# Oldest Recording in Your Collection



## opus67

Here's a chance to go through the pile. What is the oldest recording in your current collection? (The year(s) in which a particular work was recorded. You may mention if you have a remastered version if you wish.)

In my case, it's a couple of works by Beethoven, for cello and piano.

Sonata No.3
Minuet in G

Pablo Casals and Otto Schulhof

Recorded: 6 and 7 March, *1930*
Remastered: *1999*


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## Yagan Kiely

I have a recording of Brahms playing piano in 1889. Can't here much though; every now-and-then you here a chord, and at one point Brahms introducing himself.

In terms of a recording that is listenable (not a word but I think you know what I mean), I have Shostakovich playing his Piano Concertos and some dances from 1958.

Ariadne auf Naxos from 1955 and the Solti Ring cycle.


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## opus67

Yagan Kiely said:


> I have a recording of Brahms playing piano in 1889. Can't here much though; every now-and-then you here a chord, and at one point Brahms introducing himself.
> 
> In terms of a recording that is listenable (not a word but I think you know what I mean), I have Shostakovich playing his Piano Concertos and some dances from 1958.


Are those downloaded YouTube videos by any chance?


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## Yagan Kiely

The Brahms I got from a wax cylinder site. The others are CDs.


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## opus67

Oh.
10char


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## BuddhaBandit

My oldest recording is also one of my favorites: Bruno Walter conducting Mahler's 9th with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1938.


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## Chi_townPhilly

The obvious places for me to look were the commemorative collections of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra, respectively.

1) Mendelssohn's _Wedding March_ from Midsummer Night's Dream incidental music, recorded by Frederick Stock & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in New York, May 1, 1916.

2) Brahms' _Hungarian Dance #5_, recorded by Leopold Stokowski & the Philadelphia Orchestra in Camden, New Jersey, October 24, 1917.


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## shsherm

I don't know if this one counts but I have a recording of "Keep The Home Fires Burning" sung by John McCormack Dated 1917.


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## World Violist

There's a CD of violinists, Sarasate and Joachim and Ysaye and whatnot, the earliest dating from 1900 I think.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

World Violist said:


> There's a CD of violinists, Sarasate and Joachim and Ysaye and whatnot, the earliest dating from 1900 I think.


1903. Joachim was 70 years old at the time. The Sarasate are from 1904, and the Ysaÿe come from 1912. A few recordings also exist freaturing the latter as a conductor.



> I have a recording of Brahms playing piano in 1889. Can't here much though; every now-and-then you here a chord, and at one point Brahms introducing himself.


From "Brahms at the piano"


> Who is speaking?
> 
> Numerous writers, scholars and amateurs alike, attribute the voice tobe that of Brahms introducing himself with the words
> 
> "I am Doctor Brahms, Johannes Brahms."
> 
> However there are a number of factors that cast doubt upon this asumption.
> 
> However the only mention of the recording (in published memoires ofFellinger's son) states that Brahms was introduced.
> 
> Brahms indeed received an honorary doctoral degree late in his life,but rarely, if ever, referred to himself as a doctor.
> 
> Consider the time between the announcement and when the playing commences. It seems rather improbable that the same person would segue so immediately into the performance. The limitations of the recording technology makesthis all the more unlikely
> 
> Finally, the distorted sentence that precedes the 'Dr, Brahms' sentence has been transcribed as being in English by some (as " Dr. Edison"), andas German by others ("By Herrn (?) Dr. Fellinger (?)"). I believe thatthe introduction is the voice of Wangemann, and the actual transcript is:
> 
> [garbled] ..."? ...house of Herr Doctor Fellinger, I have Dr. Brahms,Johannes Brahms."


Similarly, there's a recording in which Tchaikovsky supposedly says something.

I'm very fond of old recordings, and I can stand impressive levels of hissing... that's why I have the 6cd "The Recorded Violin" set: Joachim, Auer, Powell, Nachez, Huberman, Kubelik, Flesch, Enescu, Caterall, Spalding, Zimbalist, Szigeti, et al.

Among others I have Enescu's Violin sonatas 2 and 3 played by Enescu and Lipatti.

On the piano side, I have

transcriptions of several piano rolls featuring: Backhaus, Saint-Saens, Teresa Carreño, Ferruccio Busoni (I have his acoustic recordings too), Debussy, Elgar, Egon Petri (his old account of the Brahms' Paganini Variation, acoustic, are fantastic! and so is his Alkan), Vladimir de Pachmann, D'Albert, Grieg, Rubinstein...

