Baker (Michael H.) Collection of Wire Recordings, 1940-1964

Summary

Title:

Baker Collection of Wire Recordings

Dates:

1940-1964

Creators:

Baker, Michael H.

Abstract:

37 off-air recordings, primarily of the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in the 1950s.

Extent:

1 box: 37 spools of wire recordings

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Baker Collection of Wire Recordings, ARS-0069. Courtesy of the Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

Wire recordings, primarily of classical performances from the 1950s, given to the archive by Zachary Baker, Judaica Hebraica Curator at Stanford University Libraries. The collection belonged to his father, Michael H. Baker. Presumably recorded off the radio by Mr. Baker, these wire recordings capture works by Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Bartok, Wagner, Verdi, Haydn and others, performed almost entirely by the New York Philharmonic under the batons of Guido Cantelli, Bruno Walter, Arturo Toscanini, and Dmitri Mitropoulos. Soloists include Jascha Heifetz, Robert Cassadesus, Artur Rubinstein, and Gregor Piatigorsky. There are also three non-music recordings; the one regarding the Rosenberg case is a dub from a transcription of a radio play titled "They Must Not Die", produced by the San Francisco Labor Theatre for the Bay Area Committee to Save the Rosenbergs circa 1952 or 1953. Notations on the boxes are indistinct, with some erasure. Spelling has been corrected when known (many are spelled phonetically, as if jotted down from the radio). Different recordings of the same performances are known to have been released commercially, but none in the collection appear to be copies of published releases.

Acquisition information:

The Baker Collection of Wire Recordings was donated to the Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound by Zachary Baker in 2005.

Processing information:

This finding aid was produced with generous financial support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Rules or conventions:

Prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Indexed terms

Names:

Baker, Zachary M.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:

Finding aid prepared by Franz Kunst

Date Prepared:

© 2010

Date Encoded:

Produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2010-12-06T15:35-0800

Restrictions:

Open for research; material must be requested at least two business days in advance of intended use. Contact the Archive for assistance.

Terms of access:

Property rights reside with repository. Publication and reproduction rights reside with the creators or their heirs. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Head Librarian of the Archive of Recorded Sound.

Preferred citation:

Baker Collection of Wire Recordings, ARS-0069. Courtesy of the Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:

Stanford University, Archive of Recorded Sound

Braun Music Center, 541 Lasuen Mall

Stanford, CA 94305-3076, US

Contact:

(650) 723-9312

soundarchive@stanford.edu

Website