854) 0:24
3. First ever voice recording captured from the air (1853 or 1854) 0:29

These are some of Scott’s earliest experiments, made on his earliest prototype machine.

4. Phonautography of the voice at a distance (March 1857) 0:30
5. Song of the voice, changes in tone (July 1857) 0:34
6. Song at a Distance (“The Echoes”) (August 17, 1857) 0:51
7. Ashen Pipe (Aug – Oct. 1857) 1:07
8. Stylus of Bristle (Aug – Oct. 1857) 1:35
9. The Sound of a Deep Voice (October 1857) 1:46
10. The Lord’s Prayer (October 1857) 1:58
11. Study of the Timber of the Voice (November 1857) 2:20

These are recordings made on the earlier version of the phonoautogram machine, mostly indecipherable as the speed was not properly regulated. The “Song at a Distance” possibly features the voice of a young girl, and should it later be decoded it may count as the first recorded music.

12. The Timber of the Cornet (December 1857) 2:31

This is now the earliest fully-recovered recording. The soloist is unknown, but the tone of the instrument is unmistakable.

13. Au Clair de la Lune (April 9, 1860) 2:45
14. Shakespeare : Othello excerpt (April 17 1860) 3:13
15. R, I, RI, R, A, RA, RIRA (Will Laugh) (April 18, 1860) 3:21
16. Racine : Phedre (excerpt) (April 19, 1860) 3:27
17. Tasso : Aminta (excerpt) (April – May 1860) 3:44
18. Vocal Scale (May 17, 1860) 3:57
19. Cherubini : Et Incarnatus Est (Sept 1, 1860) 4:12
20. Masse : Fly, Little Bee (September 1860, or later) 4:25

These are the fully-restored recordings from the final version of the phonoautogram. Note the difference in the sound of “Au Clair de la Lune” compared to the radio broadcast. At the time it was believed to be the recording of a young girl – now it is thought to be Scott’s voice.