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Recordings and audio recordings from 1887

2025.12.10
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Recordings and audio recordings from 1887

1887 was a year of significant global change in industry, empires, science, and social institutions. In France, construction of the Eiffel Tower's foundation began on January 26th; in the United States, the Interstate Commerce Act was passed on February 4th, followed by the Dawes Act, an Act to Provide for the Allotment of Lands in Severalty to Indians on the Various Reservations, on February 8th; in Britain, the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne was celebrated; and in the field of science, the Michelson–Morley experiment was reported. Also in 1887, the textbook for the international language that would form the basis of the artificial language Esperanto was published. In the history of recording, the graphophone patents of Chichester A. Bell (1848–1924) and Charles Sumner Tainter (1854–1940), the gramophone patent of Emile Berliner (1851–1929), and the resumption of phonograph research by Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) all coincided, and recording technology began to move towards practical application and commercialization once again. 1887 marks a turning point in the history of recording, where wax cylinders, disc recording, improved phonographs, and toy phonographs intersected.

Existing recordings confirmed to be from 1887

No existing recordings can be definitively identified as having been recorded in 1887, including the date, content, and recording entity. While a collection of experimental recordings related to the Volta Laboratory exists at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, it cannot be categorized as a definitive 1887 recording. Although the Berliner Gramophone's 1887 patent is significant, it is not yet possible to create a list of individual existing discs recorded in 1887. Similarly, verifiable recordings for Edison's talking dolls are limited to those from 1888 onwards. Edison's commercial cylinder recordings developed even later and should be distinguished from the National Phonograph Company's recording operations and commercial recording lists. 1887 is not a year in which a complete list of existing recordings can be compiled; rather, it was a year in which recording technology and preparations for commercialization advanced.

Recording technology and commercialization trends in 1887

The year 1887 saw a significant divergence in recording technology in terms of recording media, playback methods, patents, company structures, and application development. The graphophone aimed for practical use as a professional recording device, the gramophone demonstrated the possibility of duplication through disc recording, and the phonograph moved towards improved machines using wax cylinders. Furthermore, the concept of a toy phonograph indicated a direction for applying recording technology not only to office equipment and experimental devices, but also to home entertainment and toys. The developments of 1887 are important not so much for the distribution of the recordings themselves, but for the process of determining what media, machines, and business structures would be used to handle recording technology.

Bell-the-Teinter Graphophone and Wax Cylinder

Unlike Edison's tinfoil phonograph, which used tinfoil, the Bell-Tainter graphophone was characterized by its use of a wax cylinder as the recording medium. Chichester A. Bell and Charles Sumner-Tainter developed a method of recording by cutting the surface of the wax, rather than imprinting sound vibrations by pressing them, aiming for a practical machine that could play back recordings. This method is important when considering recording technology in 1887 because it allowed for the exchange of recording media, relatively stable recording of sound, and was intended for use in office work and dictation recording. The graphophone is positioned not so much as a device that preserves the list of existing recordings, but rather as a technology that brought recording closer to a professional recording method rather than a device for preserving existing recordings.

American Grafophone Company

In 1887, a company was established to sell the graphophone as a practical product. Andrew Devine (1832–1909), James Ogilvie Clephane (ca. 1840–1910), and John H. White (dates of birth and death unknown) signed a sales agreement with the Volta Graphophone Company on March 28, 1887, which led to the formation of the American Graphophone Company. The company's actions shifted the graphophone, which used wax cylinders, from an experimental device in laboratories to a product intended for dictation recording and office use. While it cannot be confirmed that the company was systematically selling music recordings in 1887, its attempt to manufacture and sell recording equipment through a corporate structure was a move that directly led to the formation of the later recording industry.

Berliner Gramophone Patent

In 1887, Berliner obtained United States Patent No. 372,786, “Gramophone,” relating to the gramophone. This patent is significant because, while phonographs and grafhophones primarily used cylindrical media, it demonstrated an idea that would later lead to disc recording. Berliner's method centered on the concept of lateral cut, which records sound vibrations as lateral movement. As of 1887, there is no record of Berliner systematically publishing commercially available disc recordings. The 1887 gramophone patent marks the technological starting point for disc recording to later develop into the main format of the recording industry.

Edison resumes research on the phonograph.

In 1887, Edison returned to serious phonograph research. The tin foil phonograph of 1877 was a device that could record and play back sound, but tin foil was not a suitable medium for repeated playback, replacement, or storage. The development of the Bell-Thäinter graphophone prompted Edison to redesign the phonograph. Edison made improvements with the cooperation of Ezra T. Gilliland (dates of birth and death unknown), and Charles Batchelor (1845–1910) was assigned to develop a recording surface to replace the tin foil. Furthermore, Jonas Aylsworth (dates of birth and death unknown) joined the research on cylinder materials, and the use of wax cylinders became more likely. On November 26, 1887, a patent application for the improved phonograph was filed, and Edison's recording technology entered the stage of moving from an experimental tin foil device to a practical recording and playback machine.

The founding of the Edison Phonograph Company

In October 1887, the Edison Phonograph Company was established. This company held the patents and manufacturing rights for Edison's improved phonographs and cylinders. Edison established a new business structure for the improved phonographs, separate from the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company of the 1870s. It is not confirmed that the company systematically sold musical cylinders to the general public in 1887. The company's role was to manage the improved phonographs as machines for dictation recording and professional use, and to lay the foundation for their manufacture and sale.

