@Parthian100 Perdón, pero es una grabación del año 1889, y además se escucha la voz de uno de los más grandes compositores de la época. No es que el video este "defectuoso" en su calidad, es que la grabación es así. Saludos
don't be ignorants...this is Brahm's voice...this was recorder for his friend THOMAS ALVA EDISON..because he invented the first recorder...this was a gift for Edison and Brahms spoke in english of course because Edison didn't understand Hugarian and Brahms knew english...so be surprised...U ARE LISTENING TO THE VOICE OF ONE OF THE BEST MUSICIANS OF ALL HISTORY!!!
@MuSixramper It should be "BRAHMS' voice" and no it is obvious it is not because the person is INTRODUCING Doktor Brahms.... come on...don't be fooled....
@cubanbach Brahms said "I'm doctor Brahms, Johannes Brahms" that's because in that age the word "doctor" has a colloquial meaning...when you are with friends...
@MuSixramper Complete nonsense! "Doktor" never had a "colloquial meaning", neiter in English nor in German; Brahms held an honorary doctorate (University of Breslau, 1878; Oxford University also wanted to honor him, but he did not care enough to travel to England). That's why he calls himself "doctor".
brahms a shitty player???.. he was one of the most accomplished musicians of his time..please learn a little about the man before making such a judgment from an obviously poor quality recording
@1Thompsonmusic Brahms was a great composer, but as a pianist he was not in the class of Liszt or Chopin. I know of no accounts of his playing that indicate he was in any way spectacular, which is understandable because Brahms never devoted himself fully to the task of becoming a great pianist.
@karlakor ... Brahms was a good pianist as he performed both his piano concertos ... in later years the quality of his playing declined ... as we know from Liszt and Mason.
@karlakor no pianist is in the class of Liszt or Chopin, they are in a world that is untouchable. that being said one cannot dismiss the pianistic greatness of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, or Rachmanninoff. now you want a great composer who was a mediocre pianist at best, Schubert.
@Doug19752533 You are right, no one was in the class of Liszt and Chopin, each incomparable in his own way. It is humanity's loss that they did not live in the age of recording. What I wouldn't give to hear them!!
The speaker is Theodor Wangemann, one of Edison's agents who traveled all over Europe at the time, demonstrating the new invention to musicians, politicians and other celebrities. He does not say "I am Doctor Brahms", but probably "bei Herrn Doktor Brahms" (misusing "bei" in the sense of English "by"). There exists a slightly more complete transfer that makes it clear that Wangemann is speaking German with an accent: The full sentence is "Wien, im Dezember 1889, im Haus von... (etc)."
Yes, the general opinion now is that this is NOT the voice of Brahms, although it is him playing. Because the original recording has never been edited it is not possible that he could speak and then play so quickly afterwards. It is still a unique gem though, and we are very lucky to have it.
The voice is actually introducing Brahms, saying something along the lines of 'Here is Dr Brahms on the piano' in German... He wasn't actually a doctor, it's an honorific.
would it be possible that this voice is J.Brahms´ if this is so it's a real treasure this recording, but it´s rather difficult to believe this is so, sorry but as a lover of classical music and being Brahms one of its great genius it´s hardly for me to believe so , how can I be convinced?
Not being rude, but seriously. to me it sounded like he's saying "I needs crap! I needs crap!" o.O" but then again.. this is so COOL hearing someones voice for over 100 years
Many people say the net is just 0s and 1s.....well the universe is just atoms.
This sound...the mere knowledge of its' context is sweeter to me than probably every kind of music on TV just now. It has an almost miraculous aspect.
My partner's been trying to convert me to Brahms music - without success - this clip hardly helps - sounds like my drunker neighbour in the coal shed trying to find the way out.
Napoleontas, Well, also, remember, Edison had perfected his phonograph in 1877, and for decades before there had been R and D into sound recording. Don't underestimate the past so much. Remember, our "modern" technology didn't just sprout up around 1900.
thank god we have talented musicians in our time living today who can preform this piece because quite frankly the primative recording of this sounds terrible
@jampiper when your own stupidity is a complete fool, you are a compound idiot. where are these numbskulls and which of them said brahms was not amazing or more-than-amazing?
...and I'm sure YOU are a great pianist and able to play both of his piano concertos, all sonatas, variations, piano pieces and chamber music, along with Beethoven Sonatas and concertos and all the other works, which Brahms performed with great bravura during his carreer. Otherwise take some advice: Shut the fuck up and let the grown-ups talk, you ignorant idiot!!!
He seems to say "Haus von Herrn Dr Fehlinger." (comment: not sure how to spell that name). Then he says: "I am Dr Brahms, Johannes Brahms." The initial sentence is definitely in German and the grammar is right too ("Haus von Herrn", i.e. adding the n after "Herr"). [I am at] the house of Herrn Dr Fehlinger. Then changing from German to English introducing himself.
Just as a comment: years ago I read that is not Brahms speaking, and I was convinced because the analysis they made was really serious (it was made in the "electronic area" of the Consérvatoire de Paris, not by students)
But with your help I understand more clear the words and I'm agree with you: this is an amazing document. Thank you!
@castromonteiro Is a blessing to have this recordings of Brahm's live music, when sound machines were just invented. My respcet for all those inventors who built the basis of our modern life. We all owe them so much!
