Experimental Talking Clock
- Experimental Talking Clock
The "Experimental Talking Clock" was recorded circa 1878 by inventor Frank Lambert. It was long thought to be the world's oldest playable sound recording and is listed in both the Guinness Book of World Records and The Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound as such; however, an older phonautogram recording from 1860 by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville was reproduced for the first time in 2008 with the aid of modern technology. Lambert's recording, however, remains the oldest surviving recorded sound created with the intention of playback.
Unlike modern recordings, the recording medium of the Experimental Talking Clock is a part of the primitive recording device itself and cannot be easily changed. Seeking to create a more durable recording, Lambert chose to experiment with a cylinder made of lead rather than the more common practice of recording onto a wrapping of tin foil. Lasting 1 minute 40 seconds, the hand-cranked recording features an assortment of peculiar sounds, from Lambert calling out the hours of the day to indistinct speech and what may be chimes or bells. Portions of the recording sound in reverse, lending to the possibility that the phonograph may have been cranked counter-clockwise during certain points of recording.
The 'Experimental Talking Clock' was discovered by early phonograph and recordings collector Aaron Cramer. The device and its recording are currently on display at the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania.
References
* [http://www.tinfoil.com/cm-0101.htm Tinfoil.com's Cylinder of the Month]
* [http://www.collectorcafe.com/article_archive.asp?article=670&id=1504 The World's Oldest Recording: Frank Lambert's Amazing Time Machine – Part 1]
* [http://www.collectorcafe.com/article_archive.asp?article=670&id=1503 The World's Oldest Recording: Frank Lambert's Amazing Time Machine – Part 2]
External links
* [http://www.nawcc.org/ The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors]
* [http://www.tinfoil.com/lam-clock~.mp3 An mp3 of the Talking Clock]
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