Musicians wrestle everywhere — Phonautograph

Musicians wrestle everywhere－¹
All day－among the crowded air
I hear the silver strife－
And－walking－long before the morn－
Such transport breaks upon the town
I think it that "New Life"!

If is not Bird－it has no nest－⁷
Nor "Band"－in brass and scarlet－drest－
Nor Tamborin－nor Man－
It is not Hymn from pulpit read－
The "Morning Stars" the Treble led
On Time's first Afternoon!

Some－say－it is "the Spheres"－at play! ¹³
Some say that bright Majority
Of vanished Dames－and Men!
Some－think it service in the place
Where we－with late－celestial face－
Please God－shall Ascertain!

(F.229/J.157)

[1–6] Musicians, everywhere, "New life":: idea of Phonautograph, the initial form of phonograph record, was announced in British Association in 1859.
[6] "New Life":: a new invention as something alive.
[8] Nor "Band":: not a band, but can produce the music of a band.
[9] nor Man:: not a human, but can talk like one.
[10, 11] Hymn, Treble:: it can reproduce the hymn with highest tone.
[12] Time:: a new age with this invention.
[13] "the Spheres" at play:: a description of the original design.
[15, 16] vanished Dames and Men, in the place:: it works like people within the machine.
[17, 18] we, shall Ascertain:: a workable phonautograph was not shown to the public in 1860.

The Phonautograph has been invented, and sound is made to register its vibrations, so that a faithful reproduction may be secured of all its curves. The aged Abbe Moigno exhibited to the British Association, the results of this invention in a collection of sheets of paper "on which were self-registered the sounds of the human voice, organ pipes, &c., to the amount of five hundred or a thousand vibrations." ─ Scientific Discovery in 1859, The Mercersburg Review, Volume 12 (1860)

The Phonautograph is an instrument which consists of a large chamber or drum, of a spheroidal form, ─ The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal (1860)