FirstSounds.ORG

New sounds revealed

Fri, 29 May 2008 16:00:00 EST

On Friday May 29, at the Association for Recorded Sound Collections in Washington DC, Patrick Feaster and David Giovannoni announced significant new developments in our understanding of Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville's pioneering work on sound recording. New sounds from his phonautograms--and revised interpretations of previously heard recordings--are now available.

New developments to be announced this week

Thurs, 28 May 2008 10:45:00 EST

This week Patrick Feaster and David Giovannoni will announce significant new developments at the annual meeting of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections in Washington, DC. Watch this site for updates following their presentation on Friday.

"Au Clair de la Lune" named the best recording of 2008

Tues, 23 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST

Jody Rosen of Slate.com has named "Au Clair de la Lune" the most moving recording of 2008.

Franciscus Donders and the Noematachograph

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 9:00:00 EST

First Sounds plays back a recording made in 1865 as part of a groundbreaking experiment in cognitive psychology.

What the Dead Ear Heard

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 9:00:00 EST

First Sounds celebrates Halloween by playing back a phonautogram made in the 1860s by attaching a recording stylus to the eardrum of a human cadaver.

An American phonautograph pioneer

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:00:00 EST

First Sounds plays an experimental speech recording made by Charles Morey, the MIT student who redesigned Scott's phonautograph in 1874.

First Sounds to present at AMIA

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST

David Giovanonni, First Sounds principal, will discuss the making and preservation of phonautograms Friday, June 6 at The Association of Moving Image Archivists: The Reel Thing XX in Los Angeles, CA. Additional upcoming presentations are scheduled for the California Antique Phonograph Society Banquet and at The Audio Engineering Society's Convention in San Francisco. A current list of upcoming presentations is

The "Lost" Tracing of Lincoln's Voice

Sun, 18 May 2008 08:00:00 EST

Did Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville record Abraham Lincoln's voice on a phonautograph in the White House in 1863? We analyze the evidence and origins of this myth.

Leon Scott in his own words

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EST

First Sounds' recovery of the 1860 recording of Au Clair de la Lune has indisputably established Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville as the inventor of sound recording and rekindled an interest in Scott. We are pleased to publish several of Scott's own writings--many in his own hand--in the effort to understand better how he came to his invention and when.

FirstSounds.ORG publishes four working papers

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST

FirstSounds.ORG has published its first four working papers. The papers are English translations of Scott's original writings about the phonautograph.

FirstSounds.ORG answers your questions

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EST

FirstSounds.ORG has posted answers to some of your most-asked questions. Visit our FAQ to learn more about "Au clair de la lune," phonautograms, and using our sounds in your work.