RCA Thesaurus
RCA Thesaurus, a brand owned by RCA Victor, was a supplier of electrical transcriptions.[1] It enjoyed a long history of producing electrical transcriptions of music for radio broadcasting which dated back to NBC's Radio Recording Division.[2]
Efforts were made as early as 1936 to consolidate The RCA Victor Transcription service with NBC's independent transcription service within the NBC radio network. NBC'sThesaurus catalog system and library of recordings was not completely merged with RCA's catalog until 1939 when the consolidation was completed in an effort to compete with rival transcription services which were available at the Mutual, Columbia and World Broadcasting Systems.[3]
During the 1950s, RCA Thesaurus produced under the musical direction of Ben Selvin in New York City.[4][5] As the transcription service continued to grow in 1953, RCA Thesaurus bought a library of 1600 transcriptions of jingles from the Ullman Jingl Library.[6]
In 1954, John Serry Sr. recorded several of his arrangements of easy listening music for RCA Thesaurus with his ensemble The Bel-Cordions quartet and the Serry Sextette.[7][8] The group consisted of four accordions, string bass and guitar.[9][10] Copies of Serry's album and his original orchestral scores were subsequently donated years later to the Eastman School of Music's Sibley Music Library for archival purposes within the Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections Department: John J. Serry Sr. Collection.[11][12][13]
By 1955, RCA Thesaurus continued to expand its musical library by including complete shows five times a week which showcased performances by several leading jazz artists including Sammy Kaye and Freddie Martin.[14] In 1956, Lawrence Welk also signed with Ben Selvin at RCA Thesaurus for recordings on his "New Lawrence Welk Show".[15][16] By 1956, Ben Selvin also signed an agreement with the impresario Norman Granz which enhanced the RCA Thesaurus library to include performances by such jazz luminaries as: Count Basie, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Gene Krupa, Oscar Peterson, and Art Tatum.[17]
Classical compositions
Included among the classical compositions that were recorded on the RCA Thesaurus label are the following:
- "Allegro" – Joseph Haydn Arr. John Serry Sr. (Accordion Quartette 1954)[18]
- "The Golden Wedding (La Cinquantaine)" – Jean Gabriel-Marie Arr. John Serry Sr. (Accordion Quartette 1954)[19]
- "Tango of Love" – John Serry Sr. Arr. John Serry Sr. (Accordion Quartette 1954)[20]
Popular compositions
Included among the popular songs recorded for RCA Thesaurus are the following:[21]
- "Shine On, Harvest Moon" – Jack Noworth & Nora Bayes- Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "My Melancholy Baby" – Ernie Burnett & George A. Norton – Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "Singin' in the Rain" – Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown – Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "Nobody's Sweetheart" – Elmer Schoebel/Gus Kahn – Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "Chicago" – Fred Fisher – Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "If You Knew Susie" – Buddy DeSylva & Joseph Meyer -Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "Somebody Stole My Gal" – Leo Wood – Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay" – Paul Stanley (composer) – Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "Old McDonald" – Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "Beer Barrel Polka" – Jaromir Vejvoda/Eduard Ingris Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "I Love Louisa" - Arthur Schwartz/Howard Dietz – Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "Oh You Beautiful Doll" – Seymour Brown/ Nat D. Ayer – Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
- "Chinatown, My Chinatown" -William Jerome/Jean Schwartz – Arr. John Serry Sr. (Sextette 1954)
Artistic ensembles
Included among the musical ensembles that recorded for RCA Thesaurus are the following:[22][23][24]
The Bel-Cordions
- John Serry, Sr. – First Accordionist/ Conductor/Arranger[25]
- Louis Del Monte – Accordionist[26]
- Alf Nystrom – Accordionist
- Ralph Vetro – Accordionist
Sammy Kaye Orchestra
- Sammy Kaye - conductor
Freddie Martin Orchestra
- Freddie Martin - conductor
Serry Sextette
- John Serry Sr. - First Acccordionist/ Conductor/Arranger[27]
- Alf Nystrom - Accordionist
- Benny Mortell - Guitar
- Sammy Linner - Piano
- Doc Goldberg - Bass
- Harry Breur - Vibes/Marimba
Lawrence Welk Orchestra
- Lawrence Welk - conductor
Archived recordings
| External image | |
|---|---|
 The John J. Serry Sr. Collection Archive University of Rochester Eastman School of Music. Here on esm.rochester.edu |
- The John J. Serry Sr. Collection at the Eastman School of Music's Sibley Music Library: Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections contains an audio recording and original scores for musical arrangements of popular music in the RCA Thesaurus catalog as recorded at the RCA Victor Studios in New York City by the John Serry Sextette in 1954.[28]
References
- ^ William Howland Kenney (November 2003). Recorded Music in American Life: The Phonograph and Popular Memory, 1890–1945. Oxford University Press. pp. 191–. ISBN 978-0-19-517177-8.
