The Recording of the Israel Declaration of Independence
Encyclopedia
The Recording of the Israel Declaration of Independence was a complete recording of the declaration using a direct to disc recording
technique on acetate discs using special cutting machines. Neither the original records nor their duplicates were demanded by Israel state authorities and to date they cannot be located, except for one original acetate disc. However, copies of the recording itself survived on different media.
and classical music
. "Tslil" records
were also played by "Kol Yerushalayim
" (The Voice of Jerusalem), the Hebrew station of the Palestine Broadcasting Service of the British Mandate administration. "Tslil" ceased its operations around 1951.
In April 1948, a few weeks prior to the Declaration of Independence, Lucien Salzman of "Tslil" recorded the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
playing the "Hatikvah
" national anthem at the "Ohel Shem" hall in Tel Aviv, a recording that was later used for many years by "Kol Yisrael
" (The Voice of Israel), notably as the closing tone of the broadcasts at midnight, as well as by Israel embassies all over the world.
, the Secretary-General of the Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra, that was invited to play the Hatikvah national anthem by an undersized ensemble of 30 of its players. Presenting a certificate issued by the provisional government, Minhelet HaAm
, Lucien Salzman entered the museum building with two assistants, his nephew Giora Hanoch and Fedor Shanon. They installed the two disc cutting machines and the amplifiers in a small room on the second floor and placed two identical microphones (model Shure 701D) on the presidential table. One of the microphones was wrapped with a white ribbon bearing the Tslil company name in Hebrew (צליל).
The direct to disc recording was made on double-sided 30-cm discs turning at 78 rpm that allowed a recording time of about 3 minutes only. At the end of the recording of a disc on one cutting machine the recording was switched to another disc on the other machine and vice versa. Therefore the recording of the entire 33-minute ceremony yielded 11 sides on 6 records. The recording ends with the "Hatikvah" national anthem played by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra followed by the concluding statement of David Ben Gurion: "The State of Israel is established! This meeting is adjourned!"
Only in 1981, during a research conducted for the Pillar of Fire
documentary television series, the records reemerged and the recording was transferred to 1/4-inch magnetic tapes at the "Kol Yisrael" studio. Several segments of the recording were used in the last episode of the series. In the late 1980s Lucien Salzman donated the records to the Israel Broadcasting Authority
but the whereabouts of these records is still unknown. Only one of the six original records survived and is in the archives of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (see picture).
who together with his colleague Rita Persits broadcasted the ceremony.
Two double-sided 33⅓ rpm LP record
s with the recording of the radio broadcast are at the Israel State Archive
but their origins or the identity of those who performed the recording are not known. At the Israel State Archive there is also a CD (Compact Disc) with exactly the same recording of the radio broadcast of the ceremony, related to Hans and Ralf Hellinger from the "Radio Doctor" company in Tel Aviv.
Direct to disc recording
Direct to disc recording refers to sound recording methods which bypass the use of magnetic tape recording and directly onto disc master; and record albums made using this process....
technique on acetate discs using special cutting machines. Neither the original records nor their duplicates were demanded by Israel state authorities and to date they cannot be located, except for one original acetate disc. However, copies of the recording itself survived on different media.
The "Tslil" Recording Company
"Tslil - Palestine Electrical Recording Company Ltd." was founded in early 1947 in Tel Aviv and specialized in recording and marketing of commercial records of music of IsraelMusic of Israel
The music of Israel is a combination of Jewish and non-Jewish music traditions that have come together over the course of a century to create a distinctive musical culture. For more than 100 years, musicians have sought original stylistic elements that would define the emerging national spirit...
and classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. "Tslil" records
were also played by "Kol Yerushalayim
Kol Yerushalayim
Kol Yerushalayim was the name given to the Hebrew transmissions of the Palestine Broadcasting Service established by the British Mandatory Authority.-Establishment:...
" (The Voice of Jerusalem), the Hebrew station of the Palestine Broadcasting Service of the British Mandate administration. "Tslil" ceased its operations around 1951.
In April 1948, a few weeks prior to the Declaration of Independence, Lucien Salzman of "Tslil" recorded the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is the leading symphony orchestra in Israel. It was originally known as the Palestine Orchestra, and in Hebrew as התזמורת הסימפונית הארץ ישראלית The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit...
playing the "Hatikvah
Hatikvah
"Hatikvah" is the national anthem of Israel. The anthem was written by Naphtali Herz Imber, a secular Galician Jew from Zolochiv , who moved to the Land of Israel in the early 1880s....
