Adelbert Theodor Edward Wangemann (February 13, 1855 – June 1906), known as Theo, was a German who emigrated to the United States. In 1888, he began working for
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...
as an assistant at his laboratory in
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a suburban Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from t ...
. In 1889, Edison sent Wangemann to keep the
phonograph
A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration Waveform, waveforms are recorded as correspond ...
at the 1889 Paris Expo in good working condition. The trip was extended and Wangemann made numerous early sound recordings on wax cylinders, some of which were lost for more than 100 years. Found in 1957, but not revealed until 2012, they include the only known recording of
Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...
.
Early years
Wangemann was born in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, Germany to Adalbert Theodor Wangemann (1815–1878) and Theodosia Sophie Ottilie Wangemann (née Rhenius) (died 1878). He and his older brother, born September 23, 1852, were named after their father.
[Patrick Feaster]
"Wangemann's family background and early life"
Thomas Edison Historical Park. Retrieved February 4, 2012 To distinguish them, he was called "Theo"; his first name also had a slight spelling change. He and his brothers later added third names, he added the name Edward; and his brother, Emil.
By 1900, his brother had also changed his first name to Albert.
The family was musical; his grandfather, Johannes Theodosius Wangemann, performed, directed, composed and taught music;
and his cousin,
Otto Wangemann, was an organist, composer and
musicologist
Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...
. His uncle, Otto's father, was also an organist.
Wangemann composed music, played and occasionally performed at the piano.
[Patrick Feaster]
"Theo Wangemann biography"
Thomas Edison National Historical Park. Retrieved February 3, 2012 Wangemann's father had a business selling paper goods and a factory where he manufactured envelopes and
embossed monogram
A monogram is a motif (visual arts), motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbo ...
s on writing paper.
Both Wangemann and his brother worked there. His brother took over the business around 1876, but after their parents died in 1878 the brothers emigrated to the United States the following year,
his brother in February and he in August.
He first settled in
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County ( ) is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in ...
and later moved to
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. In 1884, he moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, where he became a naturalized citizen on October 11, 1884.
Early sound recordings
Wangemann began working as an assistant to Thomas Edison at his laboratory in 1888,
[Ron Cowen]
"Restored Edison Records Revive Giants of 19th-Century Germany"
''The New York Times'' (January 30, 2012). Retrieved February 1, 2012 experimenting to find the best ways of recording music and voice.
He has been called the world's first professional recording engineer.
[Rebecca J. Rosen]
"Edison's Files Reveal the Only Known Voice Recording of Someone Born in the 18th Century"
''The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 185 ...
'' (January 31, 2012). Retrieved February 2, 2012[Geoff Mulvihill]
"NJ Museum Finds Recording of Otto Von Bismarck"
ABC News (February 4, 2012). Retrieved February 4, 2012 Recordings were made individually on
wax cylinder
Phonograph cylinders (also referred to as Edison cylinders after its creator Thomas Edison) are the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. Commonly known simply as "records" in their heyday (c. 1896–1916), a name which ...
s, with no means of duplicating them. By December 1888, Wangemann had tried recording several originals at once, but this was insufficient to meet the request for the recordings, which were not yet being sold.
Wangemann accompanied some performers on piano,
ending with a brief seven-note "trademark" improvisation that annoyed some who heard these recordings.
In March and April 1889, he recorded a number of musicians, including
Hans von Bülow
Freiherr Hans Guido von Bülow (; 8 January 1830 – 12 February 1894) was a German conductor, pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. As one of the most distinguished conductors of the 19th century, his activity was critical for establishi ...
and
John Knowles Paine
John Knowles Paine (January 9, 1839 – April 25, 1906) was the first United States, American-born composer to achieve fame for large-scale orchestral music. The senior member of a group of composers collectively known as the Boston Six, Paine wa ...
.

The following year, after Edison learned that his phonograph exhibit sent to the 1889
Paris Expo was not operating properly,
he sent Wangemann and a few assistants to Europe to ensure the phonographs worked properly, but later extended the trip; Wangemann used the opportunity to make additional recordings for use in exhibitions.
[Stephan Puille]
"Fürst Bismarck und Graf Moltke vor dem Aufnahmetrichter: Der Edison-Phonograph in Europa, 1889–1890"
Norman Bruderhofer's Cylinder Archive (February 1, 2012). Retrieved February 5, 2012.
"Prince Bismarck and Count Moltke Before the Recording Horn: The Edison Phonograph in Europe, 1889–1890". Retrieved February 5, 2012 While he was in Europe, more than 2,000 blank cylinders were sent to Wangemann for this purpose and he recorded a number of prominent individuals, musicians, comedians, singers and statesmen,
and the trip turned into a
public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
sensation. Beginning with artists who were at the Paris Expo, Wangemann recorded pianist
Édouard Risler, the popular French
café-concert singer
Paulus, and
Charles-Marie Widor, an organist, among others.
On August 29, 1889, he recorded four Hungarian singers, the Tacianu Sisters. This cylinder became a particular favorite of Wangemann's, and he lauded the "international value" of the new American invention, which enabled a German audience to hear a Russian melody once sung by a Hungarian quartet on a French stage.
Edison, also traveling to Europe, sent Wangemann to
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, where he was to show the phonograph to
Werner von Siemens
Ernst Werner Siemens ( von Siemens from 1888; ; ; 13 December 1816 – 6 December 1892) was a German electrical engineer, inventor and industrialist. Siemens's name has been adopted as the SI unit of electrical conductance, the siemens. He ...
. Von Siemens, a friend and business partner of Edison's, provided a special room for Wangemann, as well as a German mechanic to assist him while he toured Germany and
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
.
Wangemann made a number of experimental recordings of prominent musicians and individuals. He also demonstrated the phonograph and recordings to different groups. On September 18, he gave a demonstration to scientists and professors in
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
and two days later, to a group of electrotechnicians in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. Wangemann's behavior at both of these events provoked some criticism from the audience. In Heidelberg, where Edison was the guest of honor, he took over the address, during which some of his comments were viewed as
out of turn. In Frankfurt, where he spoke to a wider audience in a packed hall, he condescendingly made them look
unsophisticated and feel unworthy of his time.
During this period, Wangemann received invitations for demonstrations from Bismarck,
Helmuth von Moltke,
Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...
and
Czar
Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander III (; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 1894. He was highly reactionary in domestic affairs and reversed some of the libera ...
, then in Berlin. Wilhelm II did not make a recording, but his young sons,
Wilhelm,
Eitel Friedrich and
Adalbert
Adalbert is a German given name which means "noble bright" or "noble shining", derived from the words ''adal'' (meaning noble) and ''berht'' (shining or bright). Alternative spellings include Adelbart, Adelbert and Adalberto. Derivative names incl ...
did record a cylinder.
Wangemann's tour drew much attention, attracting additional invitations that made his schedule and budget difficult to maintain; those extending the invitations were equally hard pressed for time, and visits often had to be scheduled more than once.
Some also wanted repeat visits from Wangemann.
Edison and those traveling with him returned to the United States on September 28; Wangemann and his wife, who accompanied him, stayed in Europe. The first attempt to meet with Bismarck having failed, a second opportunity arose a week later for Wangemann and his wife to go to
Friedrichsruh
Friedrichsruh () is a district in the municipality of Aumühle, Herzogtum Lauenburg district, Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany. Friedrichsruh manor is known as a residence of the princely House of Bismarck, mainly of Chancellor Otto von ...
, to Bismarck's castle. While there, he recorded a wax cylinder, as reported in the press at the time, but which was then lost for more than 120 years.
Bismarck, like everyone, was fascinated with the new invention and Wangemann spent several hours with him, even missing his train to Berlin. Wangemann met with Czar Alexander III on October 12. After weeks of postponements, this invitation that had meant so much to Wangemann found the Czar little interested in the phonograph and not interested in making a recording.
A second visit took place, but shortly beforehand, the Czar was prevented from seeing Wangemann. While in Berlin, waiting to see the czar, Wangemann gave daytime demonstrations to artists, scientists and civil servants; in the evening, he gave demonstrations in private clubs to their invited members, often drawing crowds.
Shortly before leaving Berlin, he organized a charity concert, where he charged admission, possibly his only European appearance with an entrance fee. Despite the 20-
mark
Mark may refer to:
In the Bible
* Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark
* Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels
Currencies
* Mark (currency), a currenc ...
entrance fee, then equivalent to an average working man's weekly wage, the hall was full, showing how eager people were to hear the voices of Bismarck and the German crown princes.

Wangemann, his wife and his assistants left Berlin on October 20 and, having been unable to see von Moltke on their first attempt, spent two days with him on the way to Vienna. Of the four cylinders recorded by von Moltke, only two are known to exist today.
Wangemann's recordings of von Moltke are the only known recordings still audible of someone born in the 18th century.