There was an analysis of this recording at Stanford Univ. The jist: it wasn't Brahms or Felinger speaking, although it was at Felinger's house. It was likely Theo Wangemann, a representative from Edison, introducing Brahms: "Dezember Achtzehnhundertneununachtzig. Haus von Herrn Doktor Fellinger, bei mir ist Doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms." The researchers cleared up some preliminary noise before the first easily audible word, "Haus" which was the date: December 1889.
It sucks that this particular recording is so bad sounding.... Some other Edison cylinders that I have heard from other recordings around the same year sound a lot better... More similar to an early 78 in sound.
Yes, Vinyacardo, it certain;y requires a firm knowledge of the piece to hear it through the extraneous noise on this recording - but how exciting to anyone who knows it well to hear Brahms playing it!
You really need a good imagination to hear anything but plain noise the second and "denoized" version could be the same one with a lower volume. Maybe music historians and experts could get some information from it, but clearly not the people at large.
The spoken text at the start of the recording has been wrongly attributed as belonging to Brahms. Considering the time between the announcement and the start of the music it seems improbable that the same person could segue from speech to playing so quickly particularly given the technological limitations.
The denoised excerpts reveals enough of the speech to suggest that the speaker introduces Brahms as follows:
"..Haus von Herrn Doktor Fellinger, bei mir ist Doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms".
he's saying: "haus von herrn doktor fenlinger, bei herrn doktor brahms, johannes brahms" = "house of mr doctor fenlinger *with* mr doctor brahms, johannes brahms"
Does anyone have a midi transcript of what's being played here? I have listened to this recording many times, but I really can't make out the Hungarian Dance No.1.
What a virtuoso! (you can hear it if you sort away the noice from your consciousness and concentrate on the piano.) This piece must have meant something special to him. Since his violinist friend Joseph Joachim also recorded it! (in 1903.) You have anything with Mozart? (joke.) :-D
It may not be the voice of Johannes Brahms, but it probably is him playing the piano. That alone is AMAZING! I think all can agree on that.
In addition, the voices of the following composers ARE verified recorded, and I have them all: Brüll, Anton Rubinstein, and Tchaikovsky. I love all three of these composers. Hearing their voices is amazing. The Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky voice recording is one and the same, a single recording with several people at once.
We've had much better results using the same recording technology, so perhaps much of the noise and distortion has been due to erosion over the years. (We did use a fine diamond stylus that needed only the lightest touch to make the impressions.)
This recording has been extensively analyzed over several years by many scholars. The unanimous judgment to date by every reputable person in the field is that the voice is DEFINITELY NOT that of Brahms. (The piano performance is generally thought to be his.) Enough nonsense already.
Just a question but why couldn't it be Brahms voice? If he was sitting at the piano with the horn facing him and close to the piano? What is the definitive reason why it's not Brahms?
Well, if you listen closely enough times, you'll notice that the voice is saying "I have Dr. Brahms, Johannes Brahms." Plus, Brahms was not known to ever refer to himself as Dr. Brahms. He had refused honorary doctorates at least once before accepting one late in life. Holders of honorary doctorates, as protocol, do not call themselves doctor... Also, the music starts very quickly after the introductory sentences. It would be strange to speak those words and then to immediately start playing.
Also, the piano is clearly somewhat distant from the recording device. For the speaker to be so close, and the piano to be so far, indicates that Brahms could not have spoken those sentences. Plus - take a good look at Brahms. Do you think he sounded like that? Too high pitched and Nasal-like. =)
I agree, the accent is definitely american, not german at all. there is no possibility that a german-born person at that time would use an open 'a' for the 'o' in docktor and a closed vowel for the sencond 'o'. it just sounds wrong to their ears- and mine.
I agree strongly with GlobalHuntMan. The speaker's accent strongly American and suggests presenters' voices that followed in the industry.
Moreover, I hear absolutely no truly German accent in the pronunciation of Doktor Felinger's name. It's very American: dok-TER instead of dok-TOHR. Also, the "g" in Felinger should be more of a "k," and the "v" in "von" should sound more like an "f."
There is actually some dispute about who is speaking at the beginning. According to Stanford music professor Jonathan Berger, the son of the "Doktor Felinger" mentioned in the recording wrote in his memoirs that Brahms was introduced by someone when he played for the cylinder. Berger suggests Theo Wangemann, a representative of Thomas Edison, to be the real speaker and that he is saying "I have Dr. Brahms," rather than "I am Dr. Brahms." It's a difficult question.
Was Theo Wangemann German or American? The voice definitely had a German accent and to me it sounded like "I AM Dr Brahms, Johannes Brahms." (Anticipations of James Bond there.)
my guess is that he was trying to speak really loudly because it wouldn't be heard on the recording otherwise, so it sounds higher in pitch. he probably did have a deep voice...maybe not though.
Actually, the high pitch might lend credence to the hypothesis that the voice is indeed Brahms speaking. Brahms, according to accounts by people who knew him, had an unusually high voice, and he began smoking cigars because he thought it would make his voice deeper, but he just ended up making his voice raspy.
Estoy seguro de que con las nuevas tecnicas de analisis de grabacion que se emplea por parte de los forenses que reconstruyen datos valiosos para sus investigaciones es factible "aclarar" la grabacion para "rescatar" este verdadero monumento a la historia de la musica. Hoy dia la historia se alimenta de los avances tecnicos-como siempre ha sido- para ofrecer al publico un conocimiento mas estrecho con los que hicieron la historia...como en este caso en la musica.
very nice idea, but with this new version of youtube, with only the pause/play button, no more "go to beginning button", I CAN'T PLAY ANYTHING ANYMORE. The play triangle and the pause symbol (like a sideways equal sign) switch back continually. It's more jerky than ever. I can no longer watch youtube.
