Music recorded in March 1892
March 1892 was a month in which international arbitration over remote natural resources, mechanical technology transforming urban life, and the institutionalization of popular entertainment all progressed simultaneously. On March 29, the United States Senate recommended ratification of the Convention between the United States and Great Britain, concluded at Washington, February 29, 1892, to arbitrate a dispute over the hunting of fur seals in the Bering Sea, raising awareness of resource conservation and the framework of international law. In the same month, Jesse Wilford Reno (1861–1947) obtained a patent for the moving staircase (later known as the escalator), expanding the idea of a device for transporting people into public spaces. In sports, Frederick Arthur Stanley (1841–1908) donated the Stanley Cup on March 18, giving shape to the trophy culture that symbolizes the "continuing story" of athletics. Furthermore, the Liverpool Football Club was founded on March 15, cementing the era in which community entertainment was built up through organization and record-keeping. In Japan, Kume Kunitake was dismissed from his professorship at Imperial University on March 4 following a literary scandal, making visible the tension between the public nature of modern knowledge and politics and religion.
Confirmed recordings this month: 0
Summary of information on recordings made in March 1892
With regard to the "recordings" made in March 1892, we were unable to find sufficient primary sources that directly indicate that individual recording performances were made in that month within the scope of our references. However, we can confirm that a U.S. patent was filed in March 1892 for technology that would directly lead to the mass production of disc recordings, at a time when cylinder-based recording practices continued. Furthermore, the lack of records of recording activities at the time in the compiled materials for early disc recordings dating back to 1892 clearly demonstrates the difficulty of determining the dates.
Emile Berliner's patent application for the acid-etched disc recording method (March 30, 1892)
Emile Berliner (1851–1929) filed United States Patent No. 534,543 for a "Gramophone" on March 30, 1892. This patent describes a method of disc recording that involves etching a recording onto a zinc plate or other recording medium with acid, clearly indicating a direction for recording technology based on the concept of "copy distribution," whereby copies are made from the same master recording. The patent was registered (granted) on February 19, 1895.
United States Gramophone Company listed as assignee
The title of United States Patent No. 534,543 lists the inventor, Emile Berliner (1851–1929), and the United States Gramophone Company as the assignee. The fact that a record exists linking invention and ownership (commercialization) as early as March 1892 provides a clue as to the institutionalization of the recording industry. However, it is not possible to determine from this patent alone whether the company produced or distributed any specific recordings that month.
The existence of experimental zinc masters from 1892 onwards (although the date "March 1892" has not been confirmed)
A finding aid for the Emile Berliner collection at the Library of Congress indicates that it contains unpublished zinc records (including experimental ones) spanning the period 1892–1898. This confirms that at least experimental disc recording media existed in 1892, but it is unclear from this description whether the collection includes any records produced in March 1892.
