Samuel Siegel Explained

Samuel Siegel (born 1875, Des Moines, Iowa — died January 14, 1948, Los Angeles, California) was an American mandolin virtuoso and composer who played mandolin on 29 records for Victor Records, including 9 pieces of his own composition and two that he arranged.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]} Siegel was the first mandolinist to record on Emile Berliner's phonograph disk-records.^[4] He was labeled "America's Greatest Mandoline Virtuoso" and "The King of the Mandolin" in the May 1900 Banjo World.^[4]

Siegel performed both in vaudeville, as well as in concert halls.^[4] He had no formal training in music, but saw that the mandolin needed original music, rather than relying on the transcribed violin music.^[4] His compositions and arrangements were well known in his day.^[4]

He was the author of Siegel's Special Mandolin Studies, published by Joseph W. Stern & Co., 1901, in which he covered left-hand Pizzicato and harmonic duo style.^{[6] [7]}

Recording partners

Siegel recorded with Roy Butin in 1908 on four Victor records, the tunes: Southern Fantasy, Estellita Waltz, American Valor March, and In Fairyland.^[8]

He recorded Edison Diamond Disk record Ragtime Echoes in 1918 with Marie Caveny, with her on ukulele, and also Dance, Mouse Dance, and Medley.^{[9] [10]} Marie and her husband James Frank Caveny lived with Siegel as lodgers in Chicago during the 1910 United States Census.^[11] They were performers or lecturers in the Lyceum movement.^[12] James Franklin was a cartoonist and Marie sang soprano in their performance.^[12]

Victor recordings

Recorded for Victor records between October 20, 1900 and December 28, 1918.^[1]

• The foxhunters two-step
• Espagnole waltz
• Hawthorne club
• Remembrance of thee
• Medley of coon songs
• Ma lady Lou
• Volunteer patrol
• American valor march
• La bonita waltz
• Romance
• In olden times
• Nearer my God to thee
• Manzanillo
• An autumn evening
• A-sa-ma
• Maritana mazurka
• Navajo medley
• La cinquantaine
• Träumerei
• Intermezzo
• The whirlwind march
• Boston Ideal march
• Estellita waltz
• American valor march
• In Fairyland
• Medley, (December 28, 1918) with Marie Caveny (ukulele)
• Dance, (December 28, 1918) with Marie Caveny (ukulele)
• Ragtime echoes, (December 28, 1918) with Marie Caveny (ukulele)
• Mouse dance, (December 28, 1918) with Marie Caveny (ukulele)

Columbia Records

He made records for Columbia Records.

• La bonita waltz (1901), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• Zenda waltz (1901), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• Hawthorne Club (c 1904-1909), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• Ivanhoe Intermezzo with Geo. Stehl & Hans Von Wegern
• Mazurka Brillante

Edison recordings

He recorded for Edison Records on their Blue Amberol, Gold Moulded, and Diamond Disk albums.^{[10] [13]}

Gold Molded

• Home, sweet home (1902), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• Manzanilo (c. 1902), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• The story teller waltz (1903), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• My Old Kentucky Home (1903), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)
• Just One Girl (1904), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)^[14] (Music written by Lynn Udall, 1898)
• An autumn evening (1905), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and M. Loyd Wolf (guitar)
• Evening on the plaza (1905), Samuel Siegel (mandolin)

Blue Amberol

• Castilian Echoes (1908), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and William Smith (guitar)
• Waltz (1909), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Roy H. Butin (guitar)
• Gavotte (1909), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Roy H. Butin (guitar)
• Waltz (1913), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Roy H. Butin (guitar)
• Kuu ipo i ka hee pue one medley (1919), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Marie Caveny (ukulele)

Diamond

• Ragtime Echoes (1918), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Marie Caveny (ukulele)

Indestructible Records

He made records marketed by the Indestructible Record Company.^[13]

• Estellita waltz (1908), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Roy Butin (guitar)
• Southern fantasie (1908), Samuel Siegel (mandolin) and Roy Butin (guitar)

See also

• List of mandolinists (sorted)

External links

• • • Samuel Siegel recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
• Library of Congress record listing digitized recordings in their collection by Siegel
• Library of Congress record and online stream of Navajo Medley, arranged and played by Siegel
• Library of Congress record for a recording Siegel made of his arrangement of Nearer My God to Thee
• Mandolin Cafe thread with pictures of a program of music in which Siegel played
• Cylinder preservation and Digitization Project, University of California, has digitized Siegel public-domain recordings and made available to download.
• Advertisement for Siegel's mandolin method
• Mandotopia page, has links to public domain book of mandolin music, arranged by Siegel
• A recital program cover for Samuel Siegel
• Website for a mandolin teacher which contains one page of Siegel's method book
• Endorsement by Samuel Siegel of Regal mandolins. also details of one of his transcontinental tours
• Advertisement for Siegel's music school, the Siegel–Myers School of Music (then also named University Extension Conservatory)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Samuel Siegel (instrumentalist: mandolin) . Victor: Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings . 2014-07-07.
2. Web site: Samuel Siegel (composer) . Victor: Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings . 2014-07-07.
3. Web site: Samuel Siegel (arranger) . Victor: Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings . 2014-07-07.
4. Book: Sparks, Paul . The Classical Mandolin . 1995 . Oxford University Press . Oxford . 978-0-19-517337-6 . 123–125, 223.
5. Web site: Rootsweb, Siegel-L-SamuelSamuel . J. Garber . 2014-07-08.
6. Book: Mair, Marilynn . Complete Mandolinist . 2011 . Mel Bay Publications . 4 . 9781610653213.
7. Book: Dalton, Jim . Duo Style Mandolin . 2006 . Sining String Music Publications . 3.
8. Web site: Roy Butin, Revealed! . Gregg Miner . 2014-07-20.
9. http://victor.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/talent/detail/3380/Caveny_M._Miss_instrumentalist_ukulele Victor Records, Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings, Miss M. Caveny (instrumentalist: ukulele)
10. https://www.nps.gov/edis/learn/photosmultimedia/popular-instrumental-and-ragtime.htm National Park Service, Thomas Edison National Historic Park, New Jersey, Popular Instrumental, Ragtime
11. United States Census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Chicago Ward 25, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T624_268; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 1057; FHL microfilm: 1374281
12. https://books.google.com/books?id=1QwcAQAAMAAJ&dq=Marie+Caveny%2C+lycuem&pg=RA3-PA26 The Lyceumite Art and Talent, Their Art Appeals to Eye and Ear, Why J. Franklin Caveny Has Been Thirteen Years on the Platform and How Mrs. Caveny Completes the Pictures. A Glimpse of Two Artists in the Art of "Making Good"
13. https://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?query_type=keyword&query=Samuel+Siegel&nq=1 Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project, Department of Special Collections, Donald C. Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara
14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaO57wMbtCk YouTube video of Just One Girl by Samuel Siegel, showing the recording case and label