Some cds with recordings by pupils of Liszt (De Greef, Lamond, Rosenthal, ...) and Leschetizky (Moiseiwitsch, Hambourg, Paderewski, Gabrilowitsch, et al.)

An old Totentantz by the Liszt pupil Jose Vianna da Motta (with several works of less duration), and many cds featuring Prokofiev (he plays his works, his third concerto, a short fantasy on Scheherezade), Ignaz Friedman (the Grieg Concerto plus other works), Josef Hoffman (Beethoven sonatas, Chopin Nocturnes, Ballades, etc), Leopold Godowsky (playing Schumann, Grieg, Beethoven and Chopin)

and the list goes on...

I don't have many vintage orchestral recordings, though. I think the oldest one is a Beethoven fifth symphony by the Berlin PO and Nikisch, from 1913.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

Take a look at this


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## World Violist

There were some other recordings on my CD above, too, that were older... I think Arnold Rose (with the little accent thingy that I'm too lazy to find) had a 1900 recording on there...

It's one of those "Testament" CD's.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

World Violist said:


> There were some other recordings on my CD above, too, that were older... I think Arnold Rose (with the little accent thingy that I'm too lazy to find) had a 1900 recording on there...
> 
> It's one of those "Testament" CD's.


This one:










Which includes the following:

*Paul Viardot* (1857-1941)
Henrik Wieniawski : Mazurka Obertas en sol majeur, op.19 n° 1
(Enregistré à Paris, 1900)

*Arnold Rosé *(1863-1946)
Gioachino Rossini : Fantaisie sur Otello (Variations sur l'air du saule de l'acte 3)
Pablo de Sarasate : Danse espagnole n° 8 en ut majeur, op.26 n° 2
Johannes Brahms : Danse hongroise n° 5 en fa dièse mineur (Arr. J. Joachim)
(Enregistré à Vienne, v.1900 & 1909)


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## opus67

Speaking of great violinists at the turn of the last century, I was listening to the first movement of Tchaikovsky's concerto, played by Heifetz. This was from the Naxos disc which also features concerti by Sibelius and Wieniawski. Even though it was recorded in the mid '30s, some parts of the concerto sounded much different than we are used to. If you can, listen to the part just before the orchestral outburst (for want of a better word), which is around the 6-minute-mark in most recordings, but given that it's Heifetz, I'm guessing it's closer to 5:00.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

> Even though it was recorded in the mid '30s, some parts of the concerto sounded much different than we are used to.


Are you referring to the double stops section after the orchestral intervention? Instead of repeating, Heifetz moves one octave up. Right now, I don't remember any other violinist that would do the same.



> but given that it's Heifetz, I'm guessing it's closer to 5:00.


There's a faster version, Heifetz-Reiner. And in his 1929 account of the work, Huberman dispatches the first movement in 15:53.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

For some old time fiddling, listen to the attachments on this post.


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## fox_druid

last time I downloaded a Blue Danube Waltz recorded in 1901. Even my grandma hadn't been born that time!


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## opus67

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> Are you referring to the double stops section after the orchestral intervention? Instead of repeating, Heifetz moves one octave up. Right now, I don't remember any other violinist that would do the same.


Forgive me for the rather late reply, I didn't have time to listen to that recording one more time till last night. This time I timed the piece. The section I was referring to starts at ~5:37 and lasts for 10 seconds before the orchestra enters with full force.



> There's a faster version, Heifetz-Reiner.


And I was thinking that an older Heifetz would have slowed down.


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## Lisztfreak

I've got a CD of Thomas Beecham conducting some Delius' orchestral works. The oldest recording is of the 'On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring', it's from 1927. Terrible, isn't it? It's 81 years old! Delius himself was still alive!

I heard a recording yesterday on the radio, it was Scott Joplin playing his Maple Leaf Rag in 1915, if I'm not mistaken. Quite good sound. And a good performance - can it be better, Joplin himself playing?


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## opus67

Lisztfreak said:


> I've got a CD of Thomas Beecham conducting some Delius' orchestral works. The oldest recording is of the 'On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring', it's from 1927. Terrible, isn't it? It's 81 years old! Delius himself was still alive!
> 
> I heard a recording yesterday on the radio, it was Scott Joplin playing his Maple Leaf Rag in 1915, if I'm not mistaken. Quite good sound. And a good performance - can it be better, Joplin himself playing?


As I stated elsewhere, in this sort of thread you are bound to come across recordings of works where the composer himself was involved. (I assume '_him_self' will be the majority.)


