Abstract
The tradition of spoken-word recording began with Thomas Edison’s invention of the phonograph. Hence, this article makes the case that 1878 is a more important year to the history of literature than has yet been recognized for its experiments with verse and sound-recording technology. Although the tinfoil phonograph’s first decade has been well documented by media historians, literary critics have singled out 1888 as the noteworthy year since that is when Edison’s improved phonograph made it possible to record prominent figures including Alfred Tennyson and Robert Browning. Taking Edison’s original tinfoil phonograph as an alternative starting point reveals how the 1878 phonograph demonstrations, despite technological limitations, undertook acoustic experiments that enabled audiences to discern new forms of meaning, pleasure, and pathos in even the most well-known material. The recordings considered here include ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ as well as scripts by Tennyson, Caroline Norton, Edgar Allan Poe, Shakespeare, and others. Such recitals illustrate the extent to which Edison’s talking machine influenced the reception of texts while at the same time giving rise to performances unheard of in previous cultures.
Highlights
John Munro, author of several books on electricity, declared, ‘the words of our lips, which formerly wasted themselves in air and were lost for ever, may be treasured up and recalled for our pleasure.’1 Munro was among the first to hear the phonograph exhibited to the Society of Telegraph Engineers in London
He recalled the audience sitting in absolute silence when the mechanical device on the table before them began to speak: ‘The phonograph presents his compliments to the audience’
The spoken word played a prominent role at phonograph demonstrations taking place throughout America and Europe
Summary
Thomas Edison’s invention of the phonograph in 1877 immediately impressed spectators with its ability to preserve human speech (Fig. 1). Edward Johnson, prospectus, 18 February 1878, The Papers of Thomas Alva Edison (Digital Edition) , D7838J1; ‘The Phonograph Exhibited’, New York Times, 24 March 1878, p. Taking Edison’s original tinfoil phonograph as an alternative starting point reveals how the 1878 demonstrations, despite technological limitations, undertook their own acoustic experiments, enabling audiences to discern new forms of meaning, pleasure, and pathos in even the most well-known material. — the author’s voice and the machine’s sound effects — by examining recordings of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ as well as scripts by Poe, Tennyson, Shakespeare, and others Such recitals illustrate the extent to which the talking machine influenced the reception of spoken texts while at the same time giving rise to verbal performances unheard of in previous oral cultures
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