Music recorded in May 1893
May 1893 marked the opening of major international expositions in the United States, ushering in the electrification of cities and the display of new technologies. The World's Columbian Exposition opened to the public in Chicago on May 1, 1893, becoming a key international hub for the flow of people and information for several months. Meanwhile, financially, the collapse of the National Cordage Company triggered a stock market crash, exacerbating the Panic of 1893. Furthermore, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869–1948) arrived in South Africa on May 24, 1893, marking the beginning of his overseas experience that would later lead to his political activism.
Confirmed recordings this month: 0
Summary of information on recordings made in May 1893
May 1893 was the month when recording and playback devices themselves transitioned from "laboratory technology" to "public spectacle and experience" through exhibitions and public demonstrations. In particular, the exhibitions at exhibitions and the public unveiling of voyeuristic video devices are seen as the first steps toward the penetration of new media, including sound and video, into urban entertainment and consumption spaces.
Chicago World's Fair and the Phonograph Exhibit
The World's Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago from May 1 to October 30, 1893, and featured exhibits of new technologies, including the application of electricity. Edison's Phonograph was mentioned as an exhibit at the exposition, confirming that recording and playback equipment was treated as "technology to be seen and experienced" within the exposition space.
- https://www.ndl.go.jp/exposition/s1/1893.html
- https://www.ndl.go.jp/exposition/e/s1/1893.html
- https://phonographia.com/Fairs/1893%20WCE%20REF.htm
Kinetoscope Opens in Brooklyn and Expands the Viewing Experience
It is recorded that on May 9, 1893, a short film filmed by William Kennedy Laurie Dickson (1860–1935) was made available for public viewing using a kinetoscope at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. This was a demonstration that allowed people to experience the new medium in an "individual-by-individual" format, and it was an early example of the widespread use of mechanical viewing as entertainment, alongside sound playback devices that would later become popular.
- https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/blacksmithing-scene-1893
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kennedy_Dickson
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetoscope
