Music recorded in March 1889
In March 1889, imperialist tensions and armed conflicts became apparent all over the world, including the United States' declaration of control of the Bering Sea, the Battle of Metema in which Ethiopian Emperor Yohannes IV (1831 or 1837–1889) was killed, and the Samoan Crisis in which a US and German fleet was destroyed in a storm in the port of Apia, Samoa.
On the other hand, this was also a month in which a number of movements symbolizing the modern era were launched simultaneously in the areas of communications technology, religious movements, popular sports, and urban landscapes, including the patent application for the Strowger automatic telephone exchange in the United States, the founding of Sheffield United Football Club in England and Preston North End's achievement of a league and FA Cup double, the establishment of the Ahmadiyya sect in India, and the completion of the Eiffel Tower in Paris at the end of the month.
Confirmed recordings this month: 1
? ? Day (1 song)
*The primary source gives the recording date as "c. March 1889," but the exact date is unknown.
| Title | Artist |
|---|---|
| Fifth Regiment March | Issler's Orchestra |
Summary of information on recordings made in March 1889
March 1889 saw the developments surrounding recording, during which experimental music recordings were underway at the Edison Laboratory, while the establishment of a system for widespread adoption was also in full swing, with sales companies across the country, operator training, and performance demonstrations. Here, we will introduce selected examples from primary sources that directly mention March, as well as recording-related events that can be determined to have occurred around March based on the context surrounding them, within the context of recording history.
Recording of Issler's Orchestra's "Fifth Regiment March"
The "Fifth Regiment March" by Issler's Orchestra was likely recorded on a yellow paraffin wax cylinder at the Edison Laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey, around March 1889. The recording was made by Walter H. Miller (1870–1941) and is considered one of the earliest surviving American musical wax cylinders.
One of the oldest wax cylinders, along with "Pattison Waltz"
"Pattison Waltz," recorded on February 25, 1889, and "Fifth Regiment March," believed to have been recorded in March, are both mentioned as a set of early musical wax cylinders produced in West Orange. The former is known for including Effie Stewart (1863–1904) singing, and the two were later collectively referred to as the "Edison Exhibition Recordings," and introduced to posterity as "some of the earliest music recordings for demonstration and exhibition."
Metropolitan Phonograph Company's Operator Training Plan
In a letter dated March 4, 1889, Alfred Ord Tate (1863–1945) confirmed to Charles Augustus Cheever (1852–1900) of the Metropolitan Phonograph Company his plans to train several operators at the company's West Orange laboratory. This document shows that efforts to standardize the operation of improved phonographs and to train professionals to conduct recording and playback demonstrations around the country were already in full swing by March.
Letters from the Ohio Phonograph Company regarding technology acquisition
In a letter dated March 6, 1889, George H. Dunham (date of birth and death unknown) wrote to Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) on behalf of the Ohio Phonograph Company, questioning the need for him to travel east to learn about the practical aspects of the new phonograph. He stated, "If Walter H. Miller can do it, so can I," suggesting that the recording know-how accumulated in West Orange was being shared with engineers at regional branches.
"Concert Without Voices" coverage in New Haven
The New Haven News, dated March 25, 1889, carried an article titled "Concert Without Voices" about a concert using an improved phonograph. The article detailed a "concert" that played multiple music cylinders in succession, and showed that early music recordings made in West Orange were being shown to public audiences in local cities as early as March.
Recruiting talent and planning a phonograph exhibition in preparation for the Paris World Expo
In a letter dated March 29, 1889, H.C. Bailey (date of birth and death unknown) expressed his desire to use his business experience to work for Edison on the Exposition Universelle of 1889. The letter also mentions the Metropolitan Phonograph Company, suggesting that by the end of March, efforts were already underway to organize and staff a phonograph exhibition and recording demonstrations.
Reports of long-distance recording experiments combining telephone and phonograph
A Southern newspaper dated around March 20, 1889, reports on an experiment involving long-distance telephone and phonograph conducted at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. William Joseph Hammer (1858–1934) gave a lecture, and performances by Effie Stewart (1863–1904) and Theodor Hoch (1842–1906), which he telephoned from New York, were recorded on a phonograph and played back repeatedly, marking this experiment as an attempt to combine communications and recording technology.