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## YsayeOp.27#6

That Joplin came in form of piano rolls, right? Or are there any acoustic recordings available?


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## YsayeOp.27#6

opus67 said:


> And I was thinking that an older Heifetz would have slowed down.


Actually, he accelerated a bit in his "second" set of recordings. The 3rd movement of the Brahms concerto, released by RCA is 7:15 (Not many violinists could match that... Szigeti takes 7:20, I think).

Simon Barere delivered the first piano concerto by Liszt in 15:56, in one of his famous Carnegie Hall recitals.

EDIT: In the first volume of the Doremi Heifetz set, he plays the third movement of the Brahms concerto in 7 minutes, with Erich Kleiber.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> Simon Barere delivered the first piano concerto by Liszt in 15:56, in one of his famous Carnegie Hall recitals.


I just got a new cd with music from his Carnegie Hall recitals, including Rachmaninov's Concerto Op. 18. Awesome!


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## YsayeOp.27#6

Now these are old recordings:

In this section you can listen to Hoffman playing an arrangement from Die Walküre, and some other rarities:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/10/26/arts/music/20081026_EARLYRECORDINGS_FEATURE.html

Awesome!


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## World Violist

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> That Joplin came in form of piano rolls, right? Or are there any acoustic recordings available?


I think they'd have to be piano rolls to be on the radio... I heard Gershwin play Gershwin on Youtube once and they were obviously piano rolls, the sound was so clear. But I can't really say, as I'm not the person you're asking...


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## Kuhlau

I'm sure I have a recording from 1934. Of what, I can't recall ...

FK


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## Atabey

Artur Nikisch's recording of Beethoven's 5th from 1912.


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## opus67

Atabey said:


> Artur Nikisch's recording of Beethoven's 5th from 1912.


Wasn't he the first to record (all?) the symphonies? If so, is yours a copy of the first ever?


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## YsayeOp.27#6

Atabey said:


> Artur Nikisch's recording of Beethoven's 5th from 1912.


You beat me there... I have a Nikisch Fifth that reads November 11th, 1913.


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## YsayeOp.27#6

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> Now these are old recordings:
> 
> In this section you can listen to Hoffman playing an arrangement from Die Walküre, and some other rarities:
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/10/26/arts/music/20081026_EARLYRECORDINGS_FEATURE.html
> 
> Awesome!


I can't believe nobody made any comments on this news!

This is one of the most important music discoveries ever! We are being given the chance to listen to recordings which are more than 118 years old!

I understand this is musically irrelevant but... the making of that Magic Fire's cylinder was closer in time to the premiere of Die Walküre than we are to the moment it was recorded.


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## Frasier

The earliest recording I have is a single-sided G&T from 1901:

Medea Mei singing The Haberna from Carmen.

Cat: 23125.

The G&Ts beginning with 2 were always produced in Russia so it predates communist Russia.


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## phoenixshade

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> This is one of the most important music discoveries ever! We are being given the chance to listen to recordings which are more than 118 years old!


This find is indeed exciting, and I must say that I'm impressed with what a little sound engineering can bring out of old wax cylinders. I had to laugh at the chorus of "Bravo, bravo, bravo, bravo" at the end of the Donizetti aria. I could envision a group of men in tophats and tails leaning in toward the horn, anxious to have their voices captured by this miraculous new machine...

A historical footnote: there exists an even earlier recording of the human voice dating from 1860 - nearly 150 years ago! *Story at NPR.* But it's barely recognizable, and not nearly as pleasant to listen to as the "magic fire" leitmotif...


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## Atabey

opus67 said:


> Wasn't he the first to record (all?) the symphonies? If so, is yours a copy of the first ever?


I think Felix Weingartner was the first to record them all.As for your question i am not sure.


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## Atabey

YsayeOp.27#6 said:


> You beat me there... I have a Nikisch Fifth that reads November 11th, 1913.


No,my mistake,i remembered it wrong.Mine is the same...


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## PostMinimalist

Here is the oldest physical recording I own. It's the 1954 recording of Solomon playing Beethoven's 4th piano concerto. The disc, as you can see, is in excellent condition. I have transfered this onto CD which in turn is now an mp3 on my laptop. Still a great recording!


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## handlebar

*Oldest recording in your collection is....?*

Having collected a delightful amount of historic recordings, I was perusing them the other day looking for the oldest recording. I found on Pearl CD with a recording of a folk song cut in 1894. Also Alfred Gruenfeld from 1899. My cylinders date from 1903-4 and 78's from the same years with Elman and Caruso performing.