Brahms was a great man, of the great composers most likely one of the best HUMAN BEINGS ever to possess such talent. Neither the snotty Mozartian attitude, the Wagnerian ego, nor the Beethovenian temper were traints of Brahms. He was a decent guy: someone to have a beer with as much as listen to his music.
re old 19th century recordings: supposedly there is a cylinder of Robert Browning reciting a bit from one of his poems and half way through he said "I forgot the next line." I have no idea where the cylinder might be--maybe in England. There was an article on it in the Browning Journal about 1970.
I've heard it. Browning starts to recite "How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix," bungles a few lines, then goes blank. He says, "I'm terribly sorry, but I can't remember me own verses." Then he goes on to say that he'll always remember the excitement of witnessing this great new invention, or something to that effect. He was at least 75 at the time, but despite the memory lapse, he sounds youthful and energetic. These early recordings are a miracle.
I believe the reason he speaks and maybe even plays so fast is that the wax cylinder cannot give much recording time so everything had to be rushed. I am wondering if there is actually a "line" of verifiable documentation as to the actual source of this.
Doesn´t he say "I am doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms!" ?? (the reason he speaks English may be because he knows this is an American invention.)If it really IS him who is playing, he must have been an incredible virtuoso! (or is it 2 pianos?) (had to listen at least 10 times to hear more than odd clinking sounds. But then I suddenly HEARD.)
What a wonderful, special thing it is to be able, more than 100 years later, to hear the voice of one of the greatest composers of all time! The composer of all that gorgeous chamber music, the magnificent violin concerto, the German Requiem, that remarkable 4th symphony--it sends shivers up my spine hearing him speak. Thank you for posting this special, special 'time capsule'.
I was told that there is a Liszt recording of Mendelssohn Scherzo e minor/heard that supposed record many years ago on a NYC radio station. First heard of this Brahms recording from the book "The Great Pianists" by the critic Schonberg
Too bad we couldn't get recordings of Franz Liszt. When he died in 1886, there were no known ways of recording sounds to any medium. It would have been great to hear a performance of his.
Ich habe mich lange mit dieser Aufnahme beschäftigt. Die gängigste Version ist, daß Theao Wangemann die damals übliche Kennung aufspricht. In diesem Fall lautet sie : "Haus von Herrn Doktor Fellinger by Herrn Doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms." Wangemann ist nervös, da Brahms sich ursprünglich geweigert hatte, den Zylinder zu bespielen. Daher die hastige Mischung von Deutsch und Englisch.
Isn't this amazing, that we have a single recording of a musical genius playing one of his own compositions on a wax cylinder just a few years before his death. Amazing.
And the chorus - which was dimly audible on the older transfers. But the Organ pedal seemed to appear for the first time on Snyder's transfer/restoration.
Indeed, if my ears are correct, the voice is saying: "Haus von Herr Doktor Fellinger, I have Doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms." It is quite obvious that somebody else is talking into the acoustical horn to introduce Brahms and then Brahms starts to play the piano immediately afterwards.
Actually, I believe Johannes is saying "Doctor Edison." You see, Edison liked to record the celebrities of his day. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only recording we have of Brahms' voice. I can't recall which DVD but there is a short documentary on this in "The Golden Age of The Piano" or "The Art of Piano"
"I am not Santa Claus, I am Dr. Brahms, Johannes Brahms"
ears61 3 weeks ago
LOL. Fucking shit.
Templort 2 months ago
i'm gonna put this on my ipod.
iam23years3old 2 months ago
I am sure that was Herr Brahms speaking in English.
Bruno53ification 3 months ago
No manches se olle bien gacho pero no es para que te ofendas sino que subas de un poquito siquiera mas a la calidad
Parthian100 3 months ago
@Parthian100 Perdón, pero es una grabación del año 1889, y además se escucha la voz de uno de los más grandes compositores de la época. No es que el video este "defectuoso" en su calidad, es que la grabación es así. Saludos
Ox077 2 months ago
cool .!
sugarplumsism 4 months ago
don't be ignorants...this is Brahm's voice...this was recorder for his friend THOMAS ALVA EDISON..because he invented the first recorder...this was a gift for Edison and Brahms spoke in english of course because Edison didn't understand Hugarian and Brahms knew english...so be surprised...U ARE LISTENING TO THE VOICE OF ONE OF THE BEST MUSICIANS OF ALL HISTORY!!!
MuSixramper 4 months ago
@MuSixramper It should be "BRAHMS' voice" and no it is obvious it is not because the person is INTRODUCING Doktor Brahms.... come on...don't be fooled....
cubanbach 3 months ago
@cubanbach I look this part of the Brahms' voice in a documentary, so I know is true!
MuSixramper 3 months ago
@MuSixramper I don't understand your sentence. The voice is introducing Brahms. Brahms wouldn't call himself Doktor Brahms.
cubanbach 3 months ago
@cubanbach Brahms said "I'm doctor Brahms, Johannes Brahms" that's because in that age the word "doctor" has a colloquial meaning...when you are with friends...
