[D8818APL], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to Montague Roby, July 17th, 1888

https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/D8818APL

View document with UniversalViewer   → View document on Archive.org  → Re-use this digital object via a IIIF manifest

Title

[D8818APL], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to Montague Roby, July 17th, 1888

Editor's Notes

Your letter under date 2d instant has been duly received and I have referred the same to Gouraud, 'Little Menlo,' upper Norwood, Surrey, who controls the Phonograph in England. # In Reply to your question regarding the Phonograph I would say that the machine is capable of rendering complete harmonies to perfection and they can be repeated ad libitum. In a quartet the run of each voice is given and in an orchestra piece the Phonograph will show not only each instrument and the notes played, but will also record to perfection the peculiar sound and difference between two violins in a duet, or with four cornets every different instrument can be distinguished, the richness of tone in different instruments is consequently recorded to perfection. The quality and Klangefarb (tone color) of all notes is represented in the waves which float through the air, and as these waves are recorded accurately on the cylinder of the Phonograph, the machine necessarily repeats them again, thus preserving every peculiarity of pitch and tone of every sound recorded on the phonographic cylinder.

Recipient

Date

1888-07-17

Type

Folder/Volume ID

D8818-F

Microfilm ID

122:443

Document ID

D8818APL

Publisher

Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University
Download CSV | JSON