Voice of Kaiser Franz Joseph I of Austria Hungary | Austria History | Vienna History | Habsburg

Step back in time to August 2, 1903, in the Kaiservilla of Bad Ischl, where Emperor Franz Joseph I made one of his most remarkable contributions to history. This recording, part of an initiative by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, captured the Emperor's voice as he reflected on the importance of preserving spoken words as historical documents. He praised the innovations of his era, particularly the phonograph, which allowed voices to be recorded and shared with future generations.

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In this rare and historically significant moment, Emperor Franz Joseph expressed his enthusiasm for the phonograph and its ability to preserve not only voices but also cultural and linguistic diversity. His words highlight the forward-thinking collaboration between science and technology during his reign. He also supported the Academy’s project to record Austria’s languages and dialects for future study, emphasizing the enduring value of such endeavors.

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This recording stands as a testament to the Emperor’s vision of using modern technology to document history and culture. It is a rare glimpse into the personality of one of Europe’s longest-reigning monarchs and his commitment to progress and heritage preservation.

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German (Original):
Erfreulich ist es, die Fortschritte zu verfolgen, welche im Laufe der letzten Jahrzehnte das Ineinandergreifen von Wissenschaft und Technik erzielte.
So war unter anderem die Zeichensprache des Telegraphen durch die hörbare des Telephons ergänzt, und nun gelang es auch, im Phonographen gesprochene Worte bleibend festzuhalten und sie selbst nach vielen Jahren späteren Geschlechtern wieder vorzuführen.
Wohl sind die Konstruktionsschwierigkeiten des letzterwähnten Apparates noch nicht vollständig überwunden, doch wird es dessen ungeachtet von Interesse sein, auch in dieser nicht ganz vollkommenen Weise die Stimmen hervorragender Persönlichkeiten aus früheren Zeiten zu vernehmen und deren Klang und Tonfall sowie die Art des Sprechens gewissermaßen als historisches Dokument aufbewahrt zu erhalten, ähnlich wie in anderem Sinne Statuen und Porträte es bisher waren.
Und wenn, wie ich höre, die Akademie der Wissenschaften jetzt daran geht, sämtliche Sprachen und Dialekte unseres Vaterlandes phonographisch zu fixieren, so ist das eine Arbeit, die sich in der Zukunft sicherlich lohnen wird.
Es hat mich sehr gefreut, auf Wunsch der Akademie der Wissenschaften meine Stimme in den Apparat hineinzusprechen und dieselbe dadurch der Sammlung einzuverleiben.

English:
It is delightful to observe the progress achieved in recent decades through the interplay of science and technology.
For example, the visual language of the telegraph has been complemented by the audible language of the telephone, and now it is also possible, through the phonograph, to permanently capture spoken words and present them to future generations even many years later.
Although the technical challenges of the aforementioned device have not yet been fully overcome, it will nevertheless be of interest to hear the voices of distinguished individuals from earlier times in this not entirely perfect manner, and to preserve their sound and tone, as well as their manner of speaking, as a kind of historical document, similar to how statues and portraits have served in a different sense until now.
And if, as I hear, the Academy of Sciences is now undertaking the task of phonographically recording all the languages and dialects of our homeland, this is certainly a project that will prove worthwhile in the future.
It has greatly pleased me to speak into the apparatus at the request of the Academy of Sciences and to thereby incorporate my voice into the collection.
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