Music recorded in May 1895
May 1895 was a month in which modern media and the international order were shaken simultaneously. On May 7, Alexander Popov (1859–1906) demonstrated a wireless receiver in St. Petersburg, signaling a new stage in remote communications. On May 8, the Treaty of Shimonoseki came into effect, and amid rising tensions over Taiwan, the Republic of Formosa was established on May 23. In the Caribbean, the Cuban War of Independence was changing, with José Martí (1853–1895) being killed in action on May 19. In the United States, the federal income tax was declared unconstitutional in the case of Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. on May 20, and Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was convicted in London on May 25, leaving a lasting impression on fin de siècle culture.
Confirmed recordings this month: 0
Summary of information on recordings made in May 1895
The period in the history of sound recording in May 1895 marks a time when primary sources were being used for research and rights disputes over cylinder recording materials and duplication techniques, and at the same time, attempts were being made to link audio playback to video exhibitions. Below, we will focus on materials that clearly state the date of May 1895.
Thomas Alva Edison's court testimony (May 7, 1895)
Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) addressed patent infringement and market competition issues surrounding the Cylinder Phonograph in a court testimony dated May 7, 1895. The metadata for the testimony lists Edison Phonograph Works, Edison United Phonograph Co., North American Phonograph Company, Charles Sumner Tainter (1854–1940), and Chichester Alexander Bell (1848–1924) as parties involved.
American Graphophone v. National Phonograph
The transcript of the American Graphophone Company v. National Phonograph Company case includes testimony and exhibits about the research of Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) and his assistants, and explains how laboratory notebooks from the West Orange Laboratory were incorporated into the case. It reveals that the recording media and duplication process were at the heart of the business competition and were brought before the court.
Letter from Thomas Hood MacDonald (May 26, 1895)
A letter dated May 26, 1895, from Thomas Hood Macdonald (1859–1911) to Adolph Melzer (dates of birth and death unknown) has survived, and the subject matter is listed as "Chemical Products and Processes" and "Cylinder Recording and Duplication Techniques." Research by Tim Brooks (dates of birth and death unknown) positions Macdonald as the factory manager and chief inventor at Columbia (real name unknown), and indicates that research into the composition of the recording medium itself determined mass production and marketability.
Kinetophone and the Experiment with Sound and Images
Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) presented the Kinetophone, a combination of a Kinetoscope and a Cylinder Phonograph, in the spring of 1895, which went on sale in March 1895 and began to be exhibited in April 1895. The concept of incorporating recording and playback into a video exhibit indicates that sound recording was not just an "independent product," but was beginning to circulate as a component that bundled together multiple media.
- https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/articles-and-essays/early-edison-experiments-with-sight-and-sound/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetoscope
