Bismarck speaks

[Ed Anger]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16826464

Direct link

http://www.nps.gov/edis/photosmultimedia/audio-wangemann-1889-1890-european-recordings.htm

I heard "Hail Satan" and "Kill all the Polacks"

[Syt]

I read about this some days ago. Pretty amazing stuff. I had read that Bismarck had a relatively high pitched voice that didn't fit his stature well, so I was pretty curious about that.

[jimmy olsen]

I read about this some days ago. Pretty amazing stuff. I had read that Bismarck had a relatively high pitched voice that didn't fit his stature well, so I was pretty curious about that.

Same with TR.

[Caliga]

I wish there wasn't a Puerto Rican in the room shaking some maracas while Bismarck was trying to speak.

[Fireblade]

I wish there wasn't a Puerto Rican in the room shaking some maracas while Bismarck was trying to speak.

tainted.

[OttoVonBismarck]

That was interesting, I'd never heard a recording of Bismarck before...never even knew one existed. T.R. there is a good amount of vocals out there for because his presidency itself and his later very major third party campaign in 1912 happened when sound and video recordings were the norm, but Bismarck's life just barely overlapped the development of those technologies.

I've (unsurprisingly) read a lot of biographies and such on Bismarck, but you don't often hear a lot about his speaking ability. Unlike Teddy, Otto only had to keep one person on his side, so he had no need of oratory ability.

[Syt]

That was interesting, I'd never heard a recording of Bismarck before...never even knew one existed.

This seems to be the only one so far.

[garbon]

I wish there wasn't a Puerto Rican in the room shaking some maracas while Bismarck was trying to speak.

[Eddie Teach]

I read something about Caesar raising the pitch of his voice so it would carry farther.

[Ed Anger]

I'm still shocked that I spelled 'Bismarck' correctly.

[Sheilbh]

There's been a few of these which are just incredible (and difficult) to hear.  I think there's ones of Gladstone and Tennyson, for example.

[Ed Anger]

There's been a few of these which are just incredible (and difficult) to hear.  I think there's ones of Gladstone and Tennyson, for example.

You'll like this site:

http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/

[The Brain]

These were made in October 1889, so theoretically we could have had a recording with Hitler's voice. That would have been awesome.

[CountDeMoney]

I've (unsurprisingly) read a lot of biographies and such on Bismarck, but you don't often hear a lot about his speaking ability.

Yeah, I think the only historian that comes to mind that I've read regarding his voice was Massie, who wrote that Bismarck had a high-pitched voice that didn't fit his appearance.
From the recording, it didn't sound all that bad.  Wasn't a Prussian husky growl you'd expect from looking at his likeness, but it wasn't Mickey Mouse either.

[mongers]

Maybe we sort of get the politicians we deserve, hence all of the Teflon slick lookalikes, with bland accents, invariable mouthing the most bland of statements ?

I heard recently that HG Wells had a high-pitched Sowf London accent, so couldn't possibly be portrayed in that way, as he won't be taken seriously by a modern audience.