A Queen Victoria Recording: Does One Exist?

[Victor A]

Hey everyone,

I was recently on Youtube, and I came across several shoddy versions of a supposed recording of Queen Victoria's voice. A couple specify an 1888 graphophone cylinder, but one shows and describes a treadle graphophone as well. It also does a sound restoration of the ozcerite cylinder. So,

a. Who obtained this supposed recording? (The video I described above is from 2 days ago, and definitely the most recent)

b. Is it really legitimate?

Thanks!


P.S., Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EPifjQJYGA

[OrthoFan]

It seems the jury is still out. If you click "Show More" under the video, you see that even the poster does not give a decisive answer:

"It’s quite possible that what you hear coming from this Graphophone cylinder recorded back in 1888 is indeed Queen Victoria's faint voice, but the cylinder has been badly damaged in the intervening years through repeated playing using a heavy stylus that has damaged the wax, making the recorded voice it contains very difficult to decipher. Moreover, the person speaking has a soft voice, which mitigates against a clear recording being able to be made in the first place (one can't imagine the Queen of England shouting into the mouthpiece or horn of the machine, which is what was required!)"

BTW, here's an in-depth feature about the cylinder from the Smithsonian's website -- http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/i ... -98809025/

OrthoFan

[estott]

I'd expect to hear at least a trace of the German accent she had.

[Lucius1958]

I'd expect to hear at least a trace of the German accent she had.

German accent? I was under the impression that she was British born.

I know the Hanoverian line originated in Germany, and that she took a German husband: is there any documentary evidence that she spoke with a German accent?

Bill

[estott]

I'd expect to hear at least a trace of the German accent she had.

German accent? I was under the impression that she was British born.

I know the Hanoverian line originated in Germany, and that she took a German husband: is there any documentary evidence that she spoke with a German accent?

Bill

Anecdotal evidence, and to be honest she probably did not have one as an adult, at least not while public speaking. Still, as this article explains, her Mother was German, her governess was German, and taught Victoria to speak the language as a child, much of the court was German (Hanoverian) and Victoria married a German speaking prince to whom she continued to speak German in private life. It would not be at all surprising if Victoria had some trace of an accent when speaking informally. : http://www.richardmilton.net/did-queen- ... an-accent/

[epigramophone]

I don't know about 1888, but in August 1898 Queen Victoria sent a message on cylinder to Emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia. After the Emperor and his wife the Empress had listened to it several times, it was returned to the Queen's representative in Abyssinia for destruction. Was it destroyed? Who knows?

The Emperor and Empress then sent replies on two brown wax cylinders to the Queen, and these survive in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle. In 1987 attempts were made to electronically transcribe these recordings, but only a marginal improvement in sound quality was achieved.

The messages were described in detail in the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol.32, Part 2, 1969.

[estott]

I don't know about 1888, but in August 1898 Queen Victoria sent a message on cylinder to Emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia. After the Emperor and his wife the Empress had listened to it several times, it was returned to the Queen's representative in Abyssinia for destruction. Was it destroyed? Who knows?

I recall reading that the representative of the company which made the cylinder begged to keep it, but watched in silent horror as the queen's representative formally trod on it.

[rodpickett]

The following is a partial transcript of hand-written notes within the BBC Written Archives Center

b) Typed copy of PA [Press Association?] notice that a recording by Queen Victoria has been found in the Edison Bell archives in London. Good-will message to Emperor of Abyssinia

9) Memo from Valentine Britten, Gramophone Librarian to Head of Programme Operations re recording made by Queen Victoria to the Emperor of Abyssinia in 1898 and subsequently destroyed. Apr 1951

[Orchorsol]

There was a whole book devoted to this subject, published in 1991
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Voice-Que ... 1873361114