On Sun, 10 Aug 2003, Wilson Pereira wrote:

>Does anyone know which was the first recording of Classical Music in
>stereo?  Can anyone provide more information about how and when the
>process of recording in stereo started?  Who or which record company
>invented the whole process?  Thank you in advance.  Best regards,

Supposedly, the first demonstration of Stereo sound was back in 1883 at
the Paris Exposition by Lelent Adler, using 2 telephones (source, Guiness
Book of Recorded sound) According to the same source, Pathe made the
first stereo records c.  1910-1914.  Discs had two grooves and required
the use of two reproducers.  The first patent was taken out in 1931 by
the Gramophone Co.  in England.  US patent issued in 1937 to Bell Labs
for a process which cut the groove wall at 45 degree angles and had both
channels in a single groove.  Some of their experiments recorded in the
Academy of Music in Philadelphia back in the 1932 are extraordinary.  I
believe that most of what survives of those recordings has been issued...

While I don't know the current thinking on this, it has been suggested
that in some recording sessions in the 30s, two microphone were used and
different masters were cut.  Some have tried to sync things and a few
of those examples have been issued from time to time.

First stereo discs marketed were made by Emory Cook, in 1957.  Playback
was via two ganged pickup heads attached to a single arm.

Stereo tape was used in 1952, when Stokowski recorded at the University
of Illinois.

Most of the above is from the Guiness book.

Karl