Voice recordings

[Belochka]

Now I am confused. One reason why I purchased the CD in the first place was because it claimed to contain the voice of Nikolai II.

If its not, then it is more than disappointing that the CD is marketed as if it did contain a genuine recording of his voice.

[atlantis]

I think most of us were very interested in hearing the Emperor's voice.  Unfortunately, there are (at best) doubts.  If you listen closely to the recording, there is certainly no doubt that the first voice is simply an officer.  Some people have claimed that later in the recording one of the responses to the cheers of the troops is H.I.M. Nicholas II.  The voice, however, sounds to most of us like the same officer.

Please note that this is my opinion and perhaps I am wrong.  Unfortunately, however, I do not think this is the case.

Brad LeMay

[Lisa]

In my opinion it's "needless" to buy this CD, especially when you  can download it... Except if you are a fan of Zhana Bichevskaya...

[Belochka]

I have enjoyed the songs of Zhana Bichevskaya for over 15 years. This particular ensemble is her latest compilation which as I understand reflects her new spritual self awareness and was a dedication (if that is the correct terminology) to the Emperor Nikolai II.

[atlantis]

I sent this file to my good friend Gerard Gorokhof in Paris.  He is the leading authority on the Russian Imperial Army and I felt his opinion would be valuable.  He agrees that the first voice is the commanding officer of the regiment but does feel that one of the "thank you"s in the middle of the recording is from a different individual.  It is then possible that this could be His Majesty Nicholas II.  Certainly Gerard's Russian is better than mine and I trust his judgement.  It still sounds like the same person to me but perhaps not.  I do hope other recordings will surface for comparison.

Brad LeMay

[Belochka]

Hi Thomas,

I have listened and tried very hard to distinguish if there is more than one voice on the recording. To me it does sound like two different voices, the first being the Commander and finally the few words by Emperor Nikolai simply thanking his bratya in the regiment.

Two questions come to mind. Why can we hear the Imperial Hymn if it was not for the presence of H.I.M?

Could it be suggested that the recording devices used in those early days does not lend itself to provide clear distinctions between the two voices?

I am fluent in the Russian language. Yet am I still intrigued about the veracity of the claims made about this particular recording. Unfortunately no information concerning the date or location is provided inside the jewel box pamphlet regarding its probable origin.

The other consideration is that we have so little material to help compare this alleged voice recording to a one known to be genuine.

[Laura Mabee]

*bump*
I know this thread is old. But I am curious, has anyone been able to find recordings of their voices yet?  

[Forum Admin]

Not that we have heard.

[charley]

   I purchased both the CD and also the cassette tape of the Tsars voice.  I was very surprised to find the sound quality so much better on the cassette tape.  You can hear two distinct voices.  The tsar is obviously not as close to the recording device as the officer announcing him.  It sounds to me like Nicholas is actually blessing the troops....."In the name of the father, son, and holy ghost."  I am going to send the recording with my husband to work and have his friend translate it.  I do believe that this cassette was marketed as Tsar blessing the troops.
  Also, I have to believe that with the Tsar having every modern gadget of the time, that he would cetainly have had superior recording devices.  

[CyranoR]

I'm an amateur collector of historic voices, and I stumbled upon your forum while searching for a recording of Tsar Nicholas II. I downloaded the recording and, though I found it thrilling, I'm a bit skeptical about the claim that we're hearing the Tsar himself. My main objection is that the voice portions are so neatly coordinated with the music; in other words, we seem to be hearing a well-rehearsed ceremony, with almost seamless responses from the troops at just the right moments. I doubt if the Tsar would have rehearsed with the band and regiment to polish their act to such a degree of precision.

Whether or not we're actually hearing the Tsar's voice, it's still an indescribably moving experience to hear "God Save the Tsar" played before a live audience during the reign of Nicholas II, with all those "hurrah"s and spoken passages. I like to think the Tsar was present at the ceremony even if he didn't speak.

Some of you wondered about the missing recordings of other members of the Imperial Family, as well as other speeches by the Tsar himself. If Edison or his men actually recorded them, it's possible that the recordings were destroyed during a catastrophic fire at Edison's lab, c. 1915. This fire probably consumed the only known recordings of Mark Twain's voice and who knows how many other celebrities of the time. It's a miracle that we have as many surviving recordings as we do.

[Forum Admin]

The entire Imperial Family recorded their voices on Edison equipment, but not by Edison himself.  We know that they were all given to Marie Feodorovna who kept them at the Anitchkov Palace. After the Revolution their whereabouts were lost. They do not seem to be at GARF as far as we know.

[charley]

I have to disagree with you, CyranoR.  I have attended many military ceremonies, of which my father was a part of, and they are well rehearsed programs.  This recording, with the purported voice of the Tsar, sounds very much like the ceremonies I have witnessed.  If the Tsar is, in fact, blessing the troops in my recording, then this probably would have been a ceremony he performed many times.  It would have been done in a ceremonial type way with the routine being the same every time he did it.  As to this being the real voice of the Tsar, we may never know, but what I am hearing sounds correct for a military ceremony.

[CyranoR]

If Marie Feodorovna had the recordings of the Imperial Family in her possession, then of course the fire at the Edison laboratory is irrelevant in this case. It would be interesting to track down any references to the recordings in her correspondence. I imagine you know of her whereabouts after the Revolution. I'd think she would have regarded those recordings as a family treasure and guarded them with her life.

Charley, your remarks have persuaded me that the recording might include the voice of the Tsar after all. I hadn't considered that his words might be an oft-repeated formal blessing that the soldiers and band would know by heart (and could instantly respond to). That adds new credibility to the recording. Thanks -- glad I posted!

[charley]

The entire Imperial Family recorded their voices on Edison equipment, but not by Edison himself.  We know that they were all given to Marie Feodorovna who kept them at the Anitchkov Palace. After the Revolution their whereabouts were lost. They do not seem to be at GARF as far as we know.

I know this is an old thread, but I just came across it again and never finished inquiring about this post. Is there a thread about this somewhere else? Were all the Tsars children recorded? I sure would like to here more about this. What is the source?

[JediDeshka]

I am wondering why the voice recordings haven't been posted yet? If they are out there to be heard then why haven't we heard them yet?