Artglider team has visited The New York Public Library's Treasures to see a breathtaking piece in the exhibition: The Berliner Gram-O-Phone.
We also took some pictures for you. Here is the story of Emile Berliner and the invention that changed the music industry forever.
Emile Berliner was a German-American inventor who is credited with creating the first disc record, the Berliner Gram-O-Phone. This invention revolutionized the music industry and paved the way for the development of modern vinyl record players.
The Berliner Gram-O-Phone was invented by Emile Berliner in the late 19th century. Berliner had been experimenting with sound recording technology for many years and had already developed a flat disc that could be used to record sound. However, his early discs were made of rubber and were not durable enough for commercial use.
Berliner then turned his attention to developing a disc made of a more durable material. He eventually settled on a disc made of hard rubber, which he coated with a layer of shellac. This disc was then stamped with grooves that could be used to record sound.
The Berliner Gram-O-Phone was introduced to the public in 1895 and quickly became a popular medium for recorded music. Unlike the phonographs of the time, which used cylindrical records, the Gram-O-Phone used flat discs that could be stacked and played one after another. This made it easier to listen to multiple recordings without having to change the record after each song.
The Gram-O-Phone also introduced the concept of lateral recording, which is still used in modern vinyl record players today. Lateral recording means that the grooves on the disc run side to side, rather than up and down. This allowed for a larger number of grooves to be cut into the disc, resulting in higher sound quality.
The Berliner Gram-O-Phone was not without its flaws, however. The hard rubber discs were prone to cracking and breaking, and the sound quality was not as good as the phonographs of the time. Nevertheless, the Gram-O-Phone was a major milestone in the history of recorded music and paved the way for the development of modern vinyl record players.
Today, the Berliner Gram-O-Phone is a valuable collector's item and is considered an important artifact of music history. It represents a time when the music industry was in its infancy and when inventors like Emile Berliner were pushing the boundaries of what was possible with sound recording technology.
In conclusion, the Berliner Gram-O-Phone was a groundbreaking invention that transformed the music industry. It introduced the concept of lateral recording and paved the way for modern record players. Although it had its flaws, the Gram-O-Phone remains an important artifact of music history and a testament to the ingenuity of Emile Berliner.
You can see the The Berliner Gram-O-Phone and the other breath-taking pieces until Dec 31, 2025 at New York Public Library's Treasures Exhibition. 476 Fifth Avenue (at 42nd Street), New York, NY 10018. It's free!
About the Exhibition:
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been accumulating, conserving, and granting access to a vast collection of knowledge from around the globe. The Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library's Treasures is a groundbreaking event that features a selection of the most exceptional items from our collection of 56 million items, encouraging and enabling visitors to explore, learn, and generate new knowledge, both now and in the future.