Jim


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## tahnak

*oldest recording documents*



handlebar said:


> Having collected a delightful amount of historic recordings, I was perusing them the other day looking for the oldest recording. I found on Pearl CD with a recording of a folk song cut in 1894. Also Alfred Gruenfeld from 1899. My cylinders date from 1903-4 and 78's from the same years with Elman and Caruso performing.
> 
> Jim


Congragulations! This is indeed vintage. Bravo! the earliest that I have is Enrico Caruso singing Il Barbiere Di Siviglia on HMV 78 dating to 1939.


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## Lisztfreak

Yeah, those are really antique recordings there, handlebar. My oldest is a Naxos Historical recording of Beecham conducting Delius' On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, from 19th December 1927. It's quite muffled and all, of course, but I still find it brilliant.


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## Conor71

The oldest recording in my collection is:









(recordings date from 1936-)

I must admit that I didnt realise this was a historical recording when I bought it (even failed to notice that the recording was in Mono/ADD!) , I still quite like it though


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## YsayeOp.27#6

The Julius Block cylinders include a 1890 recording of a Godard piece, by Vladimir Wilschaw; and a 1891 account of a fantasy by Mozart, played by Taneyev.


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## Elgarian

The oldest recordings I have are all associated with Elgar or the Harrison sisters in some way:










I think the oldest is one of the tracks on 'The Harrison Sisters': an acoustic recording of Beatrice Harrison playing a cello transcription from _The Mastersingers_, in 1915. Then there's a big jump to 1924, where she plays a couple of pieces in her garden accompanied by a nightingale. Next is in 1926, where she plays the Delius cello sonata with Harold Craxton; then again, in 1929, May Harrison plays the Delius violin sonata with Arnold Bax on piano.

Of my Elgar recordings (that is, with Elgar as conductor), I think the earliest is the _Enigma Variations_ from 1926; then all the others are scattered throughout the following few years up to 1933:


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## YsayeOp.27#6

I am listening how Julius Conus played the Minuet from Bach's E minor Partita 116 years ago.


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## Sid James

I used to own a Philips CD of the premiere *Bartok*'s _Violin Concerto No. 2_ in 1939. It was played by Zoltan Szekely, for whom it was written, with the Concertgebouw conducted by Mengelberg. I got rid of the CD years ago, really regret doing that & wouldn't mind getting it again. It was a bit scratchy, but this did not stop me from enjoying the electrically charged performance.


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## EarlyCuyler

_Ein Heldenleben_ Willem Mengelberg/New York Philharmonic from 1928. Really fantastic recording, sounds better here than under Bernstein many years later...


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## YsayeOp.27#6

Here's a 1924 jewel...


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## MEDIEVAL MIAMI

Don't understand something, 

I have three answers though

The oldest compositions in my collection date back to the 1000's. A have some others that predates Jesus. But can be misleading because nowadays we wouldn't know if we are listening to the real deal.
My first purchased album was: A hard Day's Night
A cd with the oldest recording: Galician bagpipers from the 1940's.


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## EarlyCuyler

Willem Mengelberg and the NYPO in _Ein Heldenleben _from 1928. And DAMN is it good!


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## Library Bob

EarlyCuyler said:


> Willem Mengelberg and the NYPO in _Ein Heldenleben _from 1928. And DAMN is it good!


Back in the late 90's, there was a two-disc edition, on Biddulph, of Mengelberg's complete Victor acoustics with the NYPO. I still play it once in a while, and it's terrific.

My point is that, also on that set, is a 1928 _Heldenleben_ made up entirely of alternate takes from the set that was issued. It's interesting to note, as well, that, the night of the last recording session for that _Heldenleben,_ the NYPO, under Walter Damrosch, premiered a classic of quite another sort, Gershwin's beloved _An American in Paris._

Meanwhile, back at the thread, my earliest recording is a one disc compilation of the Mapleson Cylinders on Symposium. Recorded 1900 - 03, you hear some excellent live performances thundering out of those old grooves: The De Reszkes, Melba, Scotti, and Ternina, among many others. It's too bad Mapleson wasn't allowed to record for one season more. Caruso live? The mind reels at the thought.


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## bdelykleon

Arthur Nikish conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1913.


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## handlebar

bdelykleon said:


> Arthur Nikish conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1913.


I have that Symposium set of Nikisch conducting. I believe they are the only recordings of his ever made. Rather tough recordings but a testament left for posterity.

