Wax cylinder recordings found in Thomas Edison’s laboratory have revealed the voices of Otto von Bismarck and Helmuth von Moltke, two powerful figures of 19th century Germany. In 1957 the box containing the cylinders had been found but no one knew their contents till last year.

Now Bismarck, the longtime German chancellor, can be heard reciting parts of songs and poetry in various languages, along with lines from the French national anthem.

Von Moltke, the military hero of the Austro/Prussian War, and the Franco/Prussian War, was 89 when the recording was made. Since he was born in 1800 his recordings are the only ones known from someone whose birth date goes so far back. What this general says provokes interest: he quotes lines from Shakespeare and Goethe’s “Faust.”

My interest, however, centers less on that von Moltke than on his descendant Helmut James von Moltke who was executed by the Nazis in 1945. In my book he was the true hero of the family, a martyr who deserves to be remembered  by Americans much more than he has been. I had the pleasure of acquaintance with his widow, Freya von Moltke, who settled in New Hampshire and died last year after some 65 years of surviving him. She carried on the great vision of her husband of a democratic Germany with lawful respect for human rights.

The discovery of the these voices, along with others that feature great composers and performers of notable music have stirred my interest in the history of the nineteenth century. And they increase my admiration of Edison, the great inventor.