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Greetings from Paris, where today we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the recording of Au Clair de la Lune by Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville - the earliest audibly recognizable record of the human voice yet recovered. This week we visited each of the French institutions at which we’ve identified Scott’s manuscripts and recordings over the last two years, presenting each with copies of our high resolution scans of their holdings. Today we’re visiting a number of establishments that Edouard-Leon himself might have frequented for conversation, libation, and a good meal. Celebrate with us! Tonight (preferably by the light of the moon) open a window in time, raise a glass in the direction of Paris, and toast an inventor whose experiment - made 150 years ago today - succeeded far beyond his own expectations.And in a more sober moment, check out the documents that trace the inception, development, and maturation of Scott’s phonautographic work. They’re all at FirstSounds.org.