MuSixramper 3 months ago
@MuSixramper Complete nonsense! "Doktor" never had a "colloquial meaning", neiter in English nor in German; Brahms held an honorary doctorate (University of Breslau, 1878; Oxford University also wanted to honor him, but he did not care enough to travel to England). That's why he calls himself "doctor".
HaDurMo 1 month ago
Comment removed
1Thompsonmusic 5 months ago
non si sente nulla
ilmaestrosublime 6 months ago
Sounds like my cat walking across the keys.
ferociousgumby 7 months ago 2
man, i wish the cylinder recording things were invented before the 1800s...there were lots of great musicians :P
cokeme002 7 months ago
@cokeme002
" i wish the cylinder recording things were invented before the 1800s"
- well if they would all have been of this quality I'm rather glad they didn't!
lsbrother 7 months ago
I don't think you can glean too much of the musicianship from this recording.. I see it as a museum piece, that is all
tinyteishy 8 months ago
brahms a shitty player???.. he was one of the most accomplished musicians of his time..please learn a little about the man before making such a judgment from an obviously poor quality recording
tinyteishy 8 months ago
Comment removed
1Thompsonmusic 5 months ago
@1Thompsonmusic Brahms was a great composer, but as a pianist he was not in the class of Liszt or Chopin. I know of no accounts of his playing that indicate he was in any way spectacular, which is understandable because Brahms never devoted himself fully to the task of becoming a great pianist.
karlakor 4 months ago
@karlakor ... Brahms was a good pianist as he performed both his piano concertos ... in later years the quality of his playing declined ... as we know from Liszt and Mason.
gerardbedecarter 3 months ago
@karlakor He played in bars as a teen, right? He certainly PLAYED, but maybe not up to a concert capacity.
newfreshreview 2 months ago
@karlakor no pianist is in the class of Liszt or Chopin, they are in a world that is untouchable. that being said one cannot dismiss the pianistic greatness of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, or Rachmanninoff. now you want a great composer who was a mediocre pianist at best, Schubert.
Doug19752533 2 months ago
@Doug19752533 You are right, no one was in the class of Liszt and Chopin, each incomparable in his own way. It is humanity's loss that they did not live in the age of recording. What I wouldn't give to hear them!!
karlakor 2 months ago
We High Fidelity for granted these days.
Morahman7vnNo2 8 months ago
Jesus, did he get his piano from a junkyard, or was he just a shitty player???
ferociousgumby 9 months ago
@ferociousgumby he was a great player,the Piano I assure you was fine,it's just the quality of the recording
DeutscheRossiya 9 months ago
wow, the pianos back then were sure scratchy ;-P
tboneguydude 10 months ago
se oye peor la restauracion que el original...
ricardo00004170 10 months ago
The speaker is Theodor Wangemann, one of Edison's agents who traveled all over Europe at the time, demonstrating the new invention to musicians, politicians and other celebrities. He does not say "I am Doctor Brahms", but probably "bei Herrn Doktor Brahms" (misusing "bei" in the sense of English "by"). There exists a slightly more complete transfer that makes it clear that Wangemann is speaking German with an accent: The full sentence is "Wien, im Dezember 1889, im Haus von... (etc)."
chrisz78 11 months ago
no, no, no. He's not Brahms, just an american crap.
foerster 11 months ago
Sounds like Brahms playing on a John Cage prepared piano...
smileykermit 11 months ago 15
@smileykermit He was before his time!
semicroma 8 months ago
@semicroma sorry "ahead of his time"
semicroma 8 months ago
Maybe they meant that "This" is Dr. Brahms playing. I always thought it was his voice.
bilanovitch 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
This is Hungarian Rhapsody no.1
Wow!!!
bullyword 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
This is Hungarian Rhapsody No.1
Wow!!!
bullyword 1 year ago
That IS precious!
galliard1981 1 year ago
I feel like I hear a ghost but in a good way.
knightLynderic 1 year ago
Sounds kinda like jazz. Good ole Johnnie Brahms, so versatile. The man sure could pick a tune. ;)
bag3lmonst3r 1 year ago
Seems pretty obvious that the speaker was introducing Brahms. The last thing he says is "Johannes Brahms."
robtrodes 1 year ago
...you can hear him beating teh floor in rhythem.
ArtyKing12345 1 year ago
@ArtyKing12345
That's the cylinder skipping.
Karlfalcon 1 year ago
@Karlfalcon
the cylinder is not skipping it has a crack in it
beeteep60 1 year ago
A window to the past, when they had real music and musicians.
Mality 1 year ago
3B owns !!
shittyfuck 1 year ago
Yes, the general opinion now is that this is NOT the voice of Brahms, although it is him playing. Because the original recording has never been edited it is not possible that he could speak and then play so quickly afterwards. It is still a unique gem though, and we are very lucky to have it.
chainstoking 1 year ago 3
so thats what brahm's voice sounded like... kinda
033muil 1 year ago
this is fucking scary :o
karlsalz 1 year ago
Is it possible to take the crackling sound away?
aaronchocolateface 1 year ago
Incredible. Absolutely, incredible! And, Ha! December 2nd- My Birthday.
(12/02/1988)
Aquablue33 1 year ago
The voice is actually introducing Brahms, saying something along the lines of 'Here is Dr Brahms on the piano' in German... He wasn't actually a doctor, it's an honorific.
