Musical instruments

Kempelen’s speaking machine

The Deutsches Museum houses a speaking apparatus which is considered to be the oldest of its kind.

The Story of a Passion

Artificial speech is an age-old dream, but it can also be rather eerie. The Deutsches Museum houses a speaking machine that is considered the oldest of its kind. It resembles the famous device described by Wolfgang von Kempelen in his 1791 book *The Mechanism of Human Speech*. The device’s capabilities and function had previously been unknown. The Deutsches Museum’s workshops produced an exact replica in order to get to the bottom of this.

Kempelen’s speaking machine, c. 1800, Inv. No. 6596

Model and original: In the exhibition...

Sounds that reflect the spirit of the times

The Musical Instruments Exhibition

Acoustic experiments, such as the speaking machine, can be found in our musical instruments exhibition. Both the original and a replica provide a clear introduction to how Kempelen’s speaking machine works. A video demonstration of the device on the exhibition’s website offers an insight into the possibilities of sound production.

Musical Instruments Exhibition

... and with historical sources on Deutsches Museum Digital

**Nachbau des Kempelenschen Sprechapparats Inv.-Nr. 6596**
From: Deutsches Museum von Meisterwerken der Naturwissenschaft und Technik
Date: 2013/14

**Sprechmaschine von Kempelen**
From: -
Date: 1788

**Wolfgangs von Kempelen k. k. wirklichen Hofraths Mechanismus der menschlichen Sprache nebst der Beschreibung seiner sprechenden Maschine**
From: Kempelen, Wolfgang von
Date: 1791

Musical instruments

A treasure trove for music lovers

From early musical automata to the legendary Siemens Studio. The musical instruments collection is also available online.