Columbia Symphony Orchestra

The Columbia Symphony Orchestra was an orchestra formed by Columbia Records strictly for the purpose of making recordings. In the 1950s, it provided a vehicle for some of Columbia's better known conductors and recording artists to record using only company resources. The musicians in the orchestra were contracted as needed for individual sessions and consisted of free-lance artists and often members of either the New York Philharmonic or the Los Angeles Philharmonic, depending on whether the recording was being made in Columbia's East Coast or West Coast studios.

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1913 - 1928

Roles Represented in DAHR: Musical group

Notes: Do not confuse the various orchestral names used by CBS and the Columbia record label, which include the Columbia Broadcasting Symphony (1930’s into the WWII period, conducted by Howard Barlow), the Columbia Concert Orchestra (made recordings apparently mostly in the 1940’s), and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra (made recordings in the 1950’s and 60’s, principal conductor Bruno Walter). The Columbia Phonograph Co. used the the name Columbia Orchestra through 1927.

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 108 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 48936 12-in. 9/28/1916 Valse lente Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 48937 12-in. 9/28/1916 Minuet Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 48939 12-in. 10/4/1916 La traviata : Selections Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 48963 12-in. 10/25/1916 Light cavalry overture Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 48964 12-in. 10/25/1916 Light cavalry overture Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49006 12-in. 9/5/1916 Pagliacci : Selections Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49032 12-in. 12/20/1916 Marche slave Prince's Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49033 12-in. 12/20/1916 Marche slave Prince's Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49061 12-in. 1/3/1917 Polonaise militaire Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49062 12-in. 1/3/1917 Funeral march of a marionette Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49063 12-in. 1/4/1917 In a monastery garden Columbia Symphony Orchestra ; Sibyl Sanderson Fagan Orchestra, with male vocal chorus and bird imitations Musical group  
Columbia 49085 12-in. 1/12/1917 Scarf dance Columbia Symphony Orchestra ; Victor Herbert Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49086 12-in. 1/18/1917 Sonata : Minuet Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49088 12-in. 1/20/1917 Dragon fly mazurka Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49089 12-in. 1/20/1917 Stephanie gavotte Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49101 12-in. 1/26/1917 La czarine Prince's Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49115 12-in. 2/6/1917 Rienzi : Overture Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49116 12-in. 2/6/1917 Rienzi : Overture Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49136 12-in. 2/26/1917 The barber of Seville : Overture Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49154 12-in. 3/20/1917 Madame Butterfly : Selections Columbia Symphony Orchestra ; Giorgio Polacco Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49155 12-in. 3/20/1917 Madame Butterfly : Selections Columbia Symphony Orchestra ; Giorgio Polacco Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49162 12-in. 3/23/1917 Tosca : Selections Columbia Symphony Orchestra ; Giorgio Polacco Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49163 12-in. 3/23/1917 Tosca : Selections Columbia Symphony Orchestra ; Giorgio Polacco Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49491 12-in. 9/6/1918 A Roman carnival Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
Columbia 49492 12-in. 9/6/1918 A Roman carnival Columbia Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Musical group  
(Results 26-50 of 108 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Columbia Symphony Orchestra," accessed April 24, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102926.

Columbia Symphony Orchestra. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 24, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102926.

"Columbia Symphony Orchestra." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102926

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