Music recorded in August 1899
August 1899 was a month in which political and social tensions and the risks of modern infrastructure simultaneously surfaced. On August 6, a streetcar crashed off a bridge near Stratford, Connecticut, USA, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries (raising awareness of the safety issues of modern transportation). On August 7, the court-martial retrial of Alfred Dreyfus (1859–1935) began in Rennes, France, symbolizing the continuing division of public opinion in the country. Also on August 7, the United States appointed Richard Phillips Leary (1842–1901) as the first Admiral of the Navy to the island of Guam, marking the start of a full-fledged administration. On August 8, the San Ciriaco Hurricane struck Puerto Rico, causing extensive damage and social unrest. In the maritime field, the British Parliament held an inquiry on August 7 into the loss of ships and the high number of fatalities, with the dangers of navigation and institutional responses becoming key points of discussion.In the industrial and economic field, Henry Ford (1863–1947) resigned from his position on August 19 to become involved in the organization of the Detroit Automobile Company (official name of the manufacturing company), which later laid the foundation for the automobile industry.
Confirmed recordings this month: 0
Summary of information on recordings made in August 1899
In August 1899, one recording-related topic for which primary sources can be traced back to the month and year is a patent application for a celluloid cylinder duplication (molding) technology. Celluloid-based molded cylinders, more durable than wax-based media, became the technological foundation for the subsequent "unbreakable" cylinder market and directly impacted the recording industry in terms of establishing duplication and mass production processes. As for other events related to August 1899 (the month) and the current availability of primary source corroboration, this page will not cover speculative topics that may be distracting.
Thomas B. Lambert's patent application for a celluloid molding cylinder reproduction process (August 14, 1899)
It is known that Thomas B. Lambert (date of birth and death unknown) filed a U.S. patent (application corresponding to U.S. Patent No. 645,920) on August 14, 1899, for a method of duplicating phonograph cylinder records by molding celluloid. As this technology involved the process of "mass-producing identical content through molding," it was an issue that had a major impact on the durability and availability of cylinder media at the time.
- https://air.uniud.it/retrieve/e27ce0c5-71b5-055e-e053-6605fe0a7873/10990_135_ZavagnaPhD_v1.0_pdfa.pdf
- https://www.usmcu.edu/Outreach/Marine-Corps-University-Press/MCU-Journal/JAMS-vol-13-no-1/A-Tale-of-Two-Storms/
- https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/spanish-american-war/us-capture-of-guam.html
