Once upon a time, there was only live music In the 19th century, there was a classical music trend for symphonic works to include piano pieces adapted for four-handed play. Beethoven, Mozart and the creations of other composers were re-arranged for the piano, and it became common to have several versions of one symphony. But for music lovers living in the 19th century, listening to Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony in the comfort of their homes was not possible. Their choice was to play the musical instruments personally to recreate the sounds, as there was no invention yet that could record or reproduce sound. If someone wanted to listen to music, they had to find musicians to perform the songs specifically for them. Phonographs allowed the retention of sounds that could be replayed at any time or place following the actual performance. It drew a distinct line between live and recorded music. Its appearance completely changed the way that music was to be enjoyed. Before phonographs, all music was "live" – whenever music was heard, the musicians and singers could also be observed. Performers and their art always appeared together. The invention of the phonograph was generally attributed to American inventor Thomas Edison. Yet before Edison’s phonograph in 1877, there were other inventors who tried to record sound. In 1857, the French typesetter, Édouard-Léon S. de Martinville, invented a device that could record sound waves onto paper. He went as far as to apply for a patent in France. However, the greatest drawback of de Martinville’s invention was that it could only record: it could not play and be heard. His recorded sounds were not replayed until 2008 when scientists revived them; they were revealed to be a French folk song. Equipment that only recorded and lacked replay never really gained any popularity.
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迪馬丁維爾和他發明的聲音 紀錄儀。
Édouard-Léon S. de Martinville and his invention that recorded sound waves.
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