'Rule Britannia' - First Recording of the Song (1899)

In 1899, advancements in recording technology allowed for the capturing of vocal performances and orchestral music, including patriotic songs like "Rule Britannia." During this time, various artists and musical groups began to embrace the emerging medium of recorded sound.
The first commercial recording of "Rule Britannia" took place in 1899, preserving the song's rendition for posterity. These early recordings were made using phonographs or gramophones, which used mechanical processes to etch the sound waves onto discs or cylinders. The recordings were typically performed in recording studios where artists would sing or play their instruments directly into the recording horns.
The advent of these early recordings played a crucial role in popularizing and disseminating British music. It allowed the songs to reach a wider audience beyond live performances, and it marked the beginning of a new era in the music industry.
Subsequently, other patriotic British songs such as "God Save the King" and "Land of Hope and Glory" were also recorded around the turn of the century capturing the spirit of the times and contributing to the historical record of British musical heritage.
These early recordings serve as valuable artifacts, giving us a glimpse into the musical landscape of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They demonstrate the technological advancements and the growing popularity of recorded music, paving the way for the modern recording industry that we know today.

[@mrshovelbottom7475]

Funny to think that Napoleonic war Veterans would be alive during this recording.
Similar to our own WW1 veterans in 1999.

[@dertery8724]

Unfortunately the last British Veteran Henry James died in 1898 but Vincent Markiewicz (1795 - 1903), a Polish veteran who fought for France; and Geert Adriaans Boomgaard (1788-1899), the last Dutch veteran, would have been alive when this was recorded.

[@Kret-o]

@@dertery8724the fact someone lived from 1795 to 1903 is so mind bogglingly insane to me

[@USSFFRU]

Sometimes it feels so... shocking to think that there were people who witnessed the Napoleonic Wars who could've been old enough to witness the first days of WW1.

[@TSR1989FF]

A facinating snippet of musical history.
It would be amazing if one day this version of the song was re-performed by a present day baritone.

[@Yazov_Top]

CHURCHILL GAMER GAMIN'

[@AvaT42]

Wow. I suppose that was an exciting good recording back in its day 😂 Still though, is cool it was the first ever recording and we can still hear it

[@Yeeluminati]

Churchill after reunifying the Raj:

[@FarxRenheit]

RED FLOOD RED FLOOD RED FLOOD RED FLOOD RED FLOOD RED FLOOD RED FLOOD RED FLOOD RED FLOOD

[@Seato-Osty]

Churchill Gaming

[@patrioticarchive]

Very cool!

[@atoggy4022]

CHURCHILL!

[@AverageDoomFan7804]

The Glorious Scottish Accent 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@simplegaeming]

The person who sang in this recording is J. Byrce, and his Welsh from what I heard,

[@pma281]

@@simplegaeming Welsh accent? How do you know?

[@simplegaeming]

@@pma281 I got the information from the person who originally shared the recording from the internet, EMGColonel.

[@-_J_-]

This was so hard the windows near my laptop started vibrating.

[@colonelbogeysfauxcow]

The original video is from the EMG colonel stated as Rule Britannia (1899) by J Bryce. This is not a digitization so it does sound weird.

[@Wolfganger]

Yes he should have used Robert Godridge’s transfer, as he inherited this record from the Colonel.

[@purple8798]

Churchill Gaming

[@veldrensavoth7119]

That’s a whole vibe.

[@Anti_Yeonjun_Hotel]

1:00 Mistake i found, the lyrics says "will", when the singer said " shall" instead. Maybe its a autocorrect? Pleaee fix this.

[@Anossa-Lusitania]

🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@GlobalState2800]

Churchill moment

[@dguy0386]

the days when Victoria was still queen!

[@gcm_uk]

What ship is that in the beginning footage, the one with the two turrets at the front?

[@Deltasquadformingup]

British Naval exercises in the 1890s

[@ThaGreatChemist]

sounds like you dropped a singing and dancing toy underwater

[@dertery8724]

124 years of wear on the recording yet it is still clearly audible. And credit to the singer as you had to put your mouth right up to the microphone to be heard over the static - as unfortunately William Gladstone didn’t do for much of his sound recording!

[@Duckcalculator]

@@dertery8724That’s… not how recording worked back then, brother.

[@ChariTheAlternate]

🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