Jim


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## Mongoose

My oldest recording is of Sir Arthur Sullivan speaking in c.1889 recorded on an Edison cylinder. This is on a 2 lp set entitled The Wonder of the Age,and issued by Argo back in the 1970's. Sullivan comments that he is afraid that so much hideous music will be recorded for future generations!
My oldest 78 disc was recorded in 1908 and is of 'Come into the garden Maud'.
Mongoose.


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## TresPicos

Skryabin playing one of his own poems (1910) and Saint-Saëns playing his own mazurka and valse (1915).


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## bdelykleon

Just remembered that I also have that strange recording of Alexander Moreschi, the last castrato, a recording which is at the same time the oldest and the most hideous of all my disc collection. The timbre is horrible, sounds like a screaming chicken, the singer can't remain in tune and as the grand finale, and he does such terrible portamenti, to our ears so terribly ridiculous, I couldn't stop laughing (ok, part of this is the terrible Verist singing, most singers of this era will sound like this).


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## Mirror Image

Oldest recording in my collection is a Bruno Walter performance with the VPO of Mahler 9 in Vienna recorded in 1938.


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## Cyclops

Well all my music is on CD so no real oldies there,but one of my earliest CDs is Holst's The Planets recorded in 1988 on IMP Classics with Richard Hickox conducting the LSO. Another early disk and one of my favourites is 3 early Haydn Symphonies,6,7 and 8 on Archiv with Trevor Pinnock conducting The English Concert. I heard this very disk when I borrowed it from a lending library over 20 years ago and sought out the exact same disk. Wonderful music! I also had a Beethoven Symphony cycle that my mother bought me for christmas one year but I had to replace them because the sound quality was absolutely dreadful! Must be either an early recording or a bad one! There's no date on the disks,no sleeves even,had to make my own! They are under Joseph Krips conducting the LSO. Anyone familiar with those recordings?(i still have a couple as I've yet to replace them all with decent recordings.)
Oh and many many years ago I came across an old LP at a Jumble Sale and bought it for 10p. My sister hated it but me,as a young kid proudly adored it. I have no idea when it was recorded or who conducted what it but I'm sure it was a Prokofiev cello sonata. Wish I had it now!


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## Vaneyes

Once upon a time, I had 1904 *Caruso* something. Currently, it's 1946 *Sofronitsky* (Scriabin).


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## elgar's ghost

I would say mine are the 1951 recordings that make up the bulk of Wilhelm Kempff's first complete Beethoven sonatas cycle. I think the rest of the set were recorded c. 1955. There is a bonus disc with that collection which features him on organ as well but I can't recall from what year(s) those sessions were taken. I can put up with mono sound for reduced forces but being a child of the stereo age I haven't ever really taken to mono recordings of orchestral works very well. I know I'm missing out on a goldmine but I just can't get over the sonic limitations however great the actual music making is.

I saw a TV doc where they played a bit of that recording by the castrato Moreschi which bdelykleon mentioned. I found it rather creepy, to be honest.


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## Mahlerian

Webern conducting his transcription of the Schubert Deutsche Tanze, recorded in 1932.


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## moody

tahnak said:


> Congragulations! This is indeed vintage. Bravo! the earliest that I have is Enrico Caruso singing Il Barbiere Di Siviglia on HMV 78 dating to 1939.


He died in 1921.


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## moody

bdelykleon said:


> Just remembered that I also have that strange recording of Alexander Moreschi, the last castrato, a recording which is at the same time the oldest and the most hideous of all my disc collection. The timbre is horrible, sounds like a screaming chicken, the singer can't remain in tune and as the grand finale, and he does such terrible portamenti, to our ears so terribly ridiculous, I couldn't stop laughing (ok, part of this is the terrible Verist singing, most singers of this era will sound like this).


He was very much past it, but as it's the only example of a castrato it gives some idea.


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## moody

Most of my recordings are ancient and my vocals, the majority ,hover between 1900 and 1930 I should think.


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## bigshot

This is the oldest record I own. It's a one sided Columbia 78 of Prince's Band performing "Mascot March". It was recorded acoustically without microphones (or even electricity!) in 1901.

http://www.vintageip.com/xfers/mascotmarch.mp3


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## Skilmarilion

My oldest is of Mahler's _Kindertotenlieder_ from 1949 (remastered in 1998) - Kathleen Ferrier, Bruno Walter, Wiener Philarmoniker


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## mtmailey

I have a LP TCHAIKOVSKY symphony 7 in e-flat major.The release year was 1962.It sounds great for a old 51 YEARS OLD LP .


