Can I play Beethoven on my Edisonic Beethoven?

[marcapra]

I recently became the proud owner of a rare Beethoven Edisonic model console. I also own two Schubert Edisonics. I know I can play Schubert on my Schubert. I know that I own Schubert's Piano Trio and a Schubert song on Diamond Disc. But is there any Beethoven on DD? I don't recall any and the Edison Records cat. that I have only lists records by song title, not composer. Any one have more knowledge on this?

[Valecnik]

Did a quick sort of the excel data base and found these.

50205-L ! Samuel Gardner (vn), (p) Trauermarsch (Ludwig van Beethoven; arr.: Samuel Gardner)
73005-L Elisabeth Schumann (S), (O) FIDELIO (Ludwig van Beethoven / Joseph Sonnleithner, Georg F. Treitschke), I/ 2: Arie (Marcelline) "O wär' ich schon mit dir vereint"
80278-L Sodero's (O-band), Cesare Sodero (cnd) EGMONT (Ludwig van Beethoven, op.84 / Johann W. von Goethe) Overture <2>
80278-R Sodero's (O-band), Cesare Sodero (cnd) EGMONT (Ludwig van Beethoven, op.84 / Johann W. von Goethe) Overture <1>
80419-R Joel Belov (vn), (p) Menuet in G (Ludwig van Beethoven, WoO 10,2)
80775-L American Concert (O) Ouvertüre "Leonore 3" in C (Ludwig van Beethoven, op.72) <2>
80775-R American Concert (O) Ouvertüre "Leonore 3" in C (Ludwig van Beethoven, op.72) <1>
80791-L American Concert (O) Coriolan-Ouvertüre (Ludwig van Beethoven) <2>
80791-R American Concert (O) Coriolan-Ouvertüre (Ludwig van Beethoven) <1>
80806-R Bellini Ensemble Unique (is) SONATAS (Ludwig van Beethoven) [piano 14 in c# op.27,2 "Mondschein"]: Selection
80857-R Frederick Kinsley (org) [Midmer-Losh pipe-organ] Minuet in G (Ludwig van Beethoven, WoO 10,2)
80865-L Carl Flesch (vn), Kurt Ruhrseitz (p) Rondino über ein Thema von Beethoven (Fritz Kreisler)
82276-R Margarethe Matzenauer (Ms), (O) FIDELIO (Ludwig van Beethoven / Joseph Sonnleithner, Georg F. Treitschke), I/ 9: Recitativ und Arie (Leonore) "Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin?"
82284-L Albert Spalding (vn), (p) Minuet in G (Ludwig van Beethoven, WoO 10,2)
82293-L ! Vasa Přihoda (vn), (p) DIE RUINEN VON ATHEN (Ludwig van Beethoven): Türkischer Marsch (arr.: Leopold Auer)
83030-R Jacques Urlus (T), (O) FIDELIO (Ludwig van Beethoven / Joseph Sonnleithner, Georg F. Treitschke), II/11: Recitativ und Arie (Florestan) "Gott! Welch Dunkel hier!"
90001-L Bellini Ensemble Unique (is) SONATAS (Ludwig van Beethoven) [piano 8 in c op.13 "Pathétique"] <2>
90001-R Bellini Ensemble Unique (is) SONATAS (Ludwig van Beethoven) [piano 8 in c op.13 "Pathétique"] <1>

[De Soto Frank]

Well Mark,

I was going to make one of my usual snarky "if you can FIND any" Edison catalog snipes, but it looks like Valecnik found a bunch of them...

Who knew ?

[marcapra]

thanks Valnecnik, for providing that wonderful list of Beethoven on DD. But I bet those records are hard to find. Marc.

[Valecnik]

Marc, I don't think they are so rare or particularly expensive. Sent you a few suggestions by PM. Try Hawthorn's or Nauk's auction. You might pick them up in good condition for a few bucks if lucky.

[OrthoSean]

Marc, I don't think they are so rare or particularly expensive. Sent you a few suggestions by PM. Try Hawthorn's or Nauck's auction. You might pick them up in good condition for a few bucks if lucky.

Exactly, most of these aren't tough to find. A couple of ones you should expect to pay extra bucks for would be these:

73005-L Elisabeth Schumann (S), (O) FIDELIO (Ludwig van Beethoven / Joseph Sonnleithner, Georg F. Treitschke), I/ 2: Arie (Marcelline) "O wär' ich schon mit dir vereint"
80865-L Carl Flesch (vn), Kurt Ruhrseitz (p) Rondino über ein Thema von Beethoven (Fritz Kreisler)
83030-R Jacques Urlus (T), (O) FIDELIO (Ludwig van Beethoven / Joseph Sonnleithner, Georg F. Treitschke), II/11: Recitativ und Arie (Florestan) "Gott! Welch Dunkel hier!"

Sean

[marcapra]

90001-L Bellini Ensemble Unique (is) SONATAS (Ludwig van Beethoven) [piano 8 in c op.13 "Pathétique"] <2>
90001-R Bellini Ensemble Unique (is) SONATAS (Ludwig van Beethoven) [piano 8 in c op.13 "Pathétique"] <1>

Are there really Edison DDs in the 90,000 series? I've never heard of that series before! It's strange that there's no piano sonatas in the mix except for the Bellini ensemble, whatever that is. After all this was a time when Beethoven's Minuet was more popular on records than his Symphony no. 5! There are some symphonic works listed above, such as the Leonore, Egmont, and Coriolan overtures, but no symphonies or string quartets. Unfortunately, Edison records were just starting to enter the serious classical market with complete works such as Schubert's Piano Trio on four DDs, of which I own just one; Dvorak's String Quartet "American", which I own on 2 DDs, Haydn's String Quartet, Schumann's Piano Quintet, etc. Unfortunately, no Beethoven string quartets or sonatas, which would have come had the Depression not reared its ugly head just when the Edison records had become so good in 1929!

[pughphonos]

We are all such delightful eggheads.

Marc, if you add the long play components to your Beethoven you can also listen to Sodero's Band playing the "Egmont Overture" on LP disc 10004, right side (once you get tired of playing so many standard discs). I have the LP mechanism on my Schubert AND LP disc 10004--admittedly rather social climbing of me to listen to Beethoven on a Schubert.

[VintageTechnologies]

I read somewhere that one of Edison's dreams was to record a complete uninterrupted version of Beethoven's 9th Symphony when the technology had sufficiently matured. He never made it. Had Edison combined the Long Play record (1926) with electric recording (1927), he would have come close, but as we know, his LP was a technical failure and electric recording came too late to save his company.

[marcapra]

I did play some Beethoven on my Beethoven today, but I had to cheat and put on my Fletcher 78 adapter. At first, I put on my recording of the "Ghost Trio" with Rudolf Serkin on piano. I could tell though that the fidelity was a bit too high to play on an acoustic phonograph. The album had a copyright of 1948. Way too late! So I looked over my 78 library for something old. And I found it. A 1927 recording of Beethoven's STring Quartet in C-sharp minor, op. 131 by the Lener String Quartet of Budapest! Columbia Masterworks had been aggressively recording the classics at this time and I think they had a bigger instrumental library than even Victor. Columbia was celebrating the 100th anniversary of Beethoven's death as a Beethoven Centennial.