William Kapell
Oscar William Kapell (September 20, 1922 – October 29, 1953) was an American classical pianist. The Washington Post described him as "America's first great pianist", while The New York Times described him as "one of the last century's great geniuses of the keyboard" and Times critic and pianist Michael Kimmelman, writing in The New York Review of Books, remarked: "Was there any greater American pianist born during the last century than Kapell? Perhaps not." In 1953, at age 31, Kapell died in the crash of BCPA Flight 304 while returning from a concert tour in Australia. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Manhattan (borough of New York City, New York, United States), Died October 29, 1953 (Kings Mountain (mountain in California, United States of America) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1944 - 1950
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 28 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | E0RC-1965 | 12-in. | 12/18/1950 | Shepherd's complaint | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | E0RC-1966 | 12-in. | 12/18/1950 | Serenade to a doll | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | E0RC-1967 | 12-in. | 12/18/1950 | Jumbo's lullaby | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | E0RC-1968 | 12-in. | 12/20/1950 | The little shepherd | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D4RC-0544 | 12-in. | 12/11/1944 | Prelude in C-sharp minor | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D4RC-0545 | 12-in. | 12/11/1944 | Three preludes from opus 34 | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D5RC-0190 | 12-in. | 3/19/1945 | Three preludes from op. 34 | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D5RC-0191 | 12-in. | 3/19/1945 | Mefisto waltz, part 1 | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D5RC-0192 | 12-in. | 3/19/1945 | Mefisto waltz, part 2 | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D5RC-0193 | 12-in. | 3/19/1945 | Mefisto waltz, part 3 (concluded) | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D5RC-0292 | 12-in. | 4/27/1945 | Romance | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D5RC-0293 | 12-in. | 4/27/1945 | Intermezzo in E major | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D5RC-0294 | 12-in. | 4/27/1945 | Evocación | William Kapell | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D6RC-6004 | 12-in. | 6/24/1946 | Concerto no. 2, in B-flat, part 1 | Vladimir Golschmann ; William Kapell ; NBC Symphony Orchestra | Piano and orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D6RC-6005 | 12-in. | 6/24/1946 | Concerto no. 2, in B-flat, part 2 | Vladimir Golschmann ; William Kapell ; NBC Symphony Orchestra | Piano and orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D6RC-6006 | 12-in. | 6/24/1946 | Concerto no. 2, in B-flat, part 3 | Vladimir Golschmann ; William Kapell ; NBC Symphony Orchestra | Piano and orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D6RC-6007 | 12-in. | 6/24/1946 | Concerto no. 2, in B-flat, part 4 | Vladimir Golschmann ; William Kapell ; NBC Symphony Orchestra | Piano and orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D6RC-6008 | 12-in. | 6/24/1946 | Concerto no. 2, in B-flat, part 5 | Vladimir Golschmann ; William Kapell ; NBC Symphony Orchestra | Piano and orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D6RC-6009 | 12-in. | 6/24/1946 | Concerto no. 2, in B-flat, part 6 | Vladimir Golschmann ; William Kapell ; NBC Symphony Orchestra | Piano and orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D6RC-6010 | 12-in. | 6/24/1946 | Concerto no. 2, in B-flat, part 7 | Vladimir Golschmann ; William Kapell ; NBC Symphony Orchestra | Piano and orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D7RC-7455 | 12-in. | 4/23/1947 | Sonata in G minor, part 1 | William Kapell ; Edmund Kurtz | Cello and piano duet | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D7RC-7456 | 12-in. | 4/23/1947 | Sonata in G minor, part 2 | William Kapell ; Edmund Kurtz | Cello and piano duet | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D7RC-7457 | 12-in. | 4/23/1947 | Sonata in G minor, part 3 | William Kapell ; Edmund Kurtz | Cello and piano duet | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D7RC-7458 | 12-in. | 4/23/1947 | Sonata in G minor, part 4 | William Kapell ; Edmund Kurtz | Cello and piano duet | instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | D7RC-7459 | 12-in. | 4/23/1947 | Sonata in G minor, part 5 | William Kapell ; Edmund Kurtz | Cello and piano duet | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Kapell, William," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/352540.
Kapell, William. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/352540.
"Kapell, William." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: William Kapell
Discogs: William Kapell
Allmusic: William Kapell
Grove: William Kapell
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Kapell, William, 1922-1953 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84077389
Wikidata: William Kapell - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q385331
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/69115876
MusicBrainz: William Kapell - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/79f8d39b-835c-4361-92e4-9217ad528d4f
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/135703 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/135703
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