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## bigshot

Here's another big hit from 1901 from my collection of dusty shellac!

Liberty Bell March
http://www.vintageip.com/xfers/libertybellmarch.mp3


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I have some Bach played on the organ on a 78rpm record from the early-mid 1940s.


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## quack

Just got this, An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music, Vol. 7:









Which, in addition to all sorts of crazy musical explorations, has Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville's 1860 recording of _Au clair de la lune_. The first known audio recording, mentioned earlier in this thread 




It's awful, dunno why this music stuff ever caught on.


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## Sudonim

From this:









... there is a recording from 1893. I think that's the oldest thing I have.

But this is on a CD released in this decade. Maybe we should clarify here: when we speak of the "oldest recording" in our collection, are we referring to the recording date or the age of the medium itself (cylinder, LP, etc.)? If it's the latter I think I may have some 78s from the 1930s, but I'm not sure.


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## WJM

Otto Neitzel, 1890


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## apricissimus

I have many jazz recordings from the 20's (does jazz count?).


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## Vaneyes

apricissimus said:


> I have many jazz recordings from the 20's (does jazz count?).


Oh, I suppose.


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## tahnak

Vaneyes said:


> Once upon a time, I had 1904 *Caruso* something. Currently, it's 1946 *Sofronitsky* (Scriabin).


I have a 78 RPM recording of 1929 with Beniamino Gigli singing O Sole Mio.


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## moody

Skilmarilion said:


> My oldest is of Mahler's _Kindertotenlieder_ from 1949 (remastered in 1998) - Kathleen Ferrier, Bruno Walter, Wiener Philarmoniker


It's great ,but to me that's modern.


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## moody

Sudonim said:


> From this:
> 
> View attachment 21115
> 
> 
> ... there is a recording from 1893. I think that's the oldest thing I have.
> 
> But this is on a CD released in this decade. Maybe we should clarify here: when we speak of the "oldest recording" in our collection, are we referring to the recording date or the age of the medium itself (cylinder, LP, etc.)? If it's the latter I think I may have some 78s from the 1930s, but I'm not sure.


The OP covered that in post 1.


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## Sudonim

moody said:


> The OP covered that in post 1.


Oh - yes, so it did. 

Okay, so I stand by the rest of my post: the 1893 recording is my oldest. I have lots of stuff from the 1920s too, but almost none of it is classical (it's old jazz and blues). My oldest classical recording, in terms of recording date, is probably the Casals/Cortot/Thibaud recordings of 1926.


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## MrGramophone

My oldest would have to be a big boxed set of CD's called "The Complete Caruso". Enrico Caruso recordings from 1902 to 1920.


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## Guest

Oldest recording I have would be the Debussy Plays Debussy bits on the extra tracks from Roger Desormiere's Pelleas Et Melisande.


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## Fortinbras Armstrong

A 78 RPM record of Noel Coward singing "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" on one side, and "Don't Let's Be Beastly To The Germans" on the other.


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## arpeggio

*Richard Rogers Victory at Sea LP*

Richard Rogers _Victory at Sea_ LP


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## JohnD

Conor71 said:


> The oldest recording in my collection is:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (recordings date from 1936-)
> 
> I must admit that I didnt realise this was a historical recording when I bought it (even failed to notice that the recording was in Mono/ADD!) , I still quite like it though


I've got older pop recordings (http://www.archeophone.com/index.php), but I think this is also my oldest classical performance. (I've got it on an earlier EMI CD release.) And I too like it a lot.


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## Headphone Hermit

Probably 1899 - Ellen Beach Yaw singing C'est l'histroire amoureuse from Auber's Manon Lescaut

this is on the 10CD set "The Record of Singing"


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## jtbell

I think my oldest is Sibelius' "Valse triste" performed in a wind-band arrangement by H M Coldstream Guards in 1907, on a Finlandia CD from c. 1990.


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## Antiquarian

The oldest physical recording that I have in my working collection is of Giuseppe Campanari (baritone) and Charles Adams Prince (piano) recorded in 1903. It is a selection of Rossini's Barber of Seville, part of the Grand Opera Series by the Columbia Phonograph Company. I think it still can be had in a reissue from Columbia Masterworks Heritage on the secondary market. Why anyone would want it other than as a curiosity is beyond me, as the fidelity is extremely poor.


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## Svelte Silhouette

The oldest recording in my collection is the one I got first


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