Music recorded in April 1889
April 1889 was a month that saw changes typical of the late 19th century in both political crisis and military technology, with Georges Ernest Jean-Marie Boulanger (1837–1891) fleeing to Brussels to avoid arrest after an attempted coup in France, and Sir Frederick Augustus Abel (1827–1902) and James Dewar (1842–1923) applying for a patent for the smokeless gunpowder Cordite in Britain. In the United States, the Oklahoma Land Rush began on April 22nd, marking the start of mass settlement. The same month also saw the birth of a number of figures who would go on to have a major impact on the 20th century, including Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977), Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), and Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951). This was a period marked by a series of events that would have a major impact on future generations.
Confirmed recordings this month: 31
13th (1 song)
| Title | Artist |
|---|---|
| Chopin: Mazurka | Hans von Bülow |
[Events of April 13, 1889]
・Frederick John Kempster (1889–1918)
Frederick John Kempster (1889–1918) was born in Bayswater, London, on 13 April 1889. As an adult he stood approximately 234 cm tall and is remembered in local records and memoirs as the "Blackburn Giant", who travelled in circuses and freak shows.
15th? (1 song)
| Title | Artist |
|---|---|
| Chopin: Nocturne | Hans von Bülow |
15th (9 songs)
| Title | Artist |
|---|---|
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.2 in A major, Op.2 No.2 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.6 in F major, Op.10 No.2 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: 12 Variations on the Russian Dance from Wranitzky's ballet The Waldmädchen, WoO 71 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 (Grande Sonate Pathétique) | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.9 in E major, Op.14 No.1 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.10 in G major, Op.14 No.2 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Six Variations on an original theme in F major, Op.34 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.15 in D major, Op.28 (Pastorale) | Hans von Bülow |
| Encores: [unknown] | Hans von Bülow |
[Events of April 15, 1889]
・Galka Scheyer (1889–1945)
Galka Scheyer (1889–1945), born in Braunschweig in the German Empire as Emilie Esther Scheyer, was a painter, art dealer, and collector. She later moved to the United States and actively introduced Kandinsky, Klee, Feininger, Jawlensky, and others as "The Blue Four," supporting the acceptance of European avant-garde art, particularly in California.
16th (7 songs)
| Title | Artist |
|---|---|
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.13 in E-flat major, Op.27 No.1 (Sonata, quasi una fantasia) | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.14 in C-sharp minor, Op.27 No.2 (Sonata, quasi una fantasia) (Moonlight) | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: 15 Variations & a Fugue on a theme from Prometheus, Op.35 (Eroica Variations) | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.17 in D minor, Op.31 No.2 (Tempest) | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.18 in E-flat major, Op.31 No.3 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: 32 Variations on an original theme in C minor, WoO 80 | Hans von Bülow |
| Encores: [unknown] | Hans von Bülow |
[Events of April 16, 1889]
・Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977)
Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977), the comedic actor and film director later known for films such as The Kid and City Lights, was born on April 16, 1889, near Walworth in south London. He is a symbol of the silent film era and would go on to have a decisive influence on 20th-century popular culture and cinematic expression.
・Ovid Muzin's San Francisco performance
On the same evening of April 16th, Belgian violinist Ovide Musin (1854–1929) gave a concert at the Bijou Theater in San Francisco. Musin's international fame and touring career demonstrate the close ties that American West Coast cities had with European classical music at the time.
17th (8 songs)
| Title | Artist |
|---|---|
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.23 in F minor, Op.57 (Appassionata) | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.24 in F-sharp major, Op.78 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.26 in E-flat major, Op.81a (Les Adieux) | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Fantasy in G minor, Op.77 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.30 in E major, Op.109 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.31 in A-flat major, Op.110 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.32 in C minor, Op.111 | Hans von Bülow |
| Encores: [unknown] | Hans von Bülow |
[Events of April 17, 1889]
・The marriage of Theo van Gogh and Johanna van Gogh-Bonger
Art dealer Theo van Gogh (1857–1891) and Johanna van Gogh-Bonger (1862–1925) were married in Amsterdam on April 17, 1889. After their short marriage, Johanna compiled and published the correspondence and works of Theo and the painter Vincent van Gogh, and played a central role in determining Vincent's subsequent international reputation.
