Melodic
Modifications
“Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow; and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.” These famous words are some that almost any American child can recite from memory, and they were also the first words ever recorded by the famous inventor and entrepreneur, Thomas Edison. Using the phonograph, Edison was able to record himself reciting “Mary had a little lamb”. Edison’s purpose in inventing this was to give every American family the opportunity to listen to and enjoy music in their own home. The phonograph itself was simply a wooden cylinder with a layer of tinfoil wrapped around it. Pressed against the cylinder was a sturdy needle attached to a horn. When one spoke into the horn, the needle picked up the sound waves and vibrated accordingly. The needle would cut a line into the tinfoil according to the frequency of the sound waves. By placing the needle back to the initial starting point in the groove, the recorded sound is played back, but with a very poor, scratchy quality. The cylinder only held approximately two minutes of sound, but later, larger cylinders were made. Unfortunately, these larger cylinders were unpopular and discontinued soon after. Eventually, the cylinder would be replaced with discs, improved by Emile Berliner, which became more popular. Edison completed the phonograph around December 6th, 1877, although it is also believed to be finished on August 12, 1877. Either way, Edison filed for a patent on December 14th, 1877, although the patent was not issued until February 19th, 1878. The phonograph is a critically important invention to today’s society, economy, and even political decisions.
The phonograph has many, many lasting effects on society today, the way music is a part of life, and technology. Without the phonograph, modern CDs, albums, and digital music downloads would not exist today. Improving upon the phonograph and record player now allows us to carry over ten thousand songs in our pockets wherever we go, to be played whenever we choose in any conditions. Music and electronics is a major part of modern life, and without it, people would not act the way they do now. Relationships, friendships and education would be different. Today, music is enjoyed usually alone or in small groups, privately and individually, rather than public events. Conversely, life was not always like this. To enjoy music a hundred years ago, one would buy tickets to a concert and listen to long, beautiful symphonies. There were no devices allowing the enjoyment of music at home or anywhere other than live. Likewise, there are still concerts today, but they are rarely for watching symphonies. Now, one can listen to a single song on repeat for hours without worrying when the “cylinder will wear out”. One hundred years ago, it was not possible to record music and play it back for other people. This practice became possible with the invention of the phonograph and improvement of music recording technology.
The phonograph also had great effect on the economy. Aspiring artists had an opportunity to record shortened versions of their music to sell to the many families across the country who owned phonographs. Since the maximum recording time for cylinders was approximately two minutes, most artists had to shrink their pieces to smaller phrases. This actually benefited the artists because their fans could more easily recognize the shorter, catchier version of the song and remember it. Since mass production of cylinders had not been established yet, many artists rerecorded their songs over and over again in order to make as many cylinders as they were selling. This opened up many job opportunities as managers and recording assistants. Also, as the phonograph was prospering, Edison placed a small phonograph inside of a doll to make the first “talking doll”. Edison requested to have toy stores built to demonstrate phonography, where he would sell his talking dolls and other merchandise. This also opened up job opportunities, as salesclerks were needed in the new stores. As the phonograph left lasting contributions, it even slightly influenced political decisions.
People often voted for a president for a particular reason, forgetting or not knowing the horrible or wonderful things they said that might have changed their vote. With the invention of the phonograph in 1877, their speeches could be recorded and played over and over again to be used against them, giving justice to the rightful winner. President Harding spoke into the phonograph in 1942, preserving his voice for government records. The phonograph could also be used against policemen, celebrities, inventors, musicians, criminals, or court cases. If a criminal verbally bullied or abused someone before committing a crime, that recording could be used by the opposing side as evidence for his motive to do such a thing. If an inventor was planning on stealing an idea from another inventor, a recording of them speaking may have informed the original inventor of this so they could prevent fraud. The phonograph has actually kept the world safe, honest, technology-oriented, and improved the economy.
With the invention of the phonograph came a great change in the style of music. The short, two-minute recording time of the first cylinders limited artists to recording small melodies rather than elongated symphonies. This practice still allowed lots of aspiring performers to continue to make a living by performing these long symphonies, as they could not be recorded. Correspondingly, few artists continue to write long, beautiful symphonies. They typically run anywhere from two and a half to five minutes. However, most shortened songs are catchier and more recognizable than longer songs with no particular melody. Also, concerts still exist because many people would rather hear their favorite artist sing live than on a recording. Many performers like musicians and singers make a great profit from concerts of all kinds. Many people even go to many concerts a week to appreciate the sound of classical music played by extremely talented, professional musicians of the last century.
The record player played a hugely important role in American history. The economy was greatly affected by it, through more career opportunities and new stores. Also, many musicians at that time enjoyed the phonograph because it enabled them to be able to listen to their own music and sell recordings to fans. The invention also improved society, all the way until modern day. The technology and music today would not be as successful and widespread if it were not for Edison’s phonograph. Music has a great influence on modern personalities and traits. When people are going through a rough time in their life, they often write music to help relieve themselves. Often, those songs become great successes. People also listen to music when they have nothing better to do or they are doing something that does not require a lot of concentration. Even some political decisions are influenced by voice recordings. People can record politicians’ speeches and play back certain things that they have said (although they probably deny saying them anyways). Recordings are also used in court cases against the defendant, usually. The next time you pull out your iPhone and think, “what song should I listen to?” Think of all of the thousands of songs you can hold in one tiny device, and how difficult it would be to hold as many songs before the 1877 life-changing improvement.
“Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow; and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go.” These famous words are some that almost any American child can recite from memory, and they were also the first words ever recorded by the famous inventor and entrepreneur, Thomas Edison. Using the phonograph, Edison was able to record himself reciting “Mary had a little lamb”. Edison’s purpose in inventing this was to give every American family the opportunity to listen to and enjoy music in their own home. The phonograph itself was simply a wooden cylinder with a layer of tinfoil wrapped around it. Pressed against the cylinder was a sturdy needle attached to a horn. When one spoke into the horn, the needle picked up the sound waves and vibrated accordingly. The needle would cut a line into the tinfoil according to the frequency of the sound waves. By placing the needle back to the initial starting point in the groove, the recorded sound is played back, but with a very poor, scratchy quality. The cylinder only held approximately two minutes of sound, but later, larger cylinders were made. Unfortunately, these larger cylinders were unpopular and discontinued soon after. Eventually, the cylinder would be replaced with discs, improved by Emile Berliner, which became more popular. Edison completed the phonograph around December 6th, 1877, although it is also believed to be finished on August 12, 1877. Either way, Edison filed for a patent on December 14th, 1877, although the patent was not issued until February 19th, 1878. The phonograph is a critically important invention to today’s society, economy, and even political decisions.
The phonograph has many, many lasting effects on society today, the way music is a part of life, and technology. Without the phonograph, modern CDs, albums, and digital music downloads would not exist today. Improving upon the phonograph and record player now allows us to carry over ten thousand songs in our pockets wherever we go, to be played whenever we choose in any conditions. Music and electronics is a major part of modern life, and without it, people would not act the way they do now. Relationships, friendships and education would be different. Today, music is enjoyed usually alone or in small groups, privately and individually, rather than public events. Conversely, life was not always like this. To enjoy music a hundred years ago, one would buy tickets to a concert and listen to long, beautiful symphonies. There were no devices allowing the enjoyment of music at home or anywhere other than live. Likewise, there are still concerts today, but they are rarely for watching symphonies. Now, one can listen to a single song on repeat for hours without worrying when the “cylinder will wear out”. One hundred years ago, it was not possible to record music and play it back for other people. This practice became possible with the invention of the phonograph and improvement of music recording technology.
The phonograph also had great effect on the economy. Aspiring artists had an opportunity to record shortened versions of their music to sell to the many families across the country who owned phonographs. Since the maximum recording time for cylinders was approximately two minutes, most artists had to shrink their pieces to smaller phrases. This actually benefited the artists because their fans could more easily recognize the shorter, catchier version of the song and remember it. Since mass production of cylinders had not been established yet, many artists rerecorded their songs over and over again in order to make as many cylinders as they were selling. This opened up many job opportunities as managers and recording assistants. Also, as the phonograph was prospering, Edison placed a small phonograph inside of a doll to make the first “talking doll”. Edison requested to have toy stores built to demonstrate phonography, where he would sell his talking dolls and other merchandise. This also opened up job opportunities, as salesclerks were needed in the new stores. As the phonograph left lasting contributions, it even slightly influenced political decisions.
People often voted for a president for a particular reason, forgetting or not knowing the horrible or wonderful things they said that might have changed their vote. With the invention of the phonograph in 1877, their speeches could be recorded and played over and over again to be used against them, giving justice to the rightful winner. President Harding spoke into the phonograph in 1942, preserving his voice for government records. The phonograph could also be used against policemen, celebrities, inventors, musicians, criminals, or court cases. If a criminal verbally bullied or abused someone before committing a crime, that recording could be used by the opposing side as evidence for his motive to do such a thing. If an inventor was planning on stealing an idea from another inventor, a recording of them speaking may have informed the original inventor of this so they could prevent fraud. The phonograph has actually kept the world safe, honest, technology-oriented, and improved the economy.
With the invention of the phonograph came a great change in the style of music. The short, two-minute recording time of the first cylinders limited artists to recording small melodies rather than elongated symphonies. This practice still allowed lots of aspiring performers to continue to make a living by performing these long symphonies, as they could not be recorded. Correspondingly, few artists continue to write long, beautiful symphonies. They typically run anywhere from two and a half to five minutes. However, most shortened songs are catchier and more recognizable than longer songs with no particular melody. Also, concerts still exist because many people would rather hear their favorite artist sing live than on a recording. Many performers like musicians and singers make a great profit from concerts of all kinds. Many people even go to many concerts a week to appreciate the sound of classical music played by extremely talented, professional musicians of the last century.
The record player played a hugely important role in American history. The economy was greatly affected by it, through more career opportunities and new stores. Also, many musicians at that time enjoyed the phonograph because it enabled them to be able to listen to their own music and sell recordings to fans. The invention also improved society, all the way until modern day. The technology and music today would not be as successful and widespread if it were not for Edison’s phonograph. Music has a great influence on modern personalities and traits. When people are going through a rough time in their life, they often write music to help relieve themselves. Often, those songs become great successes. People also listen to music when they have nothing better to do or they are doing something that does not require a lot of concentration. Even some political decisions are influenced by voice recordings. People can record politicians’ speeches and play back certain things that they have said (although they probably deny saying them anyways). Recordings are also used in court cases against the defendant, usually. The next time you pull out your iPhone and think, “what song should I listen to?” Think of all of the thousands of songs you can hold in one tiny device, and how difficult it would be to hold as many songs before the 1877 life-changing improvement.