Former media system in Europe
Theatrophone
("the
theatre
phone") was a
telephonic
distribution system available in portions of Europe that allowed the subscribers to listen to
opera
and
theatre
performances over the telephone lines. The theatrophone evolved from a
Clement Ader
invention, which was first demonstrated in 1881, in
Paris
. Subsequently, in 1890, the invention was commercialized by Compagnie du Theatrophone, which continued to operate until 1932.
Origin
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The origin of the theatrophone can be traced to a telephonic transmission system demonstrated by
Clement Ader
at the 1881
International Exposition of Electricity
in Paris. The system was inaugurated by the French President
Jules Grevy
, and allowed broadcasting of concerts or plays. Ader had arranged 80 telephone transmitters across the front of a stage to create a form of
binaural
stereophonic sound
.
[1]
It was the first two-channel audio system, and consisted of a series of telephone transmitters connected from the stage of the
Paris Opera
to a suite of rooms at the Paris Electrical Exhibition, where the visitors could hear
Comedie-Francaise
and
opera
performances in stereo using two headphones; the
Opera
was located more than two kilometers away from the venue.
[2]
In a note dated 11 November 1881,
Victor Hugo
describes his first experience of theatrophone as pleasant.
[3]
[4]
In 1884, the King
Luis I of Portugal
decided to use the system, when he could not attend an opera in person. The director of the Edison Gower Bell Company, who was responsible for this theatrophone installation, was later awarded the
Military Order of Christ
.
[5]
The theatrophone technology was made available in Belgium in 1884, and in Lisbon in 1885. In Sweden, the first telephone transmission of an opera performance took place in Stockholm in May 1887. The British writer
Ouida
describes a female character in the novel
Massarenes
(1897) as "A modern woman of the world. As costly as an
ironclad
and as complicated as theatrophone."
[5]
The Theatrophone service
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In 1890, the system became operational as a service under the name "theatrophone" in Paris. The service was offered by Compagnie du Theatrophone (The Theatrophone Company), which was founded by MM. Marinovitch and Szarvady.
[5]
The theatrophone offered theatre and opera performances to the subscribers. The service can be called a prototype of the
telephone newspaper
, as it included five-minute
news programs
at regular intervals.
[7]
The Theatrophone Company set up coin-operated telephone receivers in hotels, cafes, clubs, and other locations, costing 50
centimes
for five minutes of listening.
[8]
The subscription tickets were also issued at a reduced rate, in order to attract regular patrons. The service was also available to home subscribers.
French writer
Marcel Proust
was a keen follower of theatrophone, as evident by his correspondence. He subscribed to the service in 1911.
[9]
[10]
Many technological improvements were gradually made to the original theatrophone system. The Brown telephone relay, invented in 1913, yielded interesting results for amplification of the current.
[5]
The theatrophone finally succumbed to the rising popularity of
radio broadcasting
and the
phonograph
, and the Compagnie du Theatrophone ceased its operations in 1932.
[5]
Similar systems
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Similar systems elsewhere in
Europe
included
Telefon Hirmondo
(est. 1893) of
Budapest
and
Electrophone
of
London
(est. 1895). In the
United States
, the systems similar to theatrophone were limited to one-off experiments.
Erik Barnouw
reported a concert by telephone that was organized in the summer of 1890; around 800 people at the Grand Union Hotel in
Saratoga
listened to a telephonic transmission of
The Charge of the Light Brigade
conducted at
Madison Square Garden
.
[5]
In fiction
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The
Andrew Crumey
novel
Mr Mee
(2000) has a chapter depicting the installation of a theatrophone in the home of
Marcel Proust
.
The
Eca de Queiroz
novel
A Cidade e as Serras
(1901) mentions the device as one of the many technological commodities available for the distraction of the upper classes.
In his utopian science fiction novel
Looking Backward
(1888),
Edward Bellamy
predicted sermons and music being available in the home through a system like theatrophone.
See also
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References
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External links
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