18th (5 songs)
| Title | Artist |
|---|---|
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.28 in A major, Op.101 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.29 in B-flat major, Op.106 (Grosse Sonate für das Hammerklavier) | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: 33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op.120 | Hans von Bülow |
| Beethoven: Rondo a Capriccio in G major, Op.129 (Rage over a Lost Penny) | Hans von Bülow |
| Encores: [unknown] | Hans von Bülow |
[Events of April 18, 1889]
・The Tokyo earthquake and the beginning of teleseismic observation
On April 18, 1889, a large earthquake occurred near Tokyo, Japan, and its seismic waves were continuously recorded by highly sensitive, self-recording horizontal pendulum seismographs installed in Potsdam and Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Ernst von Rebeur-Paschwitz (1861–1895) reported these observation results in Nature magazine under the title "The earthquake of Tokio, 18 April 1889," and this is considered one of the world's first demonstrations of full-scale teleseismic observation.
Summary of information on recordings made in April 1889
April 1889 was a time when Edison and Graphophone phonographs were being demonstrated in salons and academic institutions across Europe and the United States, and cultural recordings of poets reciting or musicians performing began to be left on wax cylinders.
At the same time, patent applications for new recording and playback mechanisms aimed at improving sound quality and playback accuracy were filed, and improved models were unveiled to the public. This was also the month when it became clear through exhibitions and demonstrations that the phonograph was making a full-scale transition from an experimental device to a medium for entertainment and business.
Edison's improved phonograph patent granted
On April 2, U.S. Patent No. 400,647 was issued to Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) for an improved phonograph. This patent, which refined the arrangement of the rotating cylinder and the sound box for recording and playback, served as the basic design for later commercial wax cylinder phonographs.
Robert Browning's recordings of his own works
Around April 1889, Robert Browning (1812–1889) recorded his poem "How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix" on an Edison phonograph at a dinner party at the home of his friend, the painter Rudolf Lehmann (1819–1905). The recording even captures Browning laughing and apologizing for forgetting the beginning of the poem, making it one of the earliest examples of a major literary figure's voice remaining in relatively good condition (sources suggest the recording was made on either April 7 or May 6, but here we will treat it as an April recording).
Hans von Bülow's Boston Beethoven Concert Series Recording
Around April 15-18, Hans von Bülow (1830-1894) held a series of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) piano sonatas at Boston Music Hall, recorded on wax cylinders as private live recordings using an Edison phonograph. These cylinders are organized as "Acoustic Private Live Recordings," and are considered some of the earliest attempts to record large-scale concerts by famous pianists directly at the venue.
Adelbert Theodor Edward Wangemann's Boston recordings and press coverage
Adelbert Theodor Edward Wangemann (1855–1906), an engineer at Edison Laboratories, visited Boston in March and April 1889 and recorded performances by Hans von Bülow (1830–1894) and Harvard University composer John Knowles Paine (1839–1906) on an Edison phonograph. An article in the April 20th edition of the Boston Journal, "The Newest Phonograph," provides a detailed description of these concert recordings and demonstrations of the latest phonograph, conveying the impact of recorded music on Boston audiences.
Surviving recordings made during a visit to Boston (John Knowles Payne, EDIS 39836)
According to a biography from the National Park Service (NPS), Theo Wangemann (Adelbert Theodor Edward Wangemann, 1855–1906) was involved in recordings by Hans von Bülow (1830–1894) and others in Boston in March–April 1889, and at least one cylinder made during that visit still exists.
The existing recordings are classified as piano performances by John Knowles Paine (1839–1906) and can be referenced by a control number (EDIS 39836), which helps to avoid the misconception that all Boston recordings are hearsay.
Public demonstration of an improved phonograph at the Paris Academy of Sciences
On April 23, Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) himself officially demonstrated his improved phonograph at the Académie des Sciences in Paris, demonstrating its capabilities to members. French conference minutes and later research into the history of technology and medicine mark this demonstration as one of the starting points for discussions about the preservation of recorded voices and their possible medical applications.
Gramophone sessions with celebrities at the Paris Academy of Fine Arts
Woodcuts and captions from the time reveal that on April 27, a session was held at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, featuring composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893), astronomer Pierre Jules César Janssen (1824–1907), and Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale (1822–1897). While the exact content of the recording remains unknown, the scene has become iconic in iconographical documents and timelines from the late 19th century, as "Celebrities around a Gramophone at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Paris, April 27, 1889."
