You are here: Home > The 1888 Crystal Palace recordings > The phonograph reaches London

The 1888 Crystal Palace recordings

1878 : The phonograph reaches London

On 19th February 1878 Edison wrote to Preece of two far-reaching developments

linking the phonograph to a telephone - the ideas behind both electrical recording (which would take another 47 years to be developed) and the telephone answering machine
manipulation of sounds by playing them in reverse - this had to wait for the development of the tape recorder another 70 years on before becoming the basis of music concrete

Yours received dated Feb[ruar]y 6th. Glad to hear you made phono go. Ere this letter reaches you the improved phonograph will have reached you. Use think foil very smooth and bass tone - lips close to hole. The articulation is dependent on how the diaphragm is dampened by the rubber tubes. When it don't speak plain look to these tubes. I forget if I sent you instructions or not.

To day by using a very thick hard foil - very smooth a proper point agate, and a good governor in the clockwork, I finished the articulation. I can never hope to get it to speak plainer. Its perfection and the voice is recognized, but the slightest difference in the speed you lose these recognition but the talking still seems as plain.

Solid cylinders of polished lead received the indentations and reproduce beautifully. Iron not so clear owing to noise due to imperfect surface a Bell telephone with a pointed pole held near indentations in iron cylinder gives talking but not good. I am making a glass cylinder over which thick foil is laid indenting without grooves. Note - stretch foil on your cylinder tightly.

Phono is talking better through a telephone line. This evening I found out something good. when the machine runs by regulated power the singing is sweet but turning cylinder backwards the song is still melodious in many cases and some of the strains are sweet and novel, but altogether different from the song reproduced in the right way. Wagner hasn't the monopoly of the music of the future. I'm going into the machine composing business - just think of it, "Faustus backwards by Edison in 56 sheets phonographically, price 30 cents. For sale by all dealers in phonograph materials".

A good thing to recite in the phono is "A soldier of the Legion lay dying in Algiers", etc. [Bingen on the Rhine by Caroline Norton].

About my agents: Edmunds came down to my laboratory and saw phono, wanted to take it to E[ngland] - wouldn't let him. I gave him some strips, told him call on you. Beetle is Electric Pen man on Continent, hasn't anything to do with phono or telephone. Herz was a fraud and failed to pay for the patents. Puskas stepped in, paid for the patents and has the Continents for phono and telephone. Puskas has no contract with me in England. I told him when he asked me if he could stop in London and sell phono that he might.

As to telephone I have made no arrangement with any person except you and you shall have the say. If I hadn't thought the phono was outside of your line you could had that too. I'm going to ship you pair telephones Monday next for your private experimental use. They are not as perfect as I am going to make them but for rough work I think you will find them OK. If you find anything wrong with them reserve your criticism and decision until I make them OK. I'm going to have the best telephone, or I'll eat all I've got.

Alexander Graham Bell, still in London and staying at 57 West Cromwell Road, was particularly in the the speed of the cylinder had on the quality of recording, as this letter to Preece from 25th February shows:

I am sorry I not have the opportunity of being present at your lecture upon the Phonograph at the Society of Telegraph Engineers as I have an engagement to dine out that evening.

I hope however to be present at the Physical Society on Saturday and intend asking you a few question.

I specially desire to ascertain what effect is produced upon the articulation by turning the handle of the Phonograph at different rates of speed. OF course, pitch would be changed but what I want specially to ascertain is how the vowel quality would be changed. For instance suppose you sound the vowel "Ah" while the handle is turned at a certain rate of speed. Now, when the sound is to be reproduced from the Phonograph turn the handle at a different rate of speed. I can well understand that the pitch of the sound would be altered but what about the quality. Is the vowel "Ah" produced with a changed pitch or does some other vowel make its appearance instead? There are very curious questions connected with speech that can be solved by the Phonograph.

I should like very much to have the loan of the apparatus, if only for a night, before your lecture on Saturday in order that I might say a few words concern the instrument myself.

Edison with his phonograph, 18th April 1878

In the North American Review in June 1878, Edison suggested these uses for his invention, all of which have come about:

Letter writing and all kinds of dictation without the aid of a stenographer.
Phonographic books, which will speak to blind people without effort on their part.
The teaching of elocution.
Reproduction of music.
The "Family Record" - a registry of sayings, reminiscences, etc., by members of a family in their own voices, and of the last words of dying persons.
Musical boxes and toys.
Clocks that should announce in articulate speech the time for going home, going to meals, etc.
The preservation of languages by exact reproduction of the manner of pronouncing.
Educational purposes; such as preserving the explanations made by a teacher, so that the pupil can refer to them at any moment, and spelling or other lessons placed upon the phonograph for convenience in committing to memory.
Connection with the telephone, so as to make that instrument an auxiliary in the transmission of permanent and invaluable records, instead of being the recipient of momentary and fleeting communication.

The 1878 phonograph is illustrated and described in this article from The Engineer from 21st June 1878 on Mike Penney's site.

The novelty appears to have worn off fairly quickly and Edison moved on to concentrate on the electric light bulb.

During the 1880s, Alexander Graham Bell, his cousin Chichester A. Bell, and Charles Sumner Tainter developed Edison's phonograph. Their major achievement was to replace his flimsy tinfoil recording medium with something more permanent - a hard wax which could be played more than once.

Bell and Tainter patented their development on 4th May 1878 and the machine was named the graphophone. They approach Edison with a view to co-operating on further developments, but Edison - who had completed his work on the light bulb - apparently wanted to do the development himself.

On 11th August 1887 Edison patented his new phonograph and by October a working machine was completed.

The Edison Phonograph Company was formed on 8th October 1887 with the intention of marketing Edison's machine.

Continue...