- ^ The Billboard - Music-Radio - "E. T. Firms Make Comeback As Local Radio Gains Accent" 16 October 1954 p. 14 RCA Thesaurus on Google Books
- ^ Points on the Dial: Golden Age Radio Beyond the Networks Alexander Russo. Duke University Press, London 2010. p. 112-114 RCA Theaurus and NBC on books.google.com]
- ^ The Billboard - Ben Selvin Skeds Waxing Dates With Welk - "The Billboard Magazine" December 15, 1956 p. 30 - Ben Selvin recording chief for RCA Thesaurus on books.google
- ^ The Billboard - 40th Anniversary for Ben Selvin as Band Leader - "The Billboard Magazine" September 16, 1957 p. 24 - Ben Selvin - Artists and Repertoire Director for RCA Theasurus on books.google.com
- ^ "Thesaurus buys Jingl Library". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 11 April 1953. pp. 16–. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Who Is Who in Music International 1958, Publisher: Who Is Who in Music International, Chicago, Illinois. Biographical File #B11719 for John Serry. See International Biographical Center, Cambridge, England as the current publisher.
- ^ Radio Daily-Television Daily. Publisher: Radio Daily Corporation 29 October 1954, p. 8 - "RCA Thesaurus cut a session of Latin-American music, polkas, and novelties with the John Serry Accordion Quartet", RCA Thesaurus John Serry on Google Books
- ^ Eastman School of Music: Sibley Music Library: Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections Dept.- "The John Serry Sr. Collection" - Items donated to the library for archive include an audio recording from 1954 by the Serry Sextette and his Bel-Cordions for RCA Thesaurus in 1954 in the "John Serry Sr. Collection" - contact the staff archivist for further information on www.esm.rochester.edu
- ^ "Rochester Review" July-August 2008, Vol 70, No. 6 University of Rochester Alumnus magazine: River Campus (See Class of 1980) - Son of John Serry notes that his father's compositions and recordings have been submitted into the Sibley Library for archive
- ^ Eastman School of Music: Sibley Music Library: Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections Dept.- "The John Serry Sr. Collection" - Items donated to the library for archive include an audio recording from 1954 by the Serry Sextette and his Bel-Cordions for RCA Thesaurus in 1954 in the "John Serry Sr. Collection" - contact the staff archivist for further information at www.esm.rochester.edu
- ^ "Rochester Review" July-August 2008, Vol 70, No. 6 University of Rochester Alumnus magazine: River Campus (See Class of 1980) - Son of John Serry notes that his father's compositions and recordings have been submitted into the Sibley Library for archive
- ^ Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection "John Serry Sextette" audio recording for RCA Thesaurus of arrangements and performances by John Serry at the RCA Victor Sudios in 1954 p. 18 The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester
- ^ The Billboard - Music Radio - "New Features Launch 20th Thesaurus Year" 7 May 1955 p. 27 on Google Books.cm
- ^ The Billboard - "Speed and Quality on RCA Thesaurus" Ben Selvin 6 October 1956 p. 26 & p. 32 RCA Thesaurus Lawrence Welk on Google Books
- ^ The Billboard - "The Lawrence Welk Story - Welk to Radio via Thesaurus" 6 October 1956 p. 19 RCA Thesaurus Lawrence Welk on Google Books
- ^ The Billboard Music-Radio - "Thesaurus in Pact for Granz Transcriptions" 18 August 1956 p. 39 Ben Selvin RCA Thesaurus on Google Books.com
- ^ Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection "John Serry Sextette" audio recording for RCA Thesaurus of arrangements and performances by John Serry at the RCA Victor Sudios in 1954 p. 18 The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester
- ^ Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection "John Serry Sextette" audio recording for RCA Thesaurus of arrangements and performances by John Serry at the RCA Victor Sudios in 1954 p. 18 The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester
- ^ Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection "John Serry Sextette" audio recording for RCA Thesaurus of arrangements and performances by John Serry at the RCA Victor Sudios in 1954 p. 18 The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester
- ^ Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection "John Serry Sextette" Audio recording for RCA Thesaurus of arrangements and performances by John Serry at the RCA Victor Sudios in 1954 p. 18 The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester
- ^ The Billboard - "Speed and Quality on RCA Thesaurus" Ben Selvin 6 October 1956 p. 26 & p. 32 RCA Thesaurus Lawrence Welk on Google Books
- ^ The Billboard - "The Lawrence Welk Story - Welk to Radio via Thesaurus" 6 October 1956 p. 19 RCA Thesaurus Lawrence Welk on Google Books
- ^ The Billboard - Music Radio - "New Features Launch 20th Thesaurus Year" 7 May 1955 p. 27 on Google Books.cm
- ^ Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection "John Serry Sextette" audio recording for RCA Thesaurus of arrangements and performances by John Serry at the RCA Victor Sudios in 1954 p. 18 The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester
- ^ International Musician - "Accordion Instrument Played with A Smile", Hope Stoddard, May 1951, p. 10-11 Contributing writers Charles Nunzio & Sergei Matsusewitch - Photographs of the accordionists: Louis Del Monte, Pietro Frosini, Charles Nunzio, Charles Magnante, Anthony Galla-Rini, Art Van Damme within the article as published in the journal International Musician by the American Federation of Musicians posted on worldradiohistory.com
- ^ Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection "John Serry Sextette" audio recording for RCA Thesaurus of arrangements and performances by John Serry at the RCA Victor Sudios in 1954 p. 18 The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester
- ^ Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection "John Serry Sextette" audio recording and musical scores for RCA Thesaurus of arrangements and performances by John Serry at the RCA Victor Sudios in 1954. Series 4 Recordings: Item 10 p. 18, Series 2 Oversized Manuscripts Folders 9-16, p. 15-16. The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester
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