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What did Abraham Lincoln’s voice sound like?

09 Apr 2017 | : blog

What did Abraham Lincoln’s voice sound like?

An article in the Smithsonian by Megan Ganbino startsout,

“I suspect that when people imagine Abraham Lincoln and the way he sounded, many imagine him as a bass, or at least a deep baritone. Perhaps this is because of his large stature and the resounding nature of his words. Certainly, the tradition of oratory in the 1850s would support the assumption. “Usually people with centurion, basso profundo voices dominated American politics,” says Harold Holzer, a leading Lincoln scholar. Then, of course, there are the casting choices of film and TV directors over the years. “It can’t get any deeper than Gregory Peck,” says Holzer. Peck played Lincoln in the 1980s TV miniseries The Blue and the Gray.”

Read more at:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ask-an-expert-what-did-abraham-lincolns-voice-sound-like-13446201/#Oj5bVd0RdiqVztXQ.99

My response:

Walter Houston & Henry Fonda (there have been many other Lincoln portrayers)  sounded good as A. Lincoln.

Also when he spoke in public, he spoke to be heard which was most likely higher than his normal voice.

But what does it matter how he sounded?

No one worries about how Julius Caesar sounded or Shakespeare or Dickens.

 

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