I'm eager to share the exciting story I read today, but at the same time I want to clarify a few points. I really think the reporters relied too heavily on the press release for the story at the expense of a very important bit of information.
Scientists today released a brief 1860 recording of a woman singing "Au Clair de la Lune". If true, this would predate Edison's recording of a human voice by more than 17 years, placing this as the oldest known recording of a human voice.
It was 'recorded' by Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville, a French inventor who used a device called a phonautograph. It used a hog's bristle to etch a line representing a sound on a piece of paper that had been darkened by lamp soot.
These papers lay forgotten in the French patent office for a century and a half before being discovered and then played with the help of computers
Click on the picture of the phonautograph to hear the recording. If it doesn't work, click here.
What I find mildly deceptive about the reporting (and don't get me wrong, I think it is a crime of laziness or omission, without wrongful intent) is that the hoopla to cast aside Edison as the 'inventor' of recorded speech ignores an important fact:
The phonautograph was never intended to record sound and play it back. It was designed and used to visually record a sound, to create a record of its existence. It took the knowledge of modern audio historians to realize the implications and create a means of listening to the record.
To me it's like designing the first alphabet, putting together words, then merrily filing the effort away without ever once stumbling across the fact that you just invented the written language.
Much of the glory is in the practical application of an idea, is it not?
The 1860 recording is impressive, to be sure, and fascinating to a stunning degree, but it was not a prototype of a CD player that was pushed aside in the history books by the conniving Thomas Alva Edison.
Even so, to Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, wherever you are: congratulations, and well done; you are remembered.
And that is the greatest reward of all.
4 comments:
That IS a great story, and I think your distinction is an important one.
Beth
What a great entry and thank you for sharing. I find this facinating and you comments warranted.
Joyce
Very interesting!
You know American's...want to take credit for everything!
Interesting. I've seen this before, in my readings about technology. There's plenty of contrast/friction between us and several other countries on who was first...around that time. Ben Franklin too... ;) C.
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