Music recorded in July 1893
July 1893 was a month of simultaneous global economic turmoil, imperialist tensions, and new technological and cultural spectacles. Conflict between the French Third Republic and the Kingdom of Siam culminated in the Paknam incident on July 13, 1893, bringing to light the pressures on the balance of power in Indochina. In the United States, Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) underwent a secret operation on July 1, 1893, and the financial instability of that year raised political and information control issues. In Japan, Kokichi Mikimoto (1858–1954) is credited with successfully developing cultured pearls in 1893, marking the modernization of the jewelry and marine industries. The World's Columbian Exposition was taking place in Chicago at the time, and an essay published by Frederick Jackson Turner (1861–1932) on July 12, 1893, became the starting point for a debate on historical perspectives.
Confirmed recordings this month: 0
Summary of information on recordings made in July 1893
The documents do not reveal any "new recordings" that can be pinpointed to a specific date beyond July 1893. However, that same month marked the time when the World's Columbian Exposition was being held, and phonographs were on display to visitors as a "new form of entertainment, exhibition, and educational device." This demonstrates that recordings could be circulated not just as "works" but also through demonstrations and experiences at the exposition, providing clues for considering the promotional and exhibition formats (such as coin-operated listening) of the recording industry in later years.
World's Columbian Exposition and Phonograph
At the World's Columbian Exposition, the phonograph was mentioned as a "novel technology" for visitors, and was also mentioned as an exhibit in the electrical equipment exhibition space. July 1893 was midway through the exposition, and it appears that sound recording was positioned not just as a means of "playback in the home," but also as a spectacle and technical demonstration at the exhibition venue.
- https://www.loc.gov/collections/songs-of-america/articles-and-essays/historical-topics/1893-World-Columbian-Exposition/
- https://www.shapell.org/manuscript/president-benjamin-harrison-worlds-columbian-exposition/
- https://chicagology.com/columbiaexpo/fair033/
Turner's presentation and contemporary views on "records"
Frederick Jackson Turner's (1861–1932) presentation (July 12, 1893) symbolizes the contemporary interest in how to record history and what evidence to preserve. Although sound recording was not yet a universal recording medium, the fact that a "technology for preserving sound" was exhibited and demonstrated in the same exhibition space signaled the beginning of an era in which sound itself could be documented in addition to written documents, statistics, and exhibits.
- https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/c7bb3f89-eb78-007e-971a-d5864cf7a236/34a81bb9-42dc-4843-801a-b9224bb5674d/The-Frontier-in-American-History.pdf
- https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/gilded/empire/text1/turner.pdf
Coin-operated listening experience and expo
Expositions were also devices for selling "experiences" to large numbers of people in a short amount of time, and recording and playback equipment was a good fit for this structure. The fact that the phonograph was already envisioned as part of the experience at the exhibition as early as July 1893 is important when considering the conditions (location, charges, operation) for establishing sound recordings as a "product."
- https://www.shapell.org/manuscript/president-benjamin-harrison-worlds-columbian-exposition/
- https://www.loc.gov/collections/songs-of-america/articles-and-essays/historical-topics/1893-World-Columbian-Exposition/