RoBeeDj 1 year ago
would it be possible that this voice is J.Brahms´ if this is so it's a real treasure this recording, but it´s rather difficult to believe this is so, sorry but as a lover of classical music and being Brahms one of its great genius it´s hardly for me to believe so , how can I be convinced?
beethomozart 1 year ago
amaizing
ezev8logos 1 year ago
Not being rude, but seriously. to me it sounded like he's saying "I needs crap! I needs crap!" o.O" but then again.. this is so COOL hearing someones voice for over 100 years
coolcoolcoolest 1 year ago
Many people say the net is just 0s and 1s.....well the universe is just atoms.
This sound...the mere knowledge of its' context is sweeter to me than probably every kind of music on TV just now. It has an almost miraculous aspect.
superhamzah85 1 year ago
a record from 1889? it's amazing! i don't even know there was recorder!
adldleelee 1 year ago
I overlooked the terms that is an ungarian dance but recognized it!
The sound quality renders it even more somewhat spooky...
as if a coffin lid is lifted :-)
artsloving 1 year ago
My partner's been trying to convert me to Brahms music - without success - this clip hardly helps - sounds like my drunker neighbour in the coal shed trying to find the way out.
zthetha 1 year ago
That gives me goosebumps, it is amazing you can almost hear music that was played 120 years ago, amazing
Napoleontas 1 year ago
Napoleontas, Well, also, remember, Edison had perfected his phonograph in 1877, and for decades before there had been R and D into sound recording. Don't underestimate the past so much. Remember, our "modern" technology didn't just sprout up around 1900.
Aquablue33 1 year ago
@Aquablue33 I never underestimated the past!!!!
Were did you understood something like that?
Iam a great admirer of the past and i honor my ancestors and their great deeds
Napoleontas 1 year ago
thank god we have talented musicians in our time living today who can preform this piece because quite frankly the primative recording of this sounds terrible
23jordankicks23 1 year ago
sounds like thelonious monk playing.
where's the trane solo?
really12345 1 year ago
the sheer stupidity of someone who thinks that Brahms was a less-than amazing pianist/composer is a complete fool.
jampiper 1 year ago 6
@jampiper when your own stupidity is a complete fool, you are a compound idiot. where are these numbskulls and which of them said brahms was not amazing or more-than-amazing?
PutterLee 1 month ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
His playing is terrible.Just awful.
Kapputschino12 1 year ago
@Kapputschino12
...and I'm sure YOU are a great pianist and able to play both of his piano concertos, all sonatas, variations, piano pieces and chamber music, along with Beethoven Sonatas and concertos and all the other works, which Brahms performed with great bravura during his carreer. Otherwise take some advice: Shut the fuck up and let the grown-ups talk, you ignorant idiot!!!
davoiz4prez 1 year ago
Comment removed
wernissage 2 years ago
I'm trying to listen something in german, but I just hear something like "I have Doctor Brahms, Johannes Brahms" and with a clear american accent.
I know I'm wrong, but that's what I hear :)
Anyway, I'm happy because I can listen quite well the hungarian dance. It is a treasure to my ears. And I hear it better in the first version.
Thanks for posting.
leonengard 2 years ago
he was greeting to the inventor: Thomas Eddison. so, he had has to speak in english, which he never manage to master.
mingweicello 2 years ago 3
He seems to say "Haus von Herrn Dr Fehlinger." (comment: not sure how to spell that name). Then he says: "I am Dr Brahms, Johannes Brahms." The initial sentence is definitely in German and the grammar is right too ("Haus von Herrn", i.e. adding the n after "Herr"). [I am at] the house of Herrn Dr Fehlinger. Then changing from German to English introducing himself.
What an amazing document.
chislehurstbat 2 years ago 2
@chislehurstbat
Just as a comment: years ago I read that is not Brahms speaking, and I was convinced because the analysis they made was really serious (it was made in the "electronic area" of the Consérvatoire de Paris, not by students)
But with your help I understand more clear the words and I'm agree with you: this is an amazing document. Thank you!
leonengard 2 years ago
Can we hear energy and emotional complexity and fanfare in this playing? Does this playing shake up the house?
davidgee100 2 years ago
Well, it was not Brahms's voice. But I don't care, since listening to Brahms himself playing his compositions at the piano is quite enough for me ;-)
castromonteiro 2 years ago 20
@castromonteiro Is a blessing to have this recordings of Brahm's live music, when sound machines were just invented. My respcet for all those inventors who built the basis of our modern life. We all owe them so much!
Cronopioslover274 1 year ago
There was an analysis of this recording at Stanford Univ. The jist: it wasn't Brahms or Felinger speaking, although it was at Felinger's house. It was likely Theo Wangemann, a representative from Edison, introducing Brahms: "Dezember Achtzehnhundertneununachtzig. Haus von Herrn Doktor Fellinger, bei mir ist Doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms." The researchers cleared up some preliminary noise before the first easily audible word, "Haus" which was the date: December 1889.
TheAspenTom 2 years ago 3
It's not Brahms' voice here. this is Dr Felinger saying "I have Dr Brahms" not "I am". It's in German! Brahms is at the piano in the background.
voolare 2 years ago
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tobik26 2 years ago
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tobik26 2 years ago
I'm in awe of this recording. Imagine it actually exists. Fantastic!
