phonograph record
Quick Summary
A phonograph record, or phonorecord, is a medium for reproducing sound. It stores sound waves as undulations in a groove on a rotating disc. A stylus, or needle, follows this groove, and its vibrations are converted back into sound. The invention of the phonograph is credited to Thomas Edison in 1877, with significant improvements by Emil Berliner in 1887, who introduced the flat disc format. Early records played at 78 revolutions per minute (RPM). Later advancements included the long-playing (LP) record in 1948, which played at 33⅓ RPM and offered much longer playing times, and the 45-RPM disc for singles. These technologies largely replaced earlier formats and dominated home audio until the rise of cassettes and compact discs.1
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music recordingCompositionThe use of the record as a medium had superficial beginnings as early as 1904 in Ruggero Leoncavallo’s song “Mattinata”, specifically written for the record according to the label. Later, in 1925, Stravinsky composed a piano piece, Serenade in A Major, expressly for the record medium, though it is…
Read MoreThe use of the record as a medium had superficial beginnings as early as 1904 in Ruggero Leoncavallo’s song “Mattinata”, specifically written for the record according to the label. Later, in 1925, Stravinsky composed a piano piece, Serenade in A Major, expressly for the record medium, though it is…
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phonograph…a groove on a rotating disc. A phonograph disc, or record, stores a replica of sound waves as a series of undulations in a sinuous groove inscribed on its rotating surface by the stylus. When the record is played back, another stylus responds to the undulations, and its motions are…
Read More…a groove on a rotating disc. A phonograph disc, or record, stores a replica of sound waves as a series of undulations in a sinuous groove inscribed on its rotating surface by the stylus. When the record is played back, another stylus responds to the undulations, and its motions are…
Read More




