The first known recording of a human voice, from April 9th, 1860. (Phonautograph Etching)

On 9th March 2008, this ethereal 10 second clip of a man (or woman) singing the French folk song "Au Clair de la Lune", was played for the first time in 150 years. It is currently thought to be the oldest known recorded human voice, predating Thomas Edison's first phonograph recording of 1877. The "phonautograph", created by etching soot-covered paper by Parisian inventor Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville, was played by US scientists using a "virtual stylus" to read the lines. The recording was initially believed to be the voice of a woman or adolescent, but further research in 2009 suggested the playback speed had been too high and that it was actually the voice of Scott himself. This would make sense since it would have been scott operating the machine, which is easier to time if you yourself are also producing the sound. (Incidentally, the "phonautograph" was designed only to record sounds, not to play them back. Thomas Edison was still the first to reproduce recorded sound.)

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Phonautograph
• phonograph
• first sound recording
• edison
• stylus

[ToneSpectra]

@amandastandalone Hi. I first found out from C.P.E Bach's 'Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments' (1777) but that only mentioned it briefly. Later, I found an old library book about strange (mostly clockwork) instruments but I can't remember the title. Maybe a google search would bring something up -I would do one for you but there's no links on these comments. Maybe search "Johann Hohlfeld" keyboard bowed. Thanks.

[tauheke]

Loved to have heard and seen footage of all those famous people e.g. Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven, Paganini Capt. Cook the list goes on...

[ToneSpectra]

@tauheke It may interest you to know that (though based on a different principle) a device for recording piano music was built in the 1700's by Johann Hohlfeld, whereby a roll of paper was marked by a crayon as keys were pressed by the player. If perfected, it could've been used to record improvisations by Mozart, CPE Bach, Beethoven... but there was little interest in the device because (like the phonautograph) there was no way to play the music back. (He also invented a rotary bowed keyboard!)

[MsHoly777]

WHY would anyone want too record sound and not play it back? That's not practical. It's STUPID!!! Thomas Edison still was NOT the FIRST to record sound.  He probably stole this technique from Mr. Martinville. nanny nanny boobie.....just playing........but give Mr. Martinville his props yo. BIG UP Mr. Martinville!!! and Thanks man.......you're gravy.........lol

[ToneSpectra]

@MsHoly777 The idea of recording sound was part of a wider effort to study natural phenomena through measurement. At that time, there was no concept of playing sound back, so it probably never occurred to anyone that such a thing was even possible. Hope that helps.

[Nedyah74]

that is so freaking creepy

[amandastandalone]

@ToneSpectra Where did you get the info about Hohlfeld? I would like to see the rotary bowed keyboard or at least have an idea of what it is.......

[bassicuk1986]

Can't believe how this makes my trunk rattle in my car lol

[deadmanswife2]

like google these days . Some people always got suspicious if you stored their information

[deadmanswife2]

could we talk about george eastman

the inventor put the 2 together that's the cellphone really picture and sound

every hollywood movie ever made

developed and stored right in rochester new york @ george eastman house

lot of his buddy eddison stuff is with it including the only photographs of those 2 men ever taken together

they didn't like being photographed in public .

haha people might get suspicious they were trying to record their image.

native american culture sure did not like

[CosmicCaprice]

maybe this was the soundtrack for the first scary movie too.

[gmosphere]

still sounds better than kesha

[JimStudios]

I think this needs digitally remastering XD

[transavie]

His invention, however primitive did record the voice. That it took an additional 150 years to achieve playback is of no consequence. Without men like him, we would not have the basic research, the shoulders of giants, upon whom other men create our technologies and sciences. Vive Msr. Martinville!

[MrMiniszter]

Sounds like background noise from a scene of Paranormal Activity or something