Fredrika2010 2 years ago
I don't care if it's barely audible... this is amazing!
franimalistic 2 years ago 4
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Sviolinist 2 years ago
I heard enough to tell that Brahms could play the hell out of a piano.
Lassann 2 years ago 3
i heard buzz buzz buzz so funny
rlbluver 2 years ago
It sucks that this particular recording is so bad sounding.... Some other Edison cylinders that I have heard from other recordings around the same year sound a lot better... More similar to an early 78 in sound.
ReturnOfTheStienway 2 years ago
Wow!!!!!!!!!!
ghostofdayinperson 2 years ago 4
Yes, Vinyacardo, it certain;y requires a firm knowledge of the piece to hear it through the extraneous noise on this recording - but how exciting to anyone who knows it well to hear Brahms playing it!
LadyBluebell 2 years ago 2
You really need a good imagination to hear anything but plain noise the second and "denoized" version could be the same one with a lower volume. Maybe music historians and experts could get some information from it, but clearly not the people at large.
Vinyacardo 2 years ago
The spoken text at the start of the recording has been wrongly attributed as belonging to Brahms. Considering the time between the announcement and the start of the music it seems improbable that the same person could segue from speech to playing so quickly particularly given the technological limitations.
The denoised excerpts reveals enough of the speech to suggest that the speaker introduces Brahms as follows:
"..Haus von Herrn Doktor Fellinger, bei mir ist Doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms".
Ceristimo1 2 years ago 4
Good point, Ceristimo, 'cause why should the "narrator" start in German and jump into English at once
Hattakiri 2 years ago
he's saying: "haus von herrn doktor fenlinger, bei herrn doktor brahms, johannes brahms" = "house of mr doctor fenlinger *with* mr doctor brahms, johannes brahms"
so its fenlinger talking, not brahsm i think...
josvanr 2 years ago 5
Amazing That you could hear what he's saying! Even if you speak his language
(German)
BrendanKennedy96 2 years ago
Indeed, the one speanking ISN'T Brahms.
juan486 2 years ago 2
Comment removed
josvanr 2 years ago
Comment removed
josvanr 2 years ago
The second time was just irritating.
BrendanKennedy96 2 years ago 4
Mostly Buzzing.
BrendanKennedy96 2 years ago
I also heard Gibberish from Brahms as well as out-tune-piano and Buzz buzz buzz
BrendanKennedy96 2 years ago
All i heard was buzz buzz buzz and an out-of-tune piano
JoJoKenn94 2 years ago 5
If only they had invented the machine 5 or so years before we may have had a recording of Liszt too!
davidgray2 2 years ago 5
Love the way he wails on the syncopation! The "transferred" version is quite adequate--you can make it all out if you listen closely.
ipmoic 2 years ago
Does anyone have a midi transcript of what's being played here? I have listened to this recording many times, but I really can't make out the Hungarian Dance No.1.
Thanks
lisztzstil 2 years ago
What a virtuoso! (you can hear it if you sort away the noice from your consciousness and concentrate on the piano.) This piece must have meant something special to him. Since his violinist friend Joseph Joachim also recorded it! (in 1903.) You have anything with Mozart? (joke.) :-D
ellandelachapelle 3 years ago 2
It may not be the voice of Johannes Brahms, but it probably is him playing the piano. That alone is AMAZING! I think all can agree on that.
In addition, the voices of the following composers ARE verified recorded, and I have them all: Brüll, Anton Rubinstein, and Tchaikovsky. I love all three of these composers. Hearing their voices is amazing. The Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky voice recording is one and the same, a single recording with several people at once.
IgnatzKolisch 3 years ago
In addition to this, there is the famous recording of Arthur Sullivan speaking. All invaluable, amazing stuff!
IgnatzKolisch 3 years ago
Agreed... having his voice is/would be great but it is pretty much guaranteed that is him playing the piano. Awesome.
RWT683 3 years ago
Can you post them, please! :-))
miguelercolino 2 years ago
We've had much better results using the same recording technology, so perhaps much of the noise and distortion has been due to erosion over the years. (We did use a fine diamond stylus that needed only the lightest touch to make the impressions.)
spectralmusic 3 years ago
the voice of the Meastro *bowing*
PapagenoJuan 3 years ago
divino brahms ..... nei nostri cuori ...per sempre....
varenmoz 3 years ago
This recording has been extensively analyzed over several years by many scholars. The unanimous judgment to date by every reputable person in the field is that the voice is DEFINITELY NOT that of Brahms. (The piano performance is generally thought to be his.) Enough nonsense already.
iedsri 3 years ago
I hate to say it, but iedsri is right. I found that disappointing.
egrantsouth 3 years ago
Just a question but why couldn't it be Brahms voice? If he was sitting at the piano with the horn facing him and close to the piano? What is the definitive reason why it's not Brahms?
AAErikCO 2 years ago 3
Well, if you listen closely enough times, you'll notice that the voice is saying "I have Dr. Brahms, Johannes Brahms." Plus, Brahms was not known to ever refer to himself as Dr. Brahms. He had refused honorary doctorates at least once before accepting one late in life. Holders of honorary doctorates, as protocol, do not call themselves doctor... Also, the music starts very quickly after the introductory sentences. It would be strange to speak those words and then to immediately start playing.