" national anthem at the "Ohel Shem" hall in Tel Aviv, a recording that was later used for many years by "Kol Yisrael
Kol Yisrael
Kol Yisrael is Israel's public domestic and international radio service, operated as a division of the Israel Broadcasting Authority.-History:...
" (The Voice of Israel), notably as the closing tone of the broadcasts at midnight, as well as by Israel embassies all over the world.
The Recording of the Ceremony
The declaration ceremony was held at the Tel Aviv Museum on Friday, 14 May 1948 at 16:00 and the recording was performed by Lucien Salzman from "Tslil - Israeli Electrical Recording Company Ltd.". The official invitation to perform the recording was issued by Karel Salmon from Kol Yisrael on behalf of Mendel Mahler-KalksteinMenachem Avidom
Menachem Avidom was an Israeli composer. His Hebrew surname is the combination of the names of his daughters - Daniella and Miriam .-Biography:...
, the Secretary-General of the Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra, that was invited to play the Hatikvah national anthem by an undersized ensemble of 30 of its players. Presenting a certificate issued by the provisional government, Minhelet HaAm
Provisional government of Israel
The provisional government of Israel was the temporary cabinet which governed Israel from shortly before independence until the formation of the first government in March 1949 following the first Knesset elections in January that year....
, Lucien Salzman entered the museum building with two assistants, his nephew Giora Hanoch and Fedor Shanon. They installed the two disc cutting machines and the amplifiers in a small room on the second floor and placed two identical microphones (model Shure 701D) on the presidential table. One of the microphones was wrapped with a white ribbon bearing the Tslil company name in Hebrew (צליל).
The direct to disc recording was made on double-sided 30-cm discs turning at 78 rpm that allowed a recording time of about 3 minutes only. At the end of the recording of a disc on one cutting machine the recording was switched to another disc on the other machine and vice versa. Therefore the recording of the entire 33-minute ceremony yielded 11 sides on 6 records. The recording ends with the "Hatikvah" national anthem played by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra followed by the concluding statement of David Ben Gurion: "The State of Israel is established! This meeting is adjourned!"
The Whereabouts of the Records
The "Tslil" recording company handed over to the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) the original records as well as several duplicate sets thereof. The IPO tried to convince the then leading record companies in the United States, Columbia and Victor, in the commercial value of the historic recording, apparently to no avail. After "Tslil" ceased its operation in 1951 Lucien Salzman kept one duplicate set at his home.Only in 1981, during a research conducted for the Pillar of Fire
Pillar of Fire (documentary)
Pillar of Fire is a mini series documentary of the Israel Broadcasting Authority , named after the Pillar of Fire, the biblical phenomena which led the ancient Israelites to the Promised Land during their exodus from Egypt...
documentary television series, the records reemerged and the recording was transferred to 1/4-inch magnetic tapes at the "Kol Yisrael" studio. Several segments of the recording were used in the last episode of the series. In the late 1980s Lucien Salzman donated the records to the Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Broadcasting Authority is Israel's state broadcasting network.It grew out of the radio station Kol Yisrael, which made its first broadcast as an independent station on . The name of the organisation operating Kol Yisrael was changed to Israel Broadcasting Service in 1951...
but the whereabouts of these records is still unknown. Only one of the six original records survived and is in the archives of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (see picture).
The Recording of the Radio Broadcast
In addition to the recording of Lucien Salzman from "Tslil" there is also a recording of the live radio broadcast of the ceremony transmitted by "Kol Yisrael". This recording begins with the words (in Hebrew): "Here is the Voice of Israel! Here is the Voice of Israel!" in the voice of Mordechai Zlotnik (later Avida)Mordechai Avida
Mordechai Avida , born Mordechai Zlotnik, was a radio broadcaster of Kol Israel in its preliminary stages. He was the first one to broadcast from the new station. His voice starts the Recording of The Israeli Declaration of Independence with the words : "Here is the Voice of Israel! Here is the...
who together with his colleague Rita Persits broadcasted the ceremony.
Two double-sided 33⅓ rpm LP record
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s with the recording of the radio broadcast are at the Israel State Archive
Israel State Archive
The Israel State Archives is the national archives of the State of Israel. It is attached to the Prime Minister's Office....
but their origins or the identity of those who performed the recording are not known. At the Israel State Archive there is also a CD (Compact Disc) with exactly the same recording of the radio broadcast of the ceremony, related to Hans and Ralf Hellinger from the "Radio Doctor" company in Tel Aviv.
External links
- The first part of the recording, David Ben Gurion reading the Declaration of Independence (in Hebrew), in a film of Israel State Archives on YouTube
- The first part of the recording, David Ben Gurion reading the Declaration of Independence (in Hebrew), on the Knesset site
- The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
- Israel State Archives