Wangemann and his party arrived in Vienna on October 25, where Wangemann held more demonstrations and made more recordings, including that of
Alfred Grünfeld and
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...
. His primary motivation for the trip, however, was the invitation from
Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
to show him the phonograph. Again, though, Wangemann had to wait days for the meeting, during which time, he gave interviews to journalists, one a day, very likely recording them in demonstrating their utility. The journalist granted the interview was to transcribe it and share it with other newspapers.
Wangemann met with Franz Joseph I on two occasions, but did not record his voice. On December 2, 1889, the night before leaving Vienna,
Wangemann recorded Brahms playing
an abbreviated version of one of his compositions.
Wangemann returned to Berlin at one point, borrowing money from
Siemens & Halske
Siemens & Halske AG (or Siemens-Halske) was a German electrical engineering company that later became part of Siemens.
It was founded on 12 October 1847 as ''Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske'' by Werner von Siemens and Johann Geor ...
. Edison ordered him to return to the States not long after, having learned about the sums Wangemann had borrowed. Before leaving, Wangemann made some further recordings in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, including one of
Otto Neitzel, his only recording.
Before Wangemann returned from Europe, Edison stopped the recording and experimentation at his laboratory. Wangemann worked at the laboratory until June 1890, then left for another exposition, after which he began working at the New York Phonograph Company, staying until 1893. He then stopped recording professionally, although he continued his own experiments at home, occasionally sharing them with Edison.
Information about his work for the next several years is sketchy until he returned to Edison Laboratory in 1902, eventually resuming his experiments in the room where he had previously worked,
as photographs show.
Wangemann was killed in a train accident in Brooklyn in early June 1906.
Many of his recordings, in particular, the one of Bismarck, were considered lost for over 100 years. The wax cylinders were found in 1957, when Edison's home and laboratory were donated to the United States'
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
but they were unlabeled and remained unidentified until 2011, when two sound historians were able to deduce their identity.
On January 30, 2012, the
Thomas Edison National Historical Park
Thomas Edison National Historical Park preserves Thomas Edison's laboratory and residence, ''Glenmont'', in West Orange, New Jersey, United States. These were designed, in 1887, by architect Henry Hudson Holly. The Edison laboratories oper ...
announced that it had the original wax cylinder recordings of Bismarck, von Moltke, and others.
Personal
Wangemann married Anna L. Blake in Boston on February 21, 1884.
His uncle was
Hermann Theodor Wangemann
Hermann Theodor Wangemann (27 March 1818 – 18 June 1894) was a German theologian and missionary.
Biography Early life
Wangemann's father, Johannes Theodosius, arrived with his family in Demmin in Pomerania around 1821, where he became a su ...
, who became director of the
Berlin Missionary Society The Berlin Missionary Society (BMS) (German: ''Berliner Missionsgesellschaft'' (BMG)) was a Berlin-based German Protestant (Lutheran) Christianity, Christian missionary society, active from 1824 to 1972 in South Africa, East Africa and China. In 197 ...
in 1865. While visiting a relative in
Altenkirchen
Altenkirchen () is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, capital of the Altenkirchen (district), district of Altenkirchen. It is located approximately 40 km east of Bonn and 50 km north of Koblenz. Altenkirchen is the seat of the ' ...
, Ottilie Klaube (née Wangemann and called "Odo"), Wangemann recorded a message, presumed to be to his brother. Julius and Ottilie Klaube also spoke on the recording, made on January 14, 1890.
He was a member of New York's
Pleiades Club, where he played piano on certain occasions.
According to the FamilySearch International Genealogical Index, which in 1950 made a
microfilm
A microform is a scaled-down reproduction of a document, typically either photographic film or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original d ...
of parish documents held at the Lutheran church in
Luisenstadt, a section of Berlin, an Adelbert Theodor Wangemann was born on February 13, 1855, and christened on April 13, 1855.
Adelbert Theodor Wangemann
FamilySearch International Genealogical Index. Retrieved February 2, 2012
See also
* Thomas Edison National Historical Park
Thomas Edison National Historical Park preserves Thomas Edison's laboratory and residence, ''Glenmont'', in West Orange, New Jersey, United States. These were designed, in 1887, by architect Henry Hudson Holly. The Edison laboratories oper ...
Notes
References
External links
"Otto von Bismarck hat wieder eine Stimme"
''Hamburger Abendblatt'' (February 1, 2012). Retrieved February 5, 201
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wangemann, Adelbert Theodor Edward
Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States
Engineers from Berlin
German record producers
1855 births
1906 deaths
Railway accident deaths in the United States