History of the Gramophone
The gramophone is a device that mechanically records and reproduces sound. It was first patented on November 8, 1887, by German inventor Emile Berliner. Unlike Edison’s phonograph, which used a cylinder, Berliner preferred flat discs (records) for recording, which allowed for easier duplication and mass production of sound recordings.
Initially, the records were made of glass, then zinc, and eventually plastic. To promote the gramophone and its records, Berliner established the Gramophone Company, encouraging popular artists of the time to record music. The iconic "His Master’s Voice" painting by Francis Barraud, featuring a dog listening to a gramophone, was adopted as the official logo of the company.
As the technology developed, gramophones were improved with spring-driven motors, removing the need for manual cranking. By the 1920s, portable gramophones became available, and in 1924, a pocket-sized model called the "Mikiphone" was released, marking a revolutionary step in making music more accessible to the public.
The gramophone played a crucial role in spreading recorded music to homes around the world and laid the groundwork for modern audio technology.