Listen to an Edison Cylinder Recording
Edison was a brilliant inventor. His inventions changed the lives of almost everyone. The cylinder phonograph player you see here brought entertainment into the home. The family could gather around and enjoy musical and spoken arts. Edison brought the world into your parlor.
At first the phonograph was very expensive and was found only in homes of the wealthy and in entertainment emporiums. However, it grew more available as mass production drove down production costs. A phonograph like this one might have cost the equivalent of two weeks pay.
Listen to “Wax Cylinder” recordings courtesy of the National Park Service:
- Stars and Stripes Forever March
- William Tell Overture
- The Band of Gideon
- Moonlight Sonata
- Fourth of July at Punkin Center
- La Paloma
- Ma Rag Time Baby
- Alexander's Ragtime Band
- "Voice trial" - Kinetophone actor audition
These links open files on the National Park Service website featuring the Edison Laboratory National Park, West Orange, NJ.
Please use headphones or ear buds while listening. Please do not disturb other museum patrons.