Sviolinist 2 years ago
Also, the piano is clearly somewhat distant from the recording device. For the speaker to be so close, and the piano to be so far, indicates that Brahms could not have spoken those sentences. Plus - take a good look at Brahms. Do you think he sounded like that? Too high pitched and Nasal-like. =)
Sviolinist 2 years ago
I agree, the accent is definitely american, not german at all. there is no possibility that a german-born person at that time would use an open 'a' for the 'o' in docktor and a closed vowel for the sencond 'o'. it just sounds wrong to their ears- and mine.
ketillflatnefur 3 years ago 8
Actually he is saying: "I am Dr. Bond, James Bond..."
pianopera 3 years ago 4
I agree strongly with GlobalHuntMan. The speaker's accent strongly American and suggests presenters' voices that followed in the industry.
Moreover, I hear absolutely no truly German accent in the pronunciation of Doktor Felinger's name. It's very American: dok-TER instead of dok-TOHR. Also, the "g" in Felinger should be more of a "k," and the "v" in "von" should sound more like an "f."
marisbosquet 3 years ago
There is actually some dispute about who is speaking at the beginning. According to Stanford music professor Jonathan Berger, the son of the "Doktor Felinger" mentioned in the recording wrote in his memoirs that Brahms was introduced by someone when he played for the cylinder. Berger suggests Theo Wangemann, a representative of Thomas Edison, to be the real speaker and that he is saying "I have Dr. Brahms," rather than "I am Dr. Brahms." It's a difficult question.
GlobalHuntMan 3 years ago
He actually says "Haus von HERR Doktor Fellinger...", you left the "Herr" out
cchamp27 3 years ago
that's right! he says Herr Doktor Fellinger
Cavaradossi1981 3 years ago
im korean, so i dont know well what he is speaking. who let me know ?
AwesomeClara 3 years ago
aaaaah, sometimes you jst forget these guys also talked. hearing them talk is making them more humans, and yet not less great (?). cooooool!
kimurico 3 years ago
God!!!
It was really great to hear Brahms playing the piece I love!
Thank you so much for sharing . . .
PARISA7777 3 years ago
Was Theo Wangemann German or American? The voice definitely had a German accent and to me it sounded like "I AM Dr Brahms, Johannes Brahms." (Anticipations of James Bond there.)
Maybe I just WANT it to have been Brahms talking.
andiejanefisher 3 years ago
mmm. Brahms played really fast.
good to know
nirvanacin 3 years ago
Wow! How can you tell?? Just made out something at the end but not much. It's pretty incredible that a recording of Brahms is in existence though.
andiejanefisher 3 years ago
is this true ?
manishbabu 3 years ago
my guess is that he was trying to speak really loudly because it wouldn't be heard on the recording otherwise, so it sounds higher in pitch. he probably did have a deep voice...maybe not though.
claytorama 3 years ago
Actually, the high pitch might lend credence to the hypothesis that the voice is indeed Brahms speaking. Brahms, according to accounts by people who knew him, had an unusually high voice, and he began smoking cigars because he thought it would make his voice deeper, but he just ended up making his voice raspy.
GlobalHuntMan 3 years ago
Estoy seguro de que con las nuevas tecnicas de analisis de grabacion que se emplea por parte de los forenses que reconstruyen datos valiosos para sus investigaciones es factible "aclarar" la grabacion para "rescatar" este verdadero monumento a la historia de la musica. Hoy dia la historia se alimenta de los avances tecnicos-como siempre ha sido- para ofrecer al publico un conocimiento mas estrecho con los que hicieron la historia...como en este caso en la musica.
JorPove 3 years ago
How could you give this a bad rating? The sound's terrible, but my goodness is the material precious.
jimblow32000 3 years ago 34
you can hear the piano
yazor3 3 years ago
Cool! My grandfather was born the day before! Time,,,,,,,,,,,,,
peaceonearth777 3 years ago
Bad sounds.
but precious it.
mr00daemon 3 years ago
very nice idea, but with this new version of youtube, with only the pause/play button, no more "go to beginning button", I CAN'T PLAY ANYTHING ANYMORE. The play triangle and the pause symbol (like a sideways equal sign) switch back continually. It's more jerky than ever. I can no longer watch youtube.
pasfresh123 3 years ago
HA! I thought the voice of Brahms would be very bassy and intimidating by his looks,but it isn't.
pianist12 3 years ago 4
Yeah that's a well-kwown thing.
He was a samll man, about 5'4" or so, and had a very high speaking voice.
He had a baby face up until about 40 or so, then he grew the beard to give himself that elder statesman look.
Great great composer!
lovelymess 3 years ago
haha . what a funny old man .
Oo5t3v3NoO 3 years ago
What a strange thing to say!
Brahms was a great man, of the great composers most likely one of the best HUMAN BEINGS ever to possess such talent. Neither the snotty Mozartian attitude, the Wagnerian ego, nor the Beethovenian temper were traints of Brahms. He was a decent guy: someone to have a beer with as much as listen to his music.
lovelymess 3 years ago 4
Is that Brahms saying "I AM Doctor Brahms, Johannes Brahms," or is it Wangemann introducing Brahms by saying "I HAVE Doctor Brahms, Johannes Brahms"?
nextren 3 years ago
re old 19th century recordings: supposedly there is a cylinder of Robert Browning reciting a bit from one of his poems and half way through he said "I forgot the next line." I have no idea where the cylinder might be--maybe in England. There was an article on it in the Browning Journal about 1970.
fedtrooper 3 years ago
I've heard it. Browning starts to recite "How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix," bungles a few lines, then goes blank. He says, "I'm terribly sorry, but I can't remember me own verses." Then he goes on to say that he'll always remember the excitement of witnessing this great new invention, or something to that effect. He was at least 75 at the time, but despite the memory lapse, he sounds youthful and energetic. These early recordings are a miracle.
SirCyrano 3 years ago
You've echoed -or, rather, anticipated- my own thoughts precisely, Cyrano.
polymath7 3 years ago
nn si sente un cazzo
irragno 3 years ago
I am Bond...James Bond..
I am Dockter Brahms...Johannes Brahms...!!!
Love it!!!
rheanee22 3 years ago 2
"A moment in time"...a fleeting treasure from the mists of time. Thank you for this posting.
gmmix 3 years ago
I believe the reason he speaks and maybe even plays so fast is that the wax cylinder cannot give much recording time so everything had to be rushed. I am wondering if there is actually a "line" of verifiable documentation as to the actual source of this.
Grigor99 3 years ago
Doesn´t he say "I am doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms!" ?? (the reason he speaks English may be because he knows this is an American invention.)If it really IS him who is playing, he must have been an incredible virtuoso! (or is it 2 pianos?) (had to listen at least 10 times to hear more than odd clinking sounds. But then I suddenly HEARD.)
ellandelachapelle 3 years ago
What a wonderful, special thing it is to be able, more than 100 years later, to hear the voice of one of the greatest composers of all time! The composer of all that gorgeous chamber music, the magnificent violin concerto, the German Requiem, that remarkable 4th symphony--it sends shivers up my spine hearing him speak. Thank you for posting this special, special 'time capsule'.
epergne 3 years ago
I was told that there is a Liszt recording of Mendelssohn Scherzo e minor/heard that supposed record many years ago on a NYC radio station. First heard of this Brahms recording from the book "The Great Pianists" by the critic Schonberg
TsuQ 3 years ago
Thank you to share such a document... Even if the quality is horrible, it is a very moving document...
beethoven75 3 years ago
That is amazing...but isnt kind of creepy too???
Shoregirl72 3 years ago
Why would it be more creepy than for example listening to Rachmaninov playing?
kuribas 3 years ago
kuribas: 'Cause the scratches make the record sound very primitive.
Plus Rachmaninov lived well into the time when they had perfected wax recordings.
NGS712 3 years ago
Too bad we couldn't get recordings of Franz Liszt. When he died in 1886, there were no known ways of recording sounds to any medium. It would have been great to hear a performance of his.
roar007 3 years ago
There was; Frank Lambert recorded sound in 1878, and Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville recorded his own voice in the early 1860s.
blofeld39 2 years ago
Ich habe mich lange mit dieser Aufnahme beschäftigt. Die gängigste Version ist, daß Theao Wangemann die damals übliche Kennung aufspricht. In diesem Fall lautet sie : "Haus von Herrn Doktor Fellinger by Herrn Doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms." Wangemann ist nervös, da Brahms sich ursprünglich geweigert hatte, den Zylinder zu bespielen. Daher die hastige Mischung von Deutsch und Englisch.
biier 3 years ago
Isn't this amazing, that we have a single recording of a musical genius playing one of his own compositions on a wax cylinder just a few years before his death. Amazing.
cmn1108 3 years ago
Since I read about this, I wanted to hear this so much. Thank you for uploading !!!
winfinity77 4 years ago
I was replying to Saltburner's post, btw. I thought it would appear beneath it.
VinylShellacLover 4 years ago
thank you for this!
Scherzan 4 years ago
Merci!!!!!!
MARMELADEHEART82 4 years ago
I AM IN AWE!! WHAT A WONDERFUL THING!!
kcmazdaguy 4 years ago
These are the best restorations I have yet heard of this historic recording. Who did it?
I was totally amazed at Aaron Z Snyder's recent restoration of the 1888 Crystal Palace recordings. You can even hear the organ pedal!
saltburner 4 years ago
Isn't that a chorus?
VinylShellacLover 4 years ago
And the chorus - which was dimly audible on the older transfers. But the Organ pedal seemed to appear for the first time on Snyder's transfer/restoration.
saltburner 4 years ago
unbelievable!!!!
abbjorko 4 years ago
Indeed, if my ears are correct, the voice is saying: "Haus von Herr Doktor Fellinger, I have Doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms." It is quite obvious that somebody else is talking into the acoustical horn to introduce Brahms and then Brahms starts to play the piano immediately afterwards.
pianopera 4 years ago
Actually, I believe Johannes is saying "Doctor Edison." You see, Edison liked to record the celebrities of his day. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only recording we have of Brahms' voice. I can't recall which DVD but there is a short documentary on this in "The Golden Age of The Piano" or "The Art of Piano"
FrankCicalese 4 years ago
I would rather say, it is "... I AM Doktor Brahms, Johannes Brahms". So it might be Brahms' voice after all.
FordPrefect60435 4 years ago
Wieso sollte Brahms denn Englisch gesprochen haben?
znewsnej 3 years ago
I heared this:
Haus von doctor fellinger, mein herr Doctor Brahms, Johannes Brahms
(spelling mistakes mine :)
kuribas 3 years ago
I think as well, somebody else´s talking, a much younger guy as well !
derwundenlabsal 4 years ago
Was this recorded on Yellow Parraffine originally?
MVillani1985 4 years ago