Frederick William Gaisberg

Frederick William Gaisberg (1 January 1873 – 2 September 1951) was an American musician, recording engineer and one of the earliest classical music producers for the gramophone. He himself did not use the term 'producer', and was not an impresario like his protégé Walter Legge of EMI or an innovator like John Culshaw of Decca. Gaisberg concentrated on talent-scouting and persuading performers to make recordings for the newly invented Gramophone.

Gaisberg began working in the recording industry in America as a young man, becoming a pioneer of early recording, and also worked as piano accompanist for the Berliner Gram-O-Phone Company, the inventors of the practical lateral-groove disc and associated playback apparatus, the Berliner Gramophone. In 1898, he joined the Gramophone Company in England as its first recording engineer. In 1902, he recorded music sung by the tenor Enrico Caruso and the recordings became a sensation. By 1921, Gaisberg was artistic director of HMV's 'international artistes' department. After 1925, he concentrated on artist management. In 1939, he retired from his position but continued as a consultant in the industry through the 1940s.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 1, 1873 (Washington, D.C.), Died September 2, 1951 (Hampstead)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1892 - 1920

Roles Represented in DAHR: recordist, composer, piano

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

Recordings (Results 126-150 of 1229 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Gramophone 628aj 12-in. 3/17/1913 Faust : Potpourri Orchestra (unidentified; Gramophone Co., Milan, Italy) Orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 630c 12-in. approximately May 1906 Ah, qual colpo Fernando De Lucia ; Josephina Huguet ; Antonio Pini-Corsi Vocal trio (soprano, tenor and baritone), with piano accompaniment recordist  
Gramophone HO634c 12-in. 2/2/1915 Divine service on a battlefield Rev. J. R. Parkyn Religious service recordist  
Gramophone HO636c 12-in. 2/2/1915 Service on a battlefield Rev. J. R. Parkyn Religious service recordist  
Gramophone 637c 12-in. ca. May 1906 Manca un foglio Antonio Pini-Corsi Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 638c 12-in. approximately May 1906 E' il sol dell'anima Fernando De Lucia ; Josephina Huguet Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone HO646c 12-in. 2/17/1915 Masindi Arthur Crudge ; Mayfair Band Band recordist  
Gramophone 650aj 12-in. 3/19/1913 Mimi è una civetta Noemi Casini ; Franco de Gregorio ; Paoli Ferretti Vocal trio (soprano, tenor, and baritone), with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 651c 12-in. approximately May 1906 Re dell' abisso Emma Zaccaria Soprano vocal solo, with chorus and orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 653c 12-in. ca. May 1906 Pronta io son Ernesto Badini ; Emilia Corsi Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 656½c 12-in. ca. May 1906 Sinfonia Teatro alla Scala Orchestra Orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 656c 12-in. approximately May 1906 Der fliegende Holländer : Sinfonia Teatro alla Scala Orchestra Orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 662c 12-in. ca. May 1906 Sinfonia Carlo Sabajno ; Teatro alla Scala Orchestra Orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 684½c 12-in. June 1906 La calasera Alfredo Barili ; Adelina Patti Soprano vocal solo, with piano recordist  
Gramophone 691c 12-in. 7/11/1906 Pastorale Nellie Melba Soprano vocal solo, with piano recordist  
Gramophone 702c 12-in. 7/18/1906 To the angels Amy Castles ; W. H. Squire Soprano vocal solo, with piano accompaniment and cello obbligato recordist  
Gramophone 716G[b] 10-in. 1901 Roi de Lahore : Air Maurice Renaud Baritone vocal solo, with piano recordist  
Gramophone 718G[b] 10-in. 1901 Pour tant d'amour Maurice Renaud Baritone vocal solo, with piano recordist  
Gramophone 725c 12-in. 8/23/1906 Mélodie Mischa Elman Violin and piano recordist  
Gramophone 727c 12-in. ca. Aug. 1906 Nocturne in E flat Mischa Elman Violin and piano duet recordist  
Gramophone 762a 7-in. June 1900 Un dì all'azzurro spazio Carlo Caffetto Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 791c 12-in. October 1906 Largo al factotum Titta Ruffo Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 792c 12-in. October 1906 Dio possente Titta Ruffo Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 801c 12-in. October 1906 Com'è gentil Aristodemo Giorgini Tenor vocal solo, with chorus and orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 854c 12-in. approximately Nov. 1906 O dolce voluttà Celestina Boninsegna ; Luigi Colazza Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra recordist  
(Results 126-150 of 1229 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Gaisberg, Frederick William," accessed April 26, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/116625.

Gaisberg, Frederick William. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/116625.

"Gaisberg, Frederick William." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 26 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/116625

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