Italian Guest Shares His Knowledge Of Phonographs At Edison Ford Winter Estates

A new program called “When Music Was Magic” has been in full swing for the past eleven days at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida. This special program was led by Winter Estates’ guest, John Kurdyla, on July 16-27, 2012. There were three showings per day.

Edison Phonograph

Edison Phonograph
Edison Phonograph

The phonograph was one of Edison’s favorite inventions. John Kurdyla from Italy, with Fred Stebbins (local volunteer), gave hands-on presentations and demonstrations of the “original” phonograph.

Known as a record player, phonograph or gramophone, according to Wikipedia, it is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing (playing) sound recordings.

Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison

The phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison. While other inventors had produced devices that could record sounds, Edison’s phonograph was the first to be able to reproduce the recorded sound.

John Kurdyla

John Kurdyla
John Kurdyla

It is that information, and more, that John Kurdyla, who traveled all the way from Vivona, Italy, shared with patrons at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.

Kurdyla, too, has one of the largest private collections of Edison phonographs. He is also considered to be one of the top experts in the field of Edison recorded sound.

More Programs at Winter Estates

Even though the program on phonographs has ended, there will be more programs to look forward to at the Winter Estates.

To find out more of what is offered at the Winter Estates go to Upcoming Events.