West Orange Laboratory and the restructuring of recording technology

In November 1887, Edison opened a new laboratory and manufacturing complex in West Orange, New Jersey. The West Orange Laboratory became Edison's main research center, following the Menlo Park Laboratory, and was the place where he continued to develop the improved phonograph. Here, based on the limitations of the tin foil phonograph, he re-examined the recording medium, cutter, playback mechanism, and power mechanism. On November 26, 1887, a patent application for the improved phonograph was filed, and the phonograph transitioned from a temporary experimental device to a practical recording and playback machine using a wax cylinder. The establishment of the West Orange Laboratory became the foundation for the continuous improvement of Edison's recording technology.

The Talking Doll Concept and Preparation of a Toy Phonograph

In 1887, the idea of applying phonograph technology to toys, which would later lead to the Edison Talking Doll, began to take shape. On October 1, 1887, Edison granted Lowell C. Briggs (dates of birth and death unknown) and William W. Jacques (dates of birth and death unknown) the right to manufacture and sell phonograph dolls and toy figures. On October 27 of the same year, the Edison Phonograph Toy Manufacturing Company was registered in Maine. Furthermore, on December 26 of the same year, it was confirmed that Charles Batchelor had been assigned to work on toy phonographs. The 1887 Talking Doll concept represented an attempt to apply recording technology not only to office use but also to home entertainment and children's toys. However, it cannot be confirmed that any commercially available Edison talking dolls or commercially available recordings for them existed at this stage.

Reports on orchestral recording experiments in the autumn of 1887

The Charleston Commercial News, dated October 24, 1887, featured Edison's Perfected Phonograph under the headline "Edison's Greatest Wonder." The article, published in New York on October 21, reported that the Perfected Phonograph was being used not only for recording voices but also for recording and playing music.

The article states that Edison recorded orchestral music, and explains that during playback, he was able to distinguish the sounds of string instruments, brass instruments, flutes, oboes, and other instruments. It also says that he was able to reproduce the dynamics of the sound, and that he could distinguish even the most subtle nuances. However, this article does not allow us to determine the title of the recorded piece, the name of the performing group, the recording date, or the recording location.

This report indicates that the completed phonograph of 1887 was presented not merely as a sound recording device, but as a device demonstrating the potential of music recording and playback. While it is not possible to identify the song titles or performers from the existing recordings, it is important contemporary reporting that Edison was conducting orchestral recording experiments by the fall of 1887.

Audio recordings and sound materials that are often mistakenly attributed to the period around 1887.

Around 1887, there are several audio recordings that are mentioned in close proximity to the patents, company establishments, and resumption of research in 1887. The experimental recordings from the Volta Institute, the early gramophone experimental recordings from Berliner, and the recordings related to Edison's talking dolls are all materials that show the flow of early recording technology, but their dates, content, and recording entities cannot be definitively determined as 1887 recordings. While these audio materials are continuous with the technological shift of 1887, they need to be positioned separately in terms of recording year and purpose.

Experimental recordings from the Volta Institute

The experimental recordings from the Volta Institute represent an early collection of audio materials deeply connected to recording technology in 1887. The Berthainter group experimented with not only wax cylinders but also disc-shaped recording media. Later investigations confirmed that the Volta Institute materials comprised 189 cylinders, 275 discs or other flat media, and one tape reel, totaling 465 items, approximately 275 of which contained some form of recording. These experiments were crucial to the development of the Graphophone and the advancement of interchangeable and storable recording media. However, the Volta Institute materials largely consist of experiments from the early to mid-1880s, and even the later cataloged materials retain elements of estimation and unidentification. While technically continuous with the commercialization of the Graphophone in 1887, it is not possible to definitively determine the date, content, or recording entity of individual audio materials recorded in 1887.

Berliner's early gramophone experimental recordings

Berliner's early gramophone experimental recordings are often discussed in conjunction with his 1887 patent, but no documentation has been found to definitively identify the date, content, or recording entity as being from 1887. On May 16, 1888, Berliner demonstrated the mechanism of the gramophone, which imprinted the human voice onto a flat disc, at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This method was characterized by the use of a disc instead of a cylinder, and by recording sound vibrations as lateral grooves. Commercial gramophone recordings were pioneered in Europe, and the development of commercially available discs in the United States can be confirmed as late as the end of 1894. The earliest list of commercially available discs in the United States is dated November 1, 1894, and is said to include 52 titles. The 1887 gramophone patent is not about commercially available disc recordings themselves, but rather the technological starting point that led to the subsequent disc recording industry.

Edison's recording for talking dolls

Edison's recordings for talking dolls are audio materials directly linked to his 1887 concept for a toy phonograph. In 1887, preparations were underway for licensing and company formation for the manufacture and sale of Edison talking dolls, and Charles Batchelor was assigned to work on the toy phonograph. On the other hand, recordings actually incorporated into the dolls, and existing talking doll recordings, are positioned as materials from between 1888 and 1890, leading up to the commercialization. Unlike music recordings or professional dictation recordings, the purpose of talking doll recordings was to reproduce short speeches and nursery rhymes using the toy's internal mechanism. While the concept and business preparations for applying recording technology to toys were underway in 1887, no materials confirming the date, content, or recorder of recordings made in that year can be found.

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