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 601-625 of 1233 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Gramophone 7907b 10-in. ca. Mar. 1906 El schehata El Sayed Eschta Male vocal solo recordist  
Gramophone 7915b 10-in. ca. Mar. 1906 Ya hali albadanayali Mounira El Mahdia Female vocal solo, with accompaniment recordist  
Gramophone 7915½b 10-in. ca. Mar. 1906 Ya hali albadanayali Mounira El Mahdia Female vocal solo, with accompaniment recordist  
Gramophone 8000b 10-in. May 1906 Carmen : Overture Teatro alla Scala Orchestra Orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8004b 10-in. May 1906 Vieni, la mia vendetta Giulio Rossi Bass vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8007b 10-in. May 1906 Temer non so per me Emilia Corsi Female vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8009b 10-in. May 1906 Fra poco a me ricovero Pietro Lara Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8010b 10-in. May 1906 Stiriana, Io conosco Lina Mileri Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8019b 10-in. approximately May 1906 Ella è lá presso a lui Lina Mileri Soprano vocal solo recordist  
Gramophone 8037b 10-in. May 1906 Un fuoco insolito Ernesto Badini ; Antonio Pini-Corsi Vocal duet (2 baritones), with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8038b 10-in. May 1906 Agnese la zitella Pietro Lara Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8041¾b 10-in. ca. May 1906 Ah, fors’è lui Josephina Huguet Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8041b 10-in. approximately May 1906 O del ciel angeli immortali Josephina Huguet ; Pietro Lara ; Giuseppe Torres de Luna Vocal trio (soprano, tenor, and bass), with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8042b 10-in. approximately May 1906 Sempre libera degg'io Josephina Huguet ; Pietro Lara Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8044b 10-in. May 1906 Tutte le feste al tempio Josephina Huguet Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8051b 10-in. May 1906 La zingarella Teatro alla Scala Coro Chorus, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8052b 10-in. May 1906 Coro dei soldati Teatro alla Scala Coro Vocal chorus, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8056b 10-in. May 1906 Preghiera de Agatha Emilia Corsi Soprano vocal solo, with piano recordist  
Gramophone 8072e 10-in. 1908 The diadem Alexander Prince Concertina solo recordist  
Gramophone 8077b 10-in. May 1906 Esultiam! Teatro alla Scala Coro Chorus, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8078b 10-in. May 1906 O come felici Teatro alla Scala Coro Chorus, with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8081½b 10-in. approximately May 1906 Di che fulgor Francesco Cigada ; Maria Grisi ; Josephina Huguet ; Carlo Ottoboni Vocal quartet (2 sopranos, baritone, and bass), with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8088b 10-in. May 1906 Ernani : Finale, act I Maria Grisi ; Carlo Ottoboni ; Giuseppe Sala ; Remo Sangiorgi Vocal quartet (soprano, 2 tenors, and bass), with orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8089b 10-in. May 1906 Vieni meco Francesco Cigada ; Maria Grisi ; Carlo Ottoboni Vocal trio (soprano, baritone, and bass), with chorus and orchestra recordist  
Gramophone 8097½b 10-in. May 1906 Adamastor re dell' onde Francesco Cigada Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra recordist  
(Results 601-625 of 1233 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Gaisberg, Frederick William," accessed November 9, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116625.

Gaisberg, Frederick William. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116625.

"Gaisberg, Frederick